Winchester M1 Garand serial numbers by year
Winchester produced approximately 513,880 M1 Garands during WWII under government contract.
- Produced:
- 1940–1945
- Action:
- semi-automatic
What year was your M1 Garand made?
Winchester M1 Garand value: what it sells for at auction
105 Winchester M1 Garands sold one gun to a lot at Rock Island Auction Company (89) and Morphy Auctions (16) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The table groups them the way the auction house coded each lot: antique, curio and relic, or modern. Half of the guns in each row sold inside the “most sell between” range; a quarter sold below it and a quarter above. Eight in ten sold inside the wider “nearly all between” range.
Standard guns only. Left out: deluxe and special-order guns (checkered or fancy wood, pistol grips, odd barrel lengths, special sights), engraved, inscribed, presentation, and commemorative pieces, and lots of two or more guns. A deluxe or special-order gun sells for more than these figures, often several times more. Condition and originality drive most of the spread inside a row.
Enter your serial number above and this section picks out the row for your gun’s era and lists the most recent sales like it.
| Era | Sales | Most sell between | Typical | Nearly all between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curio & Relicat least 50 years old at the time of sale | 105 | $1,528 – $2,644 | $1,762 | $1,410 – $3,819 |
These are sold prices for standard guns, not an appraisal. Prices realized as published by each house after the sale; both houses' figures include the buyer's premium. A dealer buying for resale will offer less than these figures; a private sale between collectors often lands near the typical price for the gun’s condition. If your gun has factory upgrades, a factory letter that confirms them is what moves it above these numbers. Updated after each major sale. 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
Winchester's original factory records do not cover every model. For the M1 Garand, the dates come from one published source, Winchester Serial Number Table. 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 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 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 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: Late wartime block.
- 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)
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: 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.
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 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. 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 →