Winchester Model 42 .410 year of manufacture?

Glockamolie

New member
I have a Model 42 that was my father's gun. The serial number is 957XX. I believe that it's an early '50s, but I can't find anywhere that has the info. I could buy the book about Winchester 42s, but it's $25, and I don't want to know that bad. :)
 
Hey, thanks! I figured there was an online place to look that up, but I googled until my mouse finger hurt.

My Dad was born in 1938, and I knew he got this as an early teenager. His father bought it for him new at a gun shop in Bay City, Tx that was run by 4 brothers. My Grandfather was going to buy a double-barreled gun, but they somehow convinced him to pay twice as much to get the .410 pump. When I was a teenager (about 1987), my father and I went by that same store and bought some .410 shells for it. There were 2 brothers left by then, and one of them was in the store. My dad told him who he was (small town, and all the old guys knew each other), and that we were shooting the shotgun that was bought there for him more than 30 years prior when he was a kid. The old man cracked a smile that I remember to this day. Dad passed on in 1990, so the old shotgun and I carry on.
 
Nice story. Those old 42s are worth a lot now. The topic came up in a different forum (I'm looking for a .410 ) and people couldn't say enough about how great they are.
Nice to have one with family history. Enjoy.
 
Some of the rarer ones (vent rib and/or engraving) are bringing some crazy money. Mine is really nice for 54 years old, but it's the basic model, and is maybe worth $900, from comparing to others I've seen. Thanks for keeping an eye out!
 
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