Winchester dating

[Royzo]

Picked up a couple of winchesters the other day. One is a model 1894 in 38/55 ser#144799 and the other is a model 1892 in 44 wcf ser#256811. Both have the full oct barrel and full length mag tubes. I seem to be finding conflicting info on dates of manufacture. Can anyone help with this?

 

[H4831]

If you want the correct dates of manufacture, you would have to give us the serial numbers.
You gave part, or the approximate serial number, so I can give you the approximate d o m.
1894--1898
1892--1904

 

[Royzo]

I have edited the ser numbers Thanks

 

[Matt74]

Picked up a couple of winchesters the other day. One is a model 1894 in 38/55 ser#144799 and the other is a model 1892 in 44 wcf ser#256811. Both have the full oct barrel and full length mag tubes. I seem to be finding conflicting info on dates of manufacture. Can anyone help with this?

If you use the common online (or in Books) serial numbers attributed to George Madis, you will get something close, but for several models, often incorrect. As per the original Winchester Polishing Room Records (PRRs) housed at the Cody Museum which show the actual dates the guns were serialized, your Model 1894 was made in 1902, your Model 1892 in 1904. The actual records will show the exact day, but I do not have access to those, just year end serial numbers.
Hope this helps.
Matt

 

[H4831]

I have edited the ser numbers Thanks

The common date of manufacture that Winchester quotes, give the 1894 as 1898 and the 1892 as 1902.
However, I realize there is another source of dates which vary with this.
I believe the scale I quoted from is the one accepted as to whether or not a gun is of antique age, for example.

 

[Win 38-55]

The dates on the web, and contained in George Madis' books, for the Winchester Model 1894 are incorrect. Unfortunately, it appears that the current Winchester manufacturer is giving out incorrect dates as well. Winchester does not have any records of their own, so they have been relying on George Madis' work, which, for the Model 1894 and some other models, is badly off. The Cody Museum actually has many of the original Winchester records, so their dates are exact, right down to the day it was shipped. Bert Hartman has done a lot of work in compiling a database of actual dates completed Model 1894's that were received in the Winchester Warehouse from the Cody records, for various serial numbers. Some of his results are shown below and will give you a good idea when your Model 1894 was made. Not exact, mind you, but the general trend of serial numbers of the Model 1894 vs. dates. Your 38-55 was probably received in the Winchester warehouse sometime in June or July of 1902. If you want the exact date, then you would need to contact the Cody Museum. They have a charge for the information.

