From 1920 through early 1956, Winchester stamped a 2-digit year number on the bottom of the barrel very near to where it threads into the receiver frame. That 2-digit number only tells you the year that barrel was manufactured, which is often not the same year that the gun was manufactured.  Winchester manufactured barrels in large batches preceding the assembly of the guns they would be used on.

The manufacture date for the gun itself is determined by the serial number.

The attached pictures show the barrel date markings on the Model 94 barrels.  It does require a fair amount of disassembly to view the date stamp.

Bert

Maverick said
Bert,

So with the examples you provided. What is the story on the first one shown? Why does #1,052,408 manufactured in 1929 have a 20 marked barrel?

Where your next example #1,010,949 manufactured in 1927 has a 27 marked barrel?

Is the barrel in the first example considered a factory original installed barrel? Did it sit around for 9 years before being installed? Is this perhaps because of the caliber the barrel is in? Or some other factor at play?

Sincerely,

Maverick

During the 1920s the popularity of the 38-55 very significantly waned.  Both the 32-40 and the 38-55 production numbers were way down from the pre-WW I years. 

The fact that Winchester used a 38-55 caliber “20” dated barrel to assemble a Model 94 in the 1929 is not surprising. Based on my survey of the Model 1894 (94), 1920 was the last year when a significant number of 38-55 caliber Model 94s were produced.  In the year 1920, I have thus far surveyed (84) Model 94s made for the 38-55 cartridge.  In the years 1921 – 1931, just (89) additional 38-55 caliber Model 94s have been surveyed.  I specifically created the table and bar chart shown below to document the caliber/cartridge numbers for the years 1907 – 1931.

Bert

Shooter1 said
Thank you Bert H. for the reply. My Model 94 serial # falls in the “dead zone” of the 1940’s, so I guess I’ll never know for certain, what the Mfg. date is. I’ll just continue my belief that it (and myself) are products of 1944. I’d love to be in the condition that my trusty ’94 is in though. It’s in truly great shape.

                                              Shooter1

  

There is no “dead zone” as it relates to the serialization and dates of manufacture for the Model 94… that is an urban myth! 

The serial number on your Model 94 will tell me when it was manufactured.

Bert