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Joined: May 2013
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I can't find much info on this gun at all, I know records were not kept by Winchester during this time period but I don't know what I'm looking at as far as originality. I have shot Jamison International downloaded ammo through it and it is a blast to shoot, super accurate, and as solid as can be.

Can anyone school me?

Thanks in advance!

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That has to be an extremely rare gun. It has the original style front sight, not the ramp sight typical in later rifles. The fact that it is a 38-55, really makes it an interesting gun. It looks like it is in nice shape as well.

Shooting factory ammo in it should be fine...


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Thanks! It is in great shape and I do plan to reload for it but I would try to mimic the factory Jamison stuff that is made for older rifles. It's too much fun not to shoot, even the light loads are still pretty stout. Have you ever seen two barrel bands near the muzzle like that?

That's how I got and I'm sure it's not hurting anything but I've never noticed another like that, that's all.

Also, I can find SRCs from that period.. and I can find 38-55s from (around) then, but not both?

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It could be a built gun. The 2 barrel bands serve no real purpose. It looks like it has rifle rear sight. The barrel stamping needs checked to determine it's age. It could be a refinish with an older barrel

There isn't enough consistency of the parts to make that a factory gun. Saddle rings and that type of front sight are just too early for a gun made in 1946.

At least is is a shootable gun that still looks pretty good...


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Probably a parts gun, as some of the attributes aren't in sync with what Winchester was making in 1946.

IIRC, Winchester dropped the 32-40 and 38-55, along with the 94 rifles, from their catalogs in 1937/38. It is possible that this rifle was produced post-WW2 as a special order from a mix of pre-WW2 and post-WW2 parts.

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Pics of the visible barrel markings:

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.

The barrel markings indicate that the barrel is a type 8 and was made between serials 1,250,000 and 2,000,000. That would be 1940 to 1954, which would be correct for a 1946 rifle. However, rifles of that period have a ramp front sight, no saddle ring, and and only one front barrel band. I have studied Winchesters long enough to know that one Never says Never. That is never say that Winchester never did something or made something. That is to say that that rifle may well be factory original.


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Yeah, the fact that even Winchester didn't keep records during those years screams that anything could have come out of their factory and no one really knows. Either way, It doesn't matter because I'll never let it go; it's just too neat and fun to shoot as it is.

Thanks!

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I've never seen the double forward magazine tube bands either. Very interesting. The buttplate and rear sight aren't consistent for a saddle ring carbine though. Again, very interesting indeed.


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In 1946 the 38-55 had been dropped from regular production by Winchester, however, parts were still in the bins on the production line. The rifle of interest was assembled from whatever parts were found (available) with two possible reasons, it was a special order, or the rifle was assembled to clear the assembly bin of the extra parts (remember, Winchester never discarded anything that could be used)

The two barrel bands probably was a quick and easy way to fill the two holes for the old style (front) and the new style (behind the ramp) locations. The barrel had the old style hole or groove for the band screw and the mag tube had the new style groove. Cutting two more screw grooves would be easier than filling grooves and re-bluing the parts.

Just a simi-educated guess.

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Interesting. Thanks for the insight.

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May have been made up for (or even BY) an employee. I don't know if this happened at Winchester, but it certainly did at other US mfrs.

Lots of guns from the immediate postwar period were made from cleanups of existing new but no longer fashionable parts put on new receivers. I've had several suspects over the years, but couldn't ever prove the "stories" that said so. (So I didn't pay for the stories, just the gun.....).

My Savage 23B .25-20 bolt repeater is one of those, a new condition gun with a postwar serial but in a no-longer-produced caliber.

You have, at the very worst, a very handsome and interesting deerslayer!


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