Serial#..Warehouse Date
22 ** 10-20-1894
90 ** 12-7-1894
136 ** 11-1-1894
137 ** 11-14-1894
139 ** 11-14-1894
165 ** 12-8-1894
204 ** 12-5-1894
257 ** 11-13-1894
266 ** 11-12-1894
309 ** 11-6-1894
338 ** 1-5-1895
563 ** 11-21-1894
679 ** 11-24-1894
734 ** 2-2-1895
814 ** 12-8-1894
988 ** 12-10-1894
1296 ** 12-26-1894
1368 ** 12-29-1894
1673 ** 2-4-1895
1835 ** 3-5-1895
3314 ** 5-29-1895
3559 ** 4-26-1895
4762 ** 6-29-1895
4770 ** 6-15-1895
5014 ** 7-18-1895
5047 ** 9-6-1895
5579 ** 9-13-1895
5860 ** 8-29-1895
6506 ** 10-3-1895
7566 ** 10-17-1895
12695 ** 11-4-1896
12962 ** 7-30-1896
13135 ** 4-14-1896
14311 ** 7-28-1896
15315 ** 6-29-1896
15332 ** 8-7-1896
16259 ** 10-31-1896
16400 ** 10-26-1896
16582 ** 10-3-1896
17862 ** 12-16-1896
20041 ** 3-11-1897
20492 ** 8-30-1901
22905 ** 6-5-1897
25762 ** 10-13-1897
26639 ** 10-1-1897
27122 ** 10-27-1897
27158 ** 3-4-1902
28202 ** 10-25-1897
32192 ** 3-24-1898
32246 ** 1-27-1898
39555 ** 7-20-1898
46821 ** 8-30-1898
46831 ** 9-19-1898
47431 ** 9-29-1898
47856 ** 10-20-1898
48116 ** 10-22-1898
49796 ** 12-28-1898
49980 ** 12-19-1898
50840 ** 9-13-1899
54160 ** 9-8-1899
59367 ** 5-23-1899
59668 ** 5-22-1899
60584 ** 4-4-1899
61710 ** 5-8-1899
62652 ** 5-12-1899
64043 ** 8-10-1899
64406 ** 8-19-1899
64872 ** 9-1-1899
65056 ** 10-18-1899
67776 ** 9-26-1899
67952 ** 9-19-1899
70126 ** 10-19-1899
70788 ** 10-20-1899
71479 ** 11-4-1899
71560 ** 11-1-1899
74059 ** 11-24-1899
77924 ** 3-29-1900
78333 ** 9-12-1900
79036 ** 1-8-1900
84801 ** 3-24-1900
85741 ** 4-24-1900
85816 ** 6-20-1900
86623 ** 7-24-1900
87767 ** 9-1-1900
88624 ** 7-2-1900
89924 ** 12-28-1900
96800 ** 1-9-1901
97581 ** 4-25-1901
97869 ** 11-2-1900
98829 ** 3-1-1901
99126 ** 12-7-1900
100621 ** 8-3-1901
100994 ** 3-11-1901
107731 ** 10-5-1901
108346 ** 6-1-1901
109921 ** 5-25-1901
111524 ** 4-2-1901
112916 ** 4-24-1901
113997 ** 5-18-1901
115623 ** 10-22-1901
116570 ** 7-29-1901
118446 ** 8-6-1901
119046 ** 8-2-1901
119959 ** 2-5-1902
120238 ** 8-20-1901
122029 ** 9-27-1901
122466 ** 10-24-1901
124883 ** 10-17-1901
131497 ** 11-19-1901
139676 ** 3-14-1902
142899 ** 5-10-1902
145358 ** 7-29-1902
145643 ** 7-21-1902
146235 ** 9-2-1902
152631 ** 10-6-1902
154488 ** 10-16-1902
154905 ** 9-17-1902
155354 ** 10-25-1902
180787 ** 6-12-1903
182665 ** 7-20-1903
186261 ** 7-24-1903
187561 ** 8-17-1903
190079 ** 8-28-1903
199578 ** 12-5-1903
203012 ** 1-11-1904
206055 ** 3-4-1904
222901 ** 3-30-1905
227057 ** 7-15-1904
239193 ** 10-27-1904
240596 ** 5-9-1905
244142 ** 8-23-1905
249157 ** 12-24-1904
249665 ** 5-8-1905
250113 ** 2-5-1906
257652 ** 4-11-1905
259195 ** 4-22-1905
260056 ** 7-15-1905
261228 ** 9-5-1905
265717 ** 8-12-1905
274317 ** 8-24-1905
275004 ** 10-7-1905
276723 ** 9-25-1905
280853 ** 10-22-1906
282746 ** 4-25-1906
288514 ** 1-30-1906
299679 ** 4-2-1906
303891 ** 5-18-1906
304600 ** 7-21-1906
311946 ** 8-31-1906
313571 ** 9-14-1905
314210 ** 8-30-1906
314870 ** 9-11-1906
318034 ** 10-6-1906
324386 ** 11-24-1906
325531 ** 5-20-1907
327349 ** 12-12-1906
330989 ** 1-5-1907
335602 ** 2-2-1907
336447 ** 3-16-1907
340492 ** 3-7-1907
353136 ** 6-20-1907
353512 ** 11-4-1907