Sears Model 53 = Winchester Model 70

mabernathy

I just got a great deal on a Sears 53. I'm trying to determine when it was made. The serial # is 20002. I can't find it anywhere online or in my blue book. Help!

Matthew

He Dog

According to some posts here a while back, Winchester says all of the rifles produced for department stores have serial numbers in the same series as those sold under the Winchester name, thus a Winchester serialization should be able to give you the year of manufacture. However, it may well be that most of the serialization charts are inaccurate, so wait for BertH to come along. He can give you the correct year of manufacture.

Bert H.

Hello Matthew,

I personally do not believe that the Winchester department store brand guns were serialized in the same sequence as the regular production guns, and the serial on your Sears Model 53 proves that assertion (Winchester Model 70 serial number 20002 would have left the factory circa 1939/1940). All the closer that I can get to a possible DOM on your rifle, is that it was manufactured sometime in the mid 1950s to late 1960s. If you have the desire to hunt down the original Sears & Roebuck catalogs, you may be able to determine when the Model 53 was first marketed. Typically, the department store brand guns are only worth about 50% of what the identical Winchester marked gun is worth.

Bert H.

Real Men use a WINCHESTER Single-Shot!

JohnStimson

The Sears model 53 replaced the Model 51L made by High Standard. The model 51L was last cataloged in 1963. The first Winchester replacements were introduced in the 1964 catalogs but not called a model 53 in the catalog until 1965.

Guns were deleted from the Sears catalogs after 1968 and Sears stopped selling guns sometime in the 1980s.

John Stimson, Jr.
www.histandard.info

Bert H.

quote:Originally posted by JohnStimson
The Sears model 53 replaced the Model 51L made by High Standard. The model 51L was last cataloged in 1963. The first Winchester replacements were introduced in the 1964 catalogs but not called a model 53 in the catalog until 1965.

Guns were deleted from the Sears catalogs after 1968 and Sears stopped selling guns sometime in the 1980s.

John Stimson, Jr.
www.histandard.info


Thanks a bunch John[^][^]... your information positively proves my assertion that the store brand guns were not serialized with the regular production guns. On a good note, I wasn't too far off in my guess on when it was made.

Bert H.

Real Men use a WINCHESTER Single-Shot!

JohnStimson

Bert,

Sears had been buying bolt action shotguns, Pump shotguns, gas operated semi-auto shotguns, centerfire bolt action rifles, rimfire pump and semi-auto rifles, rimfire revolvers and a rimfire pistol as private labeled guns. About the mid 1960s many types of the long guns were bought from Winchester and the High Standard sales diminished greatly. I believe Winchester replaced the High Stadnard models for the pump and semi-auto shotguns and the semi-auto .22 rifle.

John Stimson, Jr.
www.histandard.info

Bert H.

Hello John,

That is useful information to know... thanks again[^]


Bert H.

Real Men use a WINCHESTER Single-Shot!