GunSerialsWinchester Model 71 serial numbers by year
A lever-action rifle made from 1935 to 1958. More than 99.5% used .348 Winchester ammunition, the only type regularly listed in the catalogs.
- Produced:
- 1935–1958; Browning-name reissue 1986–1987; Winchester-name reissue 2011–2013 (both made by Miroku)
- Action:
- lever-action
New to gun terms? Start here
- Model:
- The name of the gun design, such as Model 94. A model name that looks like a year does not tell you when your gun was made.
- Serial number:
- The number stamped on an individual gun. Include letters that are part of the number. A separate letter stamped above it, like the Model 97's C, D or E, is a different marking.
- Receiver:
- The main metal body just behind the barrel. The receiver ring is its front section, where the barrel joins it.
- Tang:
- A strip of metal extending from the receiver into the stock. The lower tang runs underneath, behind the trigger.
- Stock:
- The part you hold against your shoulder, usually made of wood on older Winchesters.
- Forearm or forend:
- The part under the barrel where your forward hand holds the gun.
- Action:
- The mechanism that loads and removes cartridges. Names such as lever action, pump action, and bolt action describe how it works.
- Caliber or gauge:
- The ammunition size or type a gun is designed to use. This marking is different from the model and serial number.
- Takedown:
- A version designed to separate into major sections for storage. A takedown joint is where those sections meet.
- Proof mark:
- A factory testing mark, such as Winchester's oval WP stamp. It is not a serial number or a date code.
- Peep or aperture sight:
- A rear sight with a small hole to look through. A hooded front sight has a cover around it.
What year was your Model 71 made?
Need help finding the serial number?
Look up a serial number and print a one-page record sheet: the date and its sources, the status by age, the model in brief, and the auction price range.
Does the barrel say Made in Japan, or does the serial number have letters in the middle? Then it is a modern reissue with its own numbers. How to tell an original from a reissue.
Winchester Model 71 value: what it sells for at auction
Enter your serial number above to highlight the price categories that fit the estimated date and see recent sales of this model in those categories.
These prices come from 64 Winchester Model 71s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (41), Morphy Auctions (7), Poulin Auctions (5), Redding Auction Services (4), and Amoskeag Auction Company (7) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The age-group rows use the auction companies' categories: antique, curio and relic, or modern.
The typical price is the middle price, also called the median. Half sold for more and half for less. The middle 50% range leaves out the lowest quarter and highest quarter of prices. The wider 80% range leaves out the lowest tenth and highest tenth.
We leave out listings described as deluxe, special-order, engraved, restored, or commemorative, and other exceptions in the value guide. Commemoratives are priced on their own page. Wear, repairs, original parts, and factory upgrades can make a particular gun worth more or less. These figures are a comparison, not an appraisal of your gun.
| Category | Sales | Middle 50% of prices | Typical price | Middle 80% of prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curio & Reliccollector category, usually 50+ years old | 63 | $1,340 – $2,019 | $1,645 | $1,278 – $2,644 |
Recent Model 71 auction sales
Sales near the typical price and the newest. Their features and condition may differ from your gun. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | Model 71 · Rifle · 348 WCF | Rock Island lot 1798 | $1,645 |
| Feb 2024 | Model 71 · Rifle · 348 WCF | Rock Island lot 2812 | $1,645 |
| Feb 2024 | Model 71 · Rifle · 348 WCF | Rock Island lot 2797 | $1,645 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 71 · Rifle | Poulin lot 4172 | $793 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 71 · Rifle | Poulin lot 4171 | $1,159 |
Prices are in US dollars and include the buyer’s premium, the auction company’s fee added to the winning bid, where the house charges one; Redding charges none. They are not the amount the seller receives. A dealer’s offer or private sale price may differ. The full picture, model by model →
Where the serial number is
Bottom of the receiver, next to the forearm.
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 71 come from factory record books held at the Cody Firearms Museum, George Madis's reference books, Winchester's customer-service list, and other published references, each named above its table. These sources can give different years for the same serial number. Original records usually provide stronger evidence than later estimates. Check the notes to see whether a source dates numbering, assembly, or another step.
Madis vs. factory dates shows examples from models whose tables disagree on this site.
Sources for this model: Overall accepted serial range · Madis Year-End Serials · CFM/Polishing Room Year-End Serials · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 71 serial numbers by year
The full Model 71 serial number chart, one table for each source available here. Each row gives the numbers that source assigns to a year. Both the first and last numbers are included.
A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. For the Model 71 that is true of most of the run, so treat any single year as an estimate and read the notes below the tables.
Overall accepted serial range
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1935–1958 | 1 – 47,254 |
- 1935–1958: Serial numbers start at 1 on October 18, 1935 and run to about 47,254 in 1958.
George Madis's published tables
George Madis compiled Winchester reference books years after production. His tables estimate the last serial number reached each year.
