GunSerials

Originals and reissues

Is your Winchester an original or a reissue?

Winchester's famous old designs are still being made. Since 1978 a Japanese company called Miroku has built new versions of the Models 1886, 1892, 1895 and others. They were sold first under the Browning name and later under the Winchester name. Italian and Brazilian companies make copies of their own.

These guns are not fakes, and many are very good rifles. But they are not originals, and our serial tables do not cover them. This page shows how to tell the difference and how to read the year in a Japanese serial number.

1. Five things to check

  1. 1. Read the barrel for a country or an importer. Japanese guns say Made in Japan, Made by Miroku, or Japan/Miroku. Many also say Imported by BACO, Inc., Morgan, Utah, or name the Browning Arms Company. Italian copies say Italy or name a maker such as Uberti, Chiappa or Pedersoli. Brazilian copies say Made in Brazil, Rossi, Braztech or Interarms. An original says Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn., often with patent dates. A 1990s Japanese reissue may also give a New Haven address, so look for the country.
    Three barrel stamps. An original reads Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn., U.S.A. A 1990s Japanese reissue also gives a New Haven address, U.S. Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, CT, with Japan/Miroku on the next line. A reissue from 2006 on reads Made by Miroku, Japan, Imported by BACO, Inc., Morgan, Utah.
    Find the country. A 1990s Japanese reissue also says New Haven, so the word Japan is the tell. AI-generated illustration. Details may differ from a real gun.
  2. 2. Look for a safety on the tang. The tang is the flat strip of metal behind the hammer. A sliding button there is a safety. The original 1886, 1892, 1894, 1895 and Model 71 never had one. So if yours has one, it is a modern gun. Most are Japanese reissues. The one exception is Winchester's own Model 94, made in New Haven from 2003 to 2006, which also had a tang safety.
    Two lever-action rifles seen from above behind the hammer. The original Model 1892 has a plain tang with only a screw. The Japanese Winchester reissue has a small sliding safety button on the tang.
    Left: an original, with a plain tang. Right: a Japanese reissue, with a sliding safety on the tang. AI-generated illustration. Details may differ from a real gun.
  3. 3. Look at where the hammer rests. On an original, the lowered hammer rests against the firing pin. Many Japanese reissues have a hammer that springs back a little after it falls, so it stops short of the pin. If yours does that, it is a modern gun.
  4. 4. Read the serial number. Letters in the middle of the number, as in 00214ZM92A, mean a Japanese-made gun. Original Winchester numbers are plain digits. Some later models add one letter in front, such as the G on a Model 70, the F on a Model 9422, or the Y on a late Model 12.
  5. 5. Look for Italian proof marks. Italian guns carry small stamped crests or stars from the government test house. Next to them are two letters in a small box. Those letters give the year the copy was tested.

2. Winchesters made in Japan

Miroku is a gun maker in Kochi, Japan. It builds Winchester designs under license. That means it has permission from the companies that own the Winchester and Browning names.

From 1978 to 1993, most of these guns were sold under the Browning name. The Browning B-92 of 1978 was the first. In the 1990s the old designs moved to the Winchester name, and they still carry it today.

In the 1990s the barrel gave the address of U.S. Repeating Arms in New Haven, Connecticut, with Japan or Miroku beside it. Newer guns say Made by Miroku, Japan, and Imported by BACO, Inc., Morgan, Utah.

A Japanese reissue does not continue the original serial numbers. It has its own numbers, with letters in them. Our tables are built from the original factory numbers, so they cannot date it.

Winchester designs made in Japan by Miroku, by name and years
DesignOriginalBrowning nameWinchester name
Model 18661866–1898none2017 on
Model 18731873–1919none2013 on
Model 18851885–19201985–1999late 1999 on
Model 18861886–19351986–19931998 on
Model 18921892–19411978–19871997 on
Model 941894–2006none2010 on
Model 18951895–19401984–19851995 on
Model 531924–19321990none
Model 651933–19451989none
Model 711935–19581986–1987from 2012
Model 641932–1957none2011, 2015
Model 121912–19631988–19921993–1995
Model 421933–19631991–19931993
Model 521919–19791991–19921993–2002
Model 631933–1958none1997–1998

Years are the catalog years we found. Several runs were limited editions, so the dates are close but not exact. The Browning-name 1892 was called the B-92. The Winchester-name Model 52 was the 52B Sporter, sold to about 2002. The Model 12 of 1972 to 1980, with a Y before the number, was built in New Haven, not Japan.

3. How to read a Japanese serial number

Most Japanese-made Winchesters since about 2004 have a serial number like 00214ZM92A. It has four parts.

00214
the gun's own number
ZM
the year code
92
the model, here the Model 1892
A
the version of that model
The year letters
LetterZYXWVTRPNM
Digit1234567890

Each year letter stands for one digit. Put the two digits together to get the year. ZM is 1 and 0, so 2010. MW is 0 and 4, so 2004.

Browning-brand guns from 1978 to 1999 use the same letters. A product code follows them in place of the model number. So 03927PT197 is a Browning Model 1886 made in 1986.

Some Winchester-name guns from the 1990s use other letter groups, such as NFH or NTH. Those vary too much to read with a simple rule. If yours has letters like these and says Japan on the barrel, it is a reissue. Winchester or Browning customer service can date it.

