English Luke Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi All, I have recently become the owner of an original 1892, it has a 24" round barrel with a good bore and a nice patina. The problem is the serial number, it is plainly stamped Z17349. When I tried to research this for a year of manufacture I found no 1892 serial numbers starting with a letter, do I presume this is a stamping error and it should be 217349 making it 1905 manufacture ? If anyone can shed any light on this and on how it may effect the guns value I would be very grateful. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACO BILL , #8090 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Luke,that Z might be a 7. No I don't think that would increase it's value. Taco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English Luke Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi Taco, definitely a Z, very clearly stamped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Howdy I don't claim to be a Winchester expert, but I have some pretty good books. According to The Winchester Handbook by George Madis, there were no letters in the Serial Numbers of the Winchester Model 1892. Production for 1903 ran from SN 208872 thru SN 253935. Production for 1913 ran from SN 694753 thru SN 742675. That will cover your '92, depending on whether the first digit is a 2 or a 7. Monetarily, 1903 or 1913 won't make much difference, it is condition that is most important in determining value. Reading Serial Numbers on old guns can sometimes be a little bit tricky. They were not laser engraved like they are today. They were either stamped by hand, or on a curved surface like the bottom of the frame of a '92 I would guess they were roll engraved. But it is very common for some of the numbers on an old gun to sometimes be a little bit tough to read. I picked up an old S&W the other day and I wasn't quite sure if one of the digits was a '3' or an '8'. It was tough to tell, partially because the numbers were so small. Take a look, for instance, at the SN on one of my 92s. Looks like the first character might be an 'L'? Nope, no letters in '92 Serial Numbers. Also, sometimes if the gun has been refinished the lettering may get a little bit indistinct if it was over polished. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to the first digit on my '92. Model 92 SN Bottom line, when buying a firearm, particularly an old one, I always make sure the dealer and I agree what the SN is before the sale is completed. That's the number that is going to go into the book. P.S. I just noticed where you hail from. We have a little town about 40 minutes from where I live called Boston too. Small world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jake1001 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I say it's a 2 not a Z and that makes it 1903. Makes more sense than a 7. Just sayin' Big Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 The Winchester and model markings on the topstrap tell a story. Winchester 1892 with a slight scroll was the pre-WWI version. I have one of these. Winchester 1892 in blockier letters was 1915 to 1925. They guys at Winchester crashed the scroll tooling in 1925 and dropped the 18 but left the spacing until 1929. I have one of these. In 1929 they closed the Winchester and 92. The sights will also tell alot about the period the gun was made in. From 1892 to 1941 Winchester used a good deal of different sights. There are lots of photos online to help determine which period matches your rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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