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Hello All,
I purchased a cheap Winchester Model 04 in Stainless Steel today. I can’t find much at all online. Does anyone have any idea on how many were produced in stainless steel??
Cheers Malcolm.
November 1, 2013
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Are you sure it’s stainless & are you sure it’s the original Win. barrel, & not a replacement?
April 15, 2005
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[email protected] said
Hello All,I purchased a cheap Winchester Model 04 in Stainless Steel today. I can’t find much at all online. Does anyone have any idea on how many were produced in stainless steel??
Cheers Malcolm.
Hello Malcolm,
Winchester introduced the Stainless Steel barrels in September 1926. The Model 04 was manufactured until November 1927, then morphed into the Model 04A until it was discontinued in 1931. If your rifle is an “04” I suspect it is quite rare. If it is an “04A”, it would be rare. There are no records to tell us how many Winchester might have manufactured with Stainless Steel barrels.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 1, 2013
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No options of any kind are listed for this model in my ’29 catalog, though stainless is on the “extras” for all models page. Wonder what it added to price of a $6 rifle?
April 15, 2005
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It more than likely nearly doubled the price.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
July 17, 2012
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Hi Malcolm,
As Bert and Clarence mentioned, the 04 with a stainless barrel is very unusual and there are no existing records for the number of 04 stainless barrels sold but I have only ever seen 2 in the last 40 years and I would hazard a guess that there were probably only several hundred made, if even that many.
They were not great sellers on a cheap rifle and Bert is correct in that it probably almost doubled the price. Many of the stainless barreled .22’s were languishing in stock until Winchester finally sold them off at a great discount, and even a $ loss in some cases. If yours is in Australia it is probably one of the old stock that was liquidated and shipped during 1928/1929.
We would love to see pictures of it if you can post or email them.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
November 1, 2013
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JWA said
Many of the stainless barreled .22’s were languishing in stock until Winchester finally sold them off at a great discount, and even a $ loss in some cases.
Making stainless available on special order to the few willing to pay the premium was a nice option, but building them for inventory was going a long way out on a limb–esp. for a boy’s rifle, or anything, in fact, less costly than a Model 52. For 52s, before non-corrosive priming was introduced (by REMINGTON), stainless might have been a good investment.
Lucky break for the folks who got in on the fire-sale!
July 17, 2012
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In true frugal fashion, Winchester assembled the remaining stainless barrels in stock into rifles to get rid of them. Better than scrapping the barrels I guess.
It was indeed a good fire sale!
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Hi All,
I’ll try & post some images once it arrives from Tasmania.
Cheers Mal
December 31, 2012
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[email protected] said
For your info….Images of the Stainless Steel 04. Cheers!
Holy Moley, what a find. A 22 collector would sell his soul for one of those. I am surely impressed, and thanks for sharing. Big Larry
