Winchester Pattern 14 serial numbers — what the records say

Where the serial number is

On the receiver ring, prefixed with W.

What to know about Pattern 14 serial numbers

• Each maker used its own serial number sequence with its own prefix: W for Winchester, R for Remington and E for Eddystone. The prefix is essential, so read it before you look a number up.
• The total made and the last serial number are not the same. 235,448 rifles were completed, but that does not mean the last serial was W235448. George Madis's tables report the numbered sequence passing 245,000.
• The Pattern 14 is the British .303 rifle. The U.S. .30-06 rifle that followed it is the Model 1917, and it started its own Winchester serial number sequence.
• The highest serial number is larger than the number of rifles accepted, because numbered parts that were rejected or replaced used up positions in the sequence.

Other Winchester military contract arms

• M1 Garand1940–1945
• Hotchkiss1878–1900
• M1 Carbine1942–1945
• Model 1895 Lee Navy1896–1908
• U.S. Model 19171917–1919

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.

• Model 471949–1954
• Model 581928–1934
• Model 601930–1939
• Model 60A1932–1939
• Model 671934–1963
• Model 681934–1945
• Model 691935–1963
• Model 72A1949–1959
• Model 19001899–1902
• Model 19021902–1931
• Model 19041904–1931
• Thumb Trigger1904–1923