Read the year in a Japanese serial number

Type the whole number, letters included. Nothing is sent anywhere.

4. A late New Haven Model 94 is not a reissue

Not every late Winchester is a reissue. From 1981 until the factory closed in 2006, U.S. Repeating Arms built the Model 94, Model 70, Model 9422 and Model 1300 in New Haven. Those guns continue the original serial numbers. The tables on our model pages date them through the early 1990s. Later numbers are above the tables and get no year.

A few features help you place a later Model 94. Angle eject, where the empty case comes out the side, began around 1983, near serial 5,300,000. A push-button safety through the receiver came in 1992. A safety on the tang replaced it in 2003.

None of these features makes a Model 94 a reissue. A Model 94 made in Japan says so on the barrel. Japanese Model 94s have been sold since 2010.

Model 94 serial numbers by year →

5. Italian and Brazilian copies

Other companies build copies of Winchester designs under their own names. Many are good guns, but they are not Winchesters. The maker's name and country are stamped on the gun.

  • A. Uberti (Italy): 1866, 1873, 1876, 1885. A. UBERTI - ITALY on the lower tang. Importers such as Cimarron, Taylor's and Navy Arms put their names on the barrel.
  • Chiappa (Armi Sport) (Italy): 1886, 1892. Maker and importer names on top of the barrel, near the rear sight. Proof marks under the receiver.
  • Davide Pedersoli (Italy): 1886. The letters dp in an oval, and the name Davide Pedersoli.
  • Rossi (Brazil): 1892 (sold as the Model 92, R92 and Puma). A. ROSSI S.A. - MADE IN BRAZIL on the tang. Newer guns name Braztech of Miami, Florida.
  • Chaparral Arms (Italian parts, sold in the US): 1866, 1873, 1876, 1892. CHAPARRAL on the barrel, often with an importer's name.
  • Norinco (China): 1887 and 1897 shotguns. China, or the importer mark IAC Billerica MA.
The side of an Italian-made receiver with two small stamps: a star in a circle above the letters PSF, which is a proof mark, and the letters AA inside a small box, which is the year code.
A proof mark and a boxed year code on an Italian copy. AA means 1975; the table below gives the rest. AI-generated illustration. Details may differ from a real gun.

Italian guns are tested at a government proof house before sale. The house stamps the year as two letters in a small box. Since June 2020 it stamps the last two digits of the year instead.

Italian proof year codes, 1975 to 2020
AA
1975
AB
1976
AC
1977
AD
1978
AE
1979
AF
1980
AH
1981
AI
1982
AL
1983
AM
1984
AN
1985
AP
1986
AS
1987
AT
1988
AU
1989
AZ
1990
BA
1991
BB
1992
BC
1993
BD
1994
BF
1995
BH
1996
BI
1997
BL
1998
BM
1999
BN
2000
BP
2001
BS
2002
BT
2003
BU
2004
BZ
2005
CA
2006
CB
2007
CC
2008
CD
2009
CF
2010
CH
2011
CI
2012
CL
2013
CM
2014
CN
2015
CP
2016
CS
2017
CT
2018
CU
2019
CZ
2020

6. What a reissue means for age and value

A reissue is dated by the year it was made, not by the design it copies. A Model 1892 made in 2010 is a 2010 gun.

Federal law treats a gun made in 1898 or earlier as an antique. A reissue built for cartridges sold today is a modern firearm, even when it looks like an 1880s rifle. State and local law may differ.

The 50-year curio or relic rule also counts from the year the gun was made. A Browning B-92 made in 1978 reaches 50 in 2028.

Collectors price reissues and originals as different guns. Our auction figures leave reissues out, so the prices on our model pages are for original guns only.

Is an original Winchester a pre-1899 antique? →

7. Questions people ask

Is a Winchester made in Japan a real Winchester?

It is a licensed Winchester. Miroku builds it with permission from the companies that own the Winchester name, and it is sold as a Winchester. But it is a modern reissue, not an original, and collectors treat the two as different guns.

How do I tell what year my Japanese Winchester was made?

Look at the two letters after the first five digits of the serial number. Each letter stands for a digit: Z is 1, Y is 2, X is 3, W is 4, V is 5, T is 6, R is 7, P is 8, N is 9 and M is 0. So 00214ZM92A was made in 2010. For other formats, ask Winchester or Browning customer service.

My Model 1892 has a safety on the tang. Is it a reproduction?

It is a modern gun. The original Model 1892s, made from 1892 to 1941, had no tang safety. Japanese-made 1892s sold under the Winchester name have one. Check the barrel for Made in Japan or Miroku to be sure.

Why does the lookup not date my Japanese Winchester?

Our tables come from the original factory numbers. A Japanese reissue has its own numbers, so a table for the originals would give it a wrong date, often in the 1800s. The lookup knows the common Japanese formats and stops instead. If you type only the digits, it cannot tell, so check the barrel first.

Is my Model 101 a reissue?

The first Model 101, made from 1963 to 1987, was built in Japan by Olin-Kodensha, with a K before the serial number. It is an original, and our Model 101 page covers it. The Model 101 sold since about 2008 is a new gun made in Belgium by FN.

Is a reproduction Winchester an antique?

No. Federal law counts the year a gun was made, not the year of the design. A reissue or copy built for cartridges sold today is a modern firearm, even if it copies an 1873. State and local law may differ.

Sources and further reading

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