oldwinch70 said
I have the following: Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 21838
Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 10051
Winchester model 57 .22 Short S/N 2497
Winchester model 56 .22 Long Rifle S/N 13864
Winchester model 56 .22 Short S/N 2374
I would be interested in knowing what percentage of the production of each were in the .22 short caliber. Thanks, Mick
According to JWA, 1,171 22 shorts were made in the M56. I have # 1903 in my collection with a “26” dated bbl. First year, I hope. Don’t know about the others, maybe JWA will chime in. Big Larry
Big Larry said
oldwinch70 said
I have the following: Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 21838
Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 10051
Winchester model 57 .22 Short S/N 2497
Winchester model 56 .22 Long Rifle S/N 13864
Winchester model 56 .22 Short S/N 2374
I would be interested in knowing what percentage of the production of each were in the .22 short caliber. Thanks, Mick
According to JWA, 1,171 22 shorts were made in the M56. I have # 1903 in my collection with a “26” dated bbl. First year, I hope. Don’t know about the others, maybe JWA will chime in. Big Larry
Thanks Larry. I appreciate the information. This is a great source of information. I have learned a lot from this forum. Now if I could only remember part of it.
oldwinch70 said
I have the following: Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 21838
Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 10051
Winchester model 57 .22 Short S/N 2497
Winchester model 56 .22 Long Rifle S/N 13864
Winchester model 56 .22 Short S/N 2374
I would be interested in knowing what percentage of the production of each were in the .22 short caliber. Thanks, Mick
Thanks Mick!
I had 10051 as being sold by All Property Auctions awhile back and 2374 as sold on Gunbroker by Allstarmt (to you) but the others are new additions.
I appreciate your participation.
Currently the survey shows about 45% of the Model 56’s are in .22 Short and about 9% of the Model 57’s are in .22 Short. I have less than a 1.5% sample rate of the entire production of the Model 56/57 so those numbers may not be representative of the actual percentages yet. That is one of the reasons for the survey.
Madis stated a total production of 1,171 Model 56’s in .22 Short which would be about 15%. That could be correct but I don’t know where he got that number from as I have not had time to dig completely through the records yet to verify it. The survey shows a lot higher number than that based on the current percentage of 45% which would put the actual production of the Model 56 in .22 Short closer to 3,700 but again, that is just based on the limited entries in the survey so far.
Hope that helps.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said
oldwinch70 said
I have the following: Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 21838
Winchester model 57 .22 Long Rifle S/N 10051
Winchester model 57 .22 Short S/N 2497
Winchester model 56 .22 Long Rifle S/N 13864
Winchester model 56 .22 Short S/N 2374
I would be interested in knowing what percentage of the production of each were in the .22 short caliber. Thanks, Mick
Thanks Mick!
I had 10051 as being sold by All Property Auctions awhile back and 2374 as sold on Gunbroker by Allstarmt (to you) but the others are new additions.
I appreciate your participation.
Currently the survey shows about 45% of the Model 56’s are in .22 Short and about 9% of the Model 57’s are in .22 Short. I have less than a 1.5% sample rate of the entire production of the Model 56/57 so those numbers may not be representative of the actual percentages yet. That is one of the reasons for the survey.
Madis stated a total production of 1,171 Model 56’s in .22 Short which would be about 15%. That could be correct but I don’t know where he got that number from as I have not had time to dig completely through the records yet to verify it. The survey shows a lot higher number than that based on the current percentage of 45% which would put the actual production of the Model 56 in .22 Short closer to 3,700 but again, that is just based on the limited entries in the survey so far.
Hope that helps.
Best Regards,
Thanks JWA, I appreciate the information. I find it all very interesting. It is always great to learn something new. I admire your ambition in pursuing this survey. Mick
oldwinch70 said
Thanks JWA, I appreciate the information. I find it all very interesting. It is always great to learn something new. I admire your ambition in pursuing this survey. Mick
Mick, it is a labor of love (and one of the least expensive hobbies I could find). Again, thanks for your input, without everyone sharing their info there would be no statistical data summary. I also have to thank the great folks that comb the auction houses on a weekly basis and send me updated information – you know who you are 😉 that is the true grunge work.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Mod 56Cal. 22 LR. SN 4541. Quoted as having silver bead Jack front sight and a series 40 adjustable rear sight. All else standard.
Mod 57 serial number 390 22lr all standard
Serial number 25183 22lr stripped of sights d&t recv and barrel, stock beaten and chipped.
Vince
Southern Oregon
NRA member
Fraternal Order of Eagles
“There is but one answer to be made to the dynamite bomb and that can best be made by the Winchester rifle.”
Teddy Roosevelt
Thank you Sir,
I appreciate the input.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
I have the following: Winchester 57 .22 LR SN #22704 with nobuckl sling,long stamped 5 shot mag
Winchester 57 .22 LR SN# 12821 with leather sling,long stamped 5 shot mag
Winchester 57 .22 LR SN# 1083 with Lyman 22 Junior scope,and long stamped 10 shot mag
Winchester 57 .22 short SN# 3320 with short stamped 5 shot mag
Winchester 56 .22 short SN# 1994 with short stamped 5 shot mag,26 barrel date
All have factory sights,with the exception of the scoped 57
Hope some of these help,Steve
Welcome to the WACA forum and thanks Steve!
Awesome first post! I had all of those from previous Gunbroker sales except for your 3320. I have added it to the survey. Thanks again for participating, every little bit helps.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire

Hi, I have been asked to service a Winchester model 56, and thought I would look up about them.
I came upon your search for unknown serial numbers.
So From Australia,
Model 56 -22 LONG R-
Serial No 11600
Barrel stamped 27. Also has B circled and 21 beside it
10 shot magazine
The stock has dings all over, and numerous holes where various slings must have been fitted.
The breech? has numerous tapped holes for sight mounts, apart from the 2 holes down the side.
The rifling is very faint, probably fired a lot of shots.
Hope you enjoy this, Rob
Rob said
Hi, I have been asked to service a Winchester model 56, and thought I would look up about them.I came upon your search for unknown serial numbers.
So From Australia,
Model 56 -22 LONG R-
Serial No 11600
Barrel stamped 27. Also has B circled and 21 beside it
10 shot magazine
The stock has dings all over, and numerous holes where various slings must have been fitted.
The breech? has numerous tapped holes for sight mounts, apart from the 2 holes down the side.
The rifling is very faint, probably fired a lot of shots.
Hope you enjoy this, Rob
Rob,
Sorry for the delay in responding, somehow I missed your post.
Thanks for the detailed information, I did not have that rifle in the survey and was happy to add it. That serial number falls right in the middle of a block of 56’s in .22 LR so it is a good addition to the list.
Thanks for taking the time to post and let us know if you need any assistance in keeping the rifle operational as they are a joy to shoot.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
I have my grandfather’ model 57. Serial no. 23680. I haven’t had it apart so I don’t have the two digit number. It is a .22 LR with original Lyman peep sight and the flip up notch sight. It has the five shell magazine, and did have the canvas sling, now gone. It is a solid little rifle and very accurate, and has accounted for many groundhogs and rabbits in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I cleaned it tonight and waxed the stock, and have been shooting it this week.
David,
Welcome to the WACA forum and thank you for the information, I did not have that one listed.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
jsmorgan3rd said
I have a old family Model 56, serial # 16195. Standard sight and wood. I haven’t taken it apart to check the barrel number, but will do so if it helps your survey.
Thank you Sir!
I did not have that one listed. I personally own 16197 (one number away from yours) which is a 57 Target in .22 LR.
The barrel date does help establish a production and assembly sequence but no need to make a special effort to get it. Next time you remove the barreled action from the stock for cleaning just jot it down and let me know. Your barrel date will likely be a ’27 or ’28 as that is what is on the guns before and after yours.
Thanks for posting the information, I really appreciate it!
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire

Hello, I just discovered this site and wanted to add my Winchester Model 56 information.
Model 56 #14265
22lr
Barrel date 1929
Lyman 42W rear sight
no Standard rear sight (has dovetail plug in it’s place w/ Bighorn Sheep Head engraved)
Front sight is a hooded target type sight with aperture and pinhead, marked Western. Similar to a Lyman #17.
This rifle was purchased in 1935 at a Hardware store in Denver CO , it was used. No changes were made to the rifle during the time it has been in my family .

Sorry,
My barrel date is ’27 not ’29 as stated in my first post. I do not have the original magazine. I don’t know if my dad lost the original or if it was gone when he bought it in 1935. I have a Model ’69’ marked 22lr 5 shot magazine that has always been with this rifle and a later Winchester marked 10 shot magazine which was purchased at a later date. The rifle is all original finish and shows some wear. Thanks for your dedicated research.
FrioTx said
Sorry,My barrel date is ’27 not ’29 as stated in my first post. I do not have the original magazine. I don’t know if my dad lost the original or if it was gone when he bought it in 1935. I have a Model ’69’ marked 22lr 5 shot magazine that has always been with this rifle and a later Winchester marked 10 shot magazine which was purchased at a later date. The rifle is all original finish and shows some wear. Thanks for your dedicated research.
Thank you for providing your info, your family has great taste in rifles. The Model 56 “dual sight” with the Lyman 42W is fairly rare as most of them had the barrel mounted 40A rear sight as standard.
I have added your rifle details to the data base.
Here is a little more info regarding the Model 56 – http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=357927&highlight=sticky
Thanks again for your participation!
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
To all that are interested,
There is approximately 1.5% of the total production of the Model 56/57 logged to date. Here are some preliminary statistics based on the limited data so far;
– Approximately 1/3 of the total production is the Model 56 while 2/3’s are Model 57’s.
– About 50% of all the 56/57 specific rifles entered so far have been owner modified in some way such as D&T’d for an aftermarket scope, modified stock, etc. That makes it hard to find original “as sold” examples.
– About 60% of the Model 56’s are .22 Long Rifle whereas about 85% of the Model 57’s are .22 Long Rifle.
– The highest number recorded so far is 29854 (a 57) and the lowest number is 73 (a 56).
– Only 7 stainless steel barrels have been noted in the survey (comprising only 0.1% of total production).
– The receiver change from non-recessed bolt to recessed bolt occurred between serial numbers 22955 – 23365.
Again, these statistics are preliminary and subject to change in the future with a larger sample base.
Thanks to all that have participated.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
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