Winchester M1 Carbine serial numbers by year
Winchester was the second-largest producer of M1 Carbines, manufacturing approximately 828,059 carbines.
- Produced:
- 1942–1945
- Action:
- semi-automatic
What year was your M1 Carbine made?
Where the serial number is
Top of the receiver behind the rear sight; often hidden under later adjustable sights.
Where these dates come from
Winchester's original factory records do not cover every model. For the M1 Carbine, the dates come from one published source, Winchester tool room prototypes. It was typed up long after production, so treat any year as a close estimate rather than a factory record.
Sources for this model: Winchester tool room prototypes · Ordnance-assigned Winchester serial blocks
Winchester M1 Carbine serial numbers by year
The full M1 Carbine 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.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range.
Winchester tool room prototypes
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 6 – 10 |
- 1941: Tool room prototypes from December 1941. These are museum-grade rarities. Inland made serial numbers 1 to 5 in November 1941, and Winchester made serial numbers 6 to 10 in December 1941.
Ordnance-assigned Winchester serial blocks
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1942–1945 | 1,000,000 – 1,349,999 |
| 1942–1945 | 4,075,000 – 4,075,009 |
| 1942–1945 | 5,549,922 – 5,834,618 |
| 1942–1945 | 6,449,884 – 6,629,883 |
| 1942–1945 | 7,234,884 – 7,369,660 |
- 1942–1945: Ordnance assigned this block to Winchester. Blocks were issued as they were needed, and no record links an individual number to an assembly date. A serial number therefore dates the carbine only to Winchester's production run, September 1942 to August 1945. This was the first production block.
- 1942–1945: Ordnance assigned this block to Winchester. Blocks were issued as they were needed, and no record links an individual number to an assembly date. A serial number therefore dates the carbine only to Winchester's production run, September 1942 to August 1945. These are the ten presentation, or gift, carbines.
- 1942–1945: Ordnance assigned this block to Winchester. Blocks were issued as they were needed, and no record links an individual number to an assembly date. A serial number therefore dates the carbine only to Winchester's production run, September 1942 to August 1945. This was the second production block, and it includes carbines finished on leftover Underwood receivers.
- 1942–1945: Ordnance assigned this block to Winchester. Blocks were issued as they were needed, and no record links an individual number to an assembly date. A serial number therefore dates the carbine only to Winchester's production run, September 1942 to August 1945. This was the third production block.
- 1942–1945: Ordnance assigned this block to Winchester. Blocks were issued as they were needed, and no record links an individual number to an assembly date. A serial number therefore dates the carbine only to Winchester's production run, September 1942 to August 1945. This was the final block, covering M1 and M2 carbines.
What to know about M1 Carbine serial numbers
- Ordnance handed out serial numbers in blocks, so Winchester's numbers do not run in one unbroken sequence. Many of the gaps were assigned to other makers. The numbers 5,549,822 to 5,549,921 were never assigned to anyone.
- The assigned blocks hold more serial positions than there were finished carbines. Do not add up the block sizes to get a production total.
- The government ran one serial number scheme across several contractors. A number that falls outside a Winchester block may belong to Inland, Underwood, Quality Hardware or another maker.
- Carbines rebuilt after the war often mix a Winchester receiver with a barrel, stock and other parts from different contractors. Markings on those parts do not override the maker and serial number on the receiver.
- On a rebuilt carbine the serial number may be stamped a second time ahead of the adjustable rear sight, because the new sight covered the original marking.
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 these M1 Carbine serial numbers: 1,000,001–1,350,000; 5,549,922–5,834,618; 6,449,884–6,629,883; 7,234,884–7,305,200. 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 →