Hello,

This is a short update on my ongoing research about the Winchester 490 history.

Before getting into the stats, I need to rectify a couple of details I wrongly reported earlier in the post.

• The Winchester Model 490 was exclusively manufactured by Winchester Canada in Cobourg, Ontario, but not in the old Cooey plant (on King St.) but rather in the brand new 86,000 sq. ft. facility (on a 50-acre site) on Brook Road North inaugurated by Winchester in February 1970.   Of course, the reason Winchester was in Cobourg to begin with, was because Olin acquired Cooey in 1961.  Cooey had been operating on King St. since 1929.  Most of the ’94 Commemoratives manufactured by Winchester Canada also came out of the new plant on Brook Road North.   The plant closed permanently in early 1980 when Winchester left Canada due to political and labor issues.  The manufacturing equipment (machinery and hardware) was sold to Lakefield Arms Ltd. of Lakefield, Ontario.  In 1995 Lakefield Arms was purchased by Savage Arms.
• The checkering on the walnut stock of the Model 490 was not cut, it was pressed.
• Early s/n can have 5 or 6 numbers after the J prefix.  Actual examples: J000375*, J000705, J 01176*, J 01449*, J 01506, J002747, J003095*.
• The recall asterisk is most commonly found at the end of the s/n (on the right), but I ran into several examples where the asterisk was punched on the left, just before the J.

Additional “interesting” info found so far:

• At least one 490 cutaway demonstrator was made in the Winchester factory (s/n J005378).
• Both the cutaway demonstrator and the special order rifle with nickel-plated frame and trigger and deluxe walnut stock, at one point in time belonged to Mr. T.E. (Ted) Hazelwood, Director of Marketing of Winchester Canada.
• At least one specimen was produced in a carbine configuration (s/n *J029779).  The stock has no checkering, the buttplate is steel (very similar to a SRC buttplate), and the forearm has a metal band.  From the online photos I can’t determine the exact length of the barrel but it is definitely shorter than 22 in.
• It seems that the first two rifles produced were assigned serial numbers JX1 and JX2.  No other markings were applied to these two rifles.
• The markings on the rifles remained identical from start of production until approximately s/n 50,000 when they changed to a “second type”, same wording but slightly different font, size and punctuation.

Survey latest stats (undertaken by studying photos found online):

Specimen recorded:  184      (0.3% of probable total production)

Lowest s/n recorded:  J000375

Highest s/n recorded:  J057900

With asterisk:  88%

Without asterisk:  12%

Highest s/n without asterisk:  J024088

With asterisk up to 24088:  76%

Without asterisk up to 24088:  24%

With asterisk after 24088:  100%

• Probable range of total production:  59,000 ± 1,000
• Manufactured before March 1976:  serial numbers up to and including J024088

LOOKING FOR EVIDENCES of s/n above J057900 and all s/n without asterisk;  thank you in advance.

Thank you !