Winchester Model 1895 Lee Navy serial numbers by year
The Winchester Model 1895 Lee Navy is a straight-pull, bolt-action rifle chambered in 6mm Lee Navy (.236 caliber).
- Produced:
- 1896–1898 (receivers); completed and converted through 1908
- Action:
- bolt-action
What year was your Model 1895 Lee Navy made?
Why the sources give different years
Nobody kept one official list of which Winchester Model 1895 Lee Navy serial numbers were made in which year. The dates come from the factory's serial-number records, now held by the Cody Firearms Museum, and the tables in George Madis's Winchester books, compiled decades after the guns were made. For some serial numbers these sources are years apart, so this page shows what each one says instead of picking one.
Madis vs. factory dates lists every model where the sources part ways, with a real serial number from each.
Sources for this model: Navy contract and commercial blocks (WACA / Cody records guide) · Madis chronology
Winchester Model 1895 Lee Navy serial numbers by year
The full Model 1895 Lee Navy serial number chart, one table for each published source. Each row gives the serial numbers that source assigns to a year. Find the row your number falls in.
A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. For the Model 1895 Lee Navy that is true of most of the run, so treat any single year as an estimate and read the notes below the tables.
Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)
The original Winchester factory ledgers, now held at the Cody Firearms Museum. They record the day each serial number was stamped, which is usually close to when the gun was finished.
Cited as: Navy contract and commercial blocks (WACA / Cody records guide)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1896–1897 | 1 – 9,999 |
| 1897–1898sources differ | 10,000 – 15,000 |
| 1898sources differ | 15,001 – 20,000 |
- 1896–1897: First Navy contract. Made in 1896 and 1897.
- 1897–1898: Civilian and mixed receiver production. This range cannot be dated reliably from the serial number alone, and some rifles were finished or altered later.
- 1898: Second Navy contract, delivered August to December 1898. The whole range was made and delivered before the end of 1898.
George Madis's published tables
From George Madis's Winchester books, a collector reference compiled decades after production. The figures are year-end estimates, not counts from the factory books.
Cited as: Madis chronology
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1896 | 1 – 1,400 |
| 1897 | 1,401 – 10,608 |
| 1898 | 10,609 – 13,389 |
| 1899sources differ | 13,390 – 13,734 |
| 1902sources differ | 13,735 – 14,200 |
| 1903sources differ | 14,201 – 14,383 |
| 1904sources differ | 14,384 – 14,400 |
| 1905sources differ | 14,401 – 14,604 |
| 1906sources differ | 14,605 – 14,708 |
| 1907sources differ | 14,709 – 14,800 |
| 1908sources differ | 14,801 – 19,287 |
| 1909sources differ | 19,288 – 19,353 |
| 1910sources differ | 19,354 – 19,448 |
| 1911sources differ | 19,449 – 19,533 |
| 1912sources differ | 19,534 – 19,584 |
| 1913sources differ | 19,585 – 19,615 |
| 1914sources differ | 19,616 – 20,151 |
| 1915 | 20,152 – 20,172 |
| 1916 | from 20,173 |
- 1899: No published starting serial number is given for 1900 or 1901.
- 1908: George Madis's tables say that 14,953 to 19,288 were "not used". You cannot take that literally for the whole model, because the documented second Navy contract occupies 15,001 to 20,000.
- 1915–1916: This entry is above 20,000. It conflicts with the documented last serial number of production and is not a reliable extension of the Winchester serial number range.
What to know about Model 1895 Lee Navy serial numbers
- Rifles numbered 10,000 to 15,000 cannot be dated reliably from the serial number alone. Some receivers were numbered in 1897 or 1898 but were assembled, altered, inspected or shipped years later.
- Many commercial receivers numbered 10,000 to 15,000 were made earlier but were not finished or shipped until 1902 to 1916.
- The later purchase of 186 rifles by the U.S.N.M. carries a Navy inventory number from 1 to 186 as well as a lightly stamped Winchester serial number. The Navy number is not the Winchester serial number.
- The Winchester collectors' association gives two different pre-1899 antique cutoffs for the first block. Its verified table says 1 to 13,679. Its model overview says below about 13,390. The boundary for the first block is disputed.
- The whole Navy block of 15,001 to 20,000 was made and delivered before the end of 1898. Commercial timelines like the one in George Madis's tables can appear to date numbers from this area later.
- George Madis's tables say that 14,953 to 19,288 were "not used". You cannot take that literally for the whole model, because the documented second Navy contract occupies 15,001 to 20,000.
- Entries above 20,000 in George Madis's tables conflict with the documented last serial number of production. They are not a reliable extension of the Winchester serial number range.
Other Winchester military contract arms
Winchester rifles that never had a serial number
These have no serial number to look up. Their pages explain why, and how to date one from its features.
Want proof on paper? Order a factory letter
The Cody Firearms Museum holds Winchester’s original records and, for a fee, will search them for your serial number and send you a letter with the recorded dates and details. It is the closest thing to the original factory entry you can own, and it is what auction houses and appraisers accept.
Its records cover Model 1895 Lee Navy serial numbers: 1–20,000. A number outside that coverage cannot be lettered.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →