Winchester model 1890 serial numbers serial number#

By serial number 6000, it is thought that the last of the flat sided M1895s left the factory. This new receiver reduced the weight of the rifle by a small amount, and increased the width by 1/16 of an inch. Īround serial number 5000, a new receiver profile was introduced which had fluted (scalloped) sides, as opposed to the original flat sided design. By today's standards however, the design is considered relatively weak, and not suited to high pressure loads. The M1895 is the strongest lever-action rifle Winchester has produced, designed to handle the increased pressures generated by the more powerful smokeless powder cartridges entering common use at the time of its introduction. The M1895 was also the last of the lever-action rifles to be designed by John Browning, and featured a rear locking bolt as in his previous designs dating back to the Winchester 1886. This allowed the rifle to safely chamber military and hunting cartridges with spitzer (pointed) bullets. 22 WRF chambering triples the values of the rifle, a larger premium than the same chambering commands on the Model 67.The first Model 1895 was the first Winchester rifle to feature a box magazine that is located underneath the action instead of the tubular magazine design, which had remained fundamentally unchanged from the Winchester 1866. Prices of the Model 68 on today's collector market are comparable to the Model 67, but the relatively rare.

The Model 68 was never produced with serial numbers, which were not required on American firearms prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968. Approximately 98,496 to 100,730 Model 68s were produced. Sales from inventory continued into 1945 and the rifle was listed in the 1946 price list although stocks had already been depleted. In August 1943, Winchester management decided to offer the same peep sights used on the Model 68 as options for the Model 67, effectively rendering the Model 68 redundant, although it was curiously not formally discontinued until September 1944. The telescopic-sight options were discontinued in 1939. Open sights were retained the scopes were boxed separately and attached to integral bases on the barrel by the rifle's buyer. Options were a 2¾-power scope with crosshairs or a vertical aiming post and a 5-power scope with crosshairs. Winchester-branded telescopic sights were first offered in 1937. 22 WRF chambering was added in April 1938, somewhat later than its 1935 introduction on the Model 67. The finger grooves in the stock were omitted starting in mid-1935, the bolt retaining spring was eliminated in August 1937, and the sear and extractor were modified in January 1938 to throw ejected cases farther when the bolt was opened. Production changes to the Model 68 generally paralleled the Model 67. The Model 68's sales eventually undercut the Model 60A to such an extent that production of the latter was never resumed.

The Model 68's sales rapidly outpaced the more expensive but slightly better-equipped Model 60A, which was still being sold from inventory, although production had been placed on hiatus in April 1934. The Model 68 was introduced alongside the Model 67 in May 1934 and both rifles immediately proved popular. Both rifles featured a stock made of plain uncheckered walnut with a pistol grip and finger grooves, and both were takedown designs the barreled action was easily removed by turning a screw under the stock using a penny. With the insert removed, the sight was less accurate but offered more light - making it better for small game hunting and informal plinking. The front sight of the Model 68 was a Model 97A with a removable sheetmetal hood and the rear sight was a Model 96A, featuring a removable disc, which had a smaller aperture better suited for target shooting.

As with the Model 60 from which they were derived, the cocking piece at the rear of the bolt had to be manually drawn rearwards to cock the action after closing the bolt, but the new rifles featured a wing-style safety with more easily visible 'SAFE' and 'FIRE' indications. Winchester had already embarked on a program to reduce the production costs of the entry-level Model 60, resulting in the new Model 67, and the design of a similar lower-priced target rifle was a logical next step. Winchester already offered a single-shot rimfire rifle aimed at the competition market, the Model 60A, but it had failed to win significant market share due to its relatively high price and was considered a sales disappointment. In an attempt to win the loyalty of entry-level single-shot rimfire rifle buyers, these companies continuously cut production costs and pared profits down to the bare minimum. The early 1930s were a period of intense competition amongst American rifle manufacturers such including Winchester, Iver Johnson, and Mossberg.