GunSerialsWinchester M1 Garand serial numbers by year
Winchester produced approximately 513,880 M1 Garands during WWII under government contract.
- Produced:
- 1940–1945
- Action:
- semi-automatic
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 M1 Garand 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.
Winchester M1 Garand 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 155 Winchester M1 Garands sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (87), Morphy Auctions (16), Poulin Auctions (20), Redding Auction Services (15), and Amoskeag Auction Company (17) 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 | 144 | $1,528 – $2,115 | $1,701 | $1,304 – $3,221 |
Recent M1 Garand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | M1 Garand | Poulin lot 1351 | $1,708 |
| Nov 2025 | M1 Garand | Amoskeag lot 1196 | $1,694 |
| Nov 2024 | M1 Garand | Amoskeag lot 1021 | $1,694 |
| Aug 2026 | M1 Garand | Poulin lot 2032 | $1,952 |
| Jul 2026 | M1 Garand · 30-06 | Redding lot 300R | $1,525 |
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
On the receiver heel (rear face of the receiver, behind the rear sight).
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: Winchester Serial Number Table. Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Sources for this model: Winchester Serial Number Table · Scott Duff assigned WIN-13 block · Cody Firearms Museum WIN-13 SNA records
Winchester M1 Garand serial numbers by year
The full M1 Garand 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.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range.
Winchester Serial Number Table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1940–1941 | 100,001 – 100,500 |
| 1941–1942 | 100,501 – 165,500 |
| 1942–1943 | 1,200,001 – 1,357,473 |
| 1943 | 1,357,474 – 1,380,000 |
| 1943–1945 | 2,305,850 – 2,540,000 |
| 1945 | 1,600,000 – 1,640,000 |
- 1940–1941: These rifles were made on the educational order.
- 1941–1942: Second contract. Shipments began in April 1941.
- 1942–1943: Main wartime block.
- 1943: These serial numbers were used twice, on Winchester rifles and on Springfield rifles.
- 1943–1945: Winchester's assigned block ran from 2,305,850 to 2,655,849. The highest number used before the WIN-13 block was about 2,540,000, according to Scott Duff and the National Park Service's monthly figures.
- 1945: WIN-13 block, mid-January to June 30, 1945. Marked "D28291WIN-13" on the right receiver leg. Springfield Armory used this range as well.
Scott Duff assigned WIN-13 block
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 1,601,000 – 1,640,000 |
- 1945: These WIN-13 figures come from a different record system than the published ordnance and Canfield-NPS approximate production landmark and than the coverage of the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum. Do not average them.
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: Cody Firearms Museum WIN-13 SNA records
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 1,601,359 – 1,642,162 |
- 1945: These WIN-13 figures come from a different record system than the published ordnance and Canfield-NPS approximate production landmark and than Scott Duff's assigned block. Do not average them. The range covered by the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum counts records of numbers being stamped, not accepted totals of finished rifles.
What to know about M1 Garand serial numbers
- Winchester serial numbers are mixed in among Springfield Armory serial numbers. The serial number alone does not tell you who made the rifle. You have to check the receiver markings.
- A hand-stamped "A" after the serial number is evidence that a duplicate number was corrected. It does not mark a separate Winchester production block. Either a Springfield Armory (SA) or a Winchester (WRA) rifle may carry it.
- The published approximate production landmarks and the exact coverage of the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum come from two different record systems. Do not average them.
- At least part of the range 1,357,474 to 1,380,000 was given out twice, once to Winchester and once to Springfield. Collector research documents more duplicate pairs in the 1.6 million and 2.4 million areas.
- The last WIN-13 production in 1945 went back to the lower 1.6 million range after Winchester had already made rifles above 2.5 million. A lower serial number is therefore not always an earlier rifle.
- The range covered by the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum counts records of numbers being stamped, not accepted totals of finished rifles.
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 M1 Garand serial numbers: 100,049–165,500; 1,200,430–1,387,820; 1,601,359–1,642,162; 2,305,850–2,536,540. 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 →