Tom,
The only published source of information that I am aware of it in the original Winchester catalogs (January 1954 was the first catalog to list the Model 50).
Based on the catalogs, Winchester offered the Model 50 in the following grades; Field Gun, Skeet Gun, Trap Gun, Pigeon Grade, and Featherweight. Serial numbers began at 1000, and the first gun was sent to the warehouse on April 15, 1954. Production ended in December 1961, with a total listed production of 196,402 guns made (all grades & gauges). There is no published break down by gauge or variation.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
August 25, 2006

A couple of follow-on questions, please. I believe I read somewhere that Winchester occasionally subbed out their vent rib installation to Simmons. Is there an easy way for a non-expert (like me) to tell if a VR on a Model 50 Trap Gun is a Simmons or factory?
And were Model 50 Trap guns marked “TRAP” anywhere?
Thanks again,
Tom
Tom,
It is my understanding that when Simmons installed a VR on a Winchester shotgun for Winchester, the side of the rib is devoid of the “Simmons” marking. If the rib is marked “Simmons” it was installed aftermarket.
I do not know the answer to your question about how the Trap guns were marked or even if they were specifically marked.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
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