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I am a first time poster on this forum. Lots of great information. I do have a question!!
I have checked several sites with serial number ranges for different manufacturers. I have a Winchester marked M-1 with a serial #541,xxx which seems to fall in the Inland range. Is this a normal occurance? The other parts on the carbine are all marked Winchester from my research. Any help would be great!
Hi Lucky, If you only have the six digits as you posted, It is a Inland. Winchester serial numbers started at 1,000,000. Does it have an adjustable rear sight? Take a close look above the serial number under the back of the sight. It is difficult to see clearly. Take a piece of alum. foil, place it flat under the back of sight and using a piece of dental floss draw it back and forward against the foil. This should transfer an impression that you can see. There were receivers subcontracted and also were transfers , but these would be lined out and or have a marking added. Have fun. John
John;
Thanks for the tip. I did a trace and there is absolutely no other marks on or near the "Winchester" mark. On the serial number the first 5 does not line up perfectly with the other numbers but that would still leave it in the Inland range. I do not want to remove the rear sight myself but do have a gun smith that can slide it out so I can take pictures. Any other ideas??
Les
If you have an originally Winchester marked M1 Carbine receiver originally serial numbered in the 541,000 serial range you are flat lucky!
Hi Lucky, I have to respectfully disagree with Chips unless he was being funny, as there was no 5xxxxx series in Winchester number blocks. Inland first block ran to 999999. Winchester blocks ran in 1M, 5M (even if the last digit was not visible, your range is to high. Started at 5.54M), 6M ( possible??, if the leading 6 digit was not visible) and a 7M . Does it look like anyone fooled with the stamping? If you can post a picture, maybe someone can spot something. John
Hope these help!
The gun has all the usual features of a later Winchester. I have a 574xxxx Winchester that looks close to this. The only difference is his has a milled sight and mine is stamped.If the above gun has not had its serial number re-stamped then Winchester really screwed up! Are you sure it doesn't say Inland under the rear sight?
I did a tracing and it is definitely marked Winchester! I will get the rear sight removed early next week and take some pictures at that time!
It's hard for me to see but thoase numbers look like Winchester to me. If those numbers are original (not re-stamped) and the only numbers on a Winchester receiver, you either have a mistake or a heretofore unknown transfer of an Inland serial number to Winchester, which I don't even know was possible. Wnchester still has pretty good early production records that I would think would document any serial number deals with Inland. Maybe they omitted a '6' before the 541xxx. Maybe they omitted a '6' or a '7' between the '5' and the '4'. Who knows? Any way you cut it, if those numbers are original and the only numbers on your Winchester receiver you are 'flat lucky' because you may never see another mistake like that again. I find it hard to believe a serial number error like that could get by an inspector but I guess anything's possible. Congratulations on the carbine, it looks like a nice one.
The numbers look very Inland to me. Winchester had a different, more classic looking set of numbers. It would almost make perfect sense that someone left off a 7 between the 5 and 4 judging by my Winchester anyway.