Cited as: Madis Year-End Serials
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1935 | 1 – 4 |
| 1936 | 5 – 7,816 |
| 1937sources differ | 7,817 – 12,985 |
| 1938sources differ | 12,986 – 14,688 |
| 1939sources differ | 14,689 – 16,154 |
| 1940sources differ | 16,155 – 18,268 |
| 1941sources differ | 18,269 – 20,811 |
| 1942sources differ | 20,812 – 21,961 |
| 1943sources differ | through 21,051 |
| 1944sources differ | 21,052 – 22,051 |
| 1945sources differ | 22,052 – 22,224 |
- 1943: This row has no start number. George Madis's printed figure falls from 21,961 in 1942 to 21,051 in 1943, so the usual start of 21,962 would be higher than the year's own last number. The 1943 figure is shown exactly as the Winchester collectors' association printed it in its comparison. It is a known reported oddity, not a correction.
- 1944: This row overlaps the 1942 range of 20,812 to 21,961. Its start of 21,052 comes from the misprinted 1943 last number of 21,051. The printed figures are kept here, but they cannot give a firm year within the overlap.
Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)
Drawn from Winchester's original factory records. Numbering records date when serial numbers were stamped. The gun could be finished or shipped later; see this model's notes.
Cited as: CFM/Polishing Room Year-End Serials
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1935sources differ | 1 – 477 |
| 1936 | 478 – 9,749 |
| 1937sources differ | 9,750 – 14,700 |
| 1938sources differ | 14,701 – 16,325 |
| 1939sources differ | 16,326 – 17,845 |
| 1940sources differ | 17,846 – 19,838 |
| 1941sources differ | 19,839 – 21,402 |
| 1942sources differ | 21,403 – 22,945 |
| 1943sources differ | 22,946 – 22,956 |
| 1945sources differ | 22,957 – 23,010 |
- 1943: The last serial number is given as 22,956 for both 1943 and 1944. No serial numbers were recorded in 1944.
- 1945: The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum stop at serial 23,010 in December 1945. Across 1943 to 1945 only 65 more numbers were stamped.
Winchester's own customer-service list (2012)
A list Winchester prepared to answer owners' questions. It combines records and estimates, as the list itself explains.
Cited as: Winchester customer-service list (2012)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1935 | 1 – 4 |
| 1936 | 5 – 7,821 |
| 1937sources differ | 7,822 – 12,988 |
| 1938sources differ | 12,989 – 14,690 |
| 1939sources differ | 14,691 – 16,155 |
| 1940sources differ | 16,156 – 18,267 |
| 1941sources differ | 18,268 – 20,810 |
| 1942sources differ | 20,811 – 21,959 |
| 1943sources differ | 21,960 – 22,048 |
| 1944sources differ | 22,049 – 22,051 |
| 1945sources differ | 22,052 – 22,224 |
| 1946sources differ | 22,225 – 23,534 |
| 1947 | 23,535 – 25,758 |
| 1948 | 25,759 – 27,900 |
| 1949 | 27,901 – 29,675 |
| 1950 | 29,676 – 31,450 |
| 1951 | 31,451 – 33,225 |
| 1952 | 33,226 – 35,000 |
| 1953 | 35,001 – 37,500 |
| 1954 | 37,501 – 40,770 |
| 1955 | 40,771 – 43,306 |
| 1956 | 43,307 – 45,843 |
| 1957 | 45,844 – 47,254 |
What to know about Model 71 serial numbers
- These records give the date the serial number was stamped. They do not give the date the rifle was finished or shipped.
- Serial 48,262 turned up in an auction description. The Winchester collectors' association could not confirm the marking from photographs and believes it was a misread 43,262. Do not treat it as extending the accepted serial range.
- The 1943 figure in George Madis's tables goes down instead of up. It is shown here exactly as the Winchester collectors' association printed it, and it has not been quietly corrected.
- George Madis's tables and the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give quite different last serial numbers for each year, even though both agree the total was 47,254.
- The Cody Firearms Museum holds factory records of the date the serial number was stamped for serial numbers 1–23,010, through December 1945. The original records after that are in private hands.
- The pre-1899 antique cutoff does not apply here. Production began in 1935.
- Winchester's own customer-service list is a retyped compilation, not the original records. The list itself says that no complete original serial record from 1866 onward is known to exist, and that some of its figures are estimates.
Winchester rifles usually made without serial numbers
These models usually have no serial number. Their pages explain the exceptions and how their features may help estimate age.
Need more detail? Check for factory records
The Cody Firearms Records Office can check for surviving records for your serial number. For a fee, it can issue a letter reporting what they say. Some records contain only dates; others also describe the gun’s original features.
The office’s May 2024 coverage sheet lists these Model 71 serial numbers: 1–23,010. Check current availability with the office before ordering; a listed range does not guarantee a record for every number.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →