When Was Your Winchester Made? Part 2

Above, yours truly at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in
Cody, Wyoming last summer. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

To correctly date one's Winchester rifle can be a daunting task. 

When I checked my Winchester 94's serial number, I went with the Winchester Arms Collector's Association date data site. That site put it at being made in 1962. I referred to it when I was at the gun store about to buy the Winchester 94 using my phone. 

According to some Winchester collectors, data provided by some sites may not be totally accurate. That's why I called dating one's rifle can be a daunting task.

Many Winchester collectors request letters (for a fee) from the Cody Firearms Records Office at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West that states the year of manufacture and configuration data. They have the Winchester records. 

Above, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to their website:

The Cody Firearms Records Office currently provides manufacturing dates and configuration data on Winchester, Marlin, L.C. Smith, Ithaca, Savage, and A.H. Fox firearms using the original factory records held by the Center.

Factory letters are available to all individuals for a fee based on membership status and are typically mailed four to six weeks from payment receipt. Quick serial number searches are a Center Firearms Member benefit and are typically e-mailed within 2 to 5 business days of request.

There is another source for finding the year of manufacture of Winchester 94 rifles. It is the GunSerials website. They can be reached here.

To see Part One, go here.