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**44 AMP** · June 9, 2014, 10:12 AM

It is very likely a reworked gun.

But,

back in the day, Winchester would, literally, sell you a gun with any combination of features you wanted and paid for. You could, if you wanted, order a gun with a carbine magazine, a rifle barrel and a shotgun butt. Or any other combination you wanted.

You can find combinations (I have seen some, myself) that are not in the catalogs or the usual reference materials, and are still factory original, and not a reworked gun. Factory letters from Winchester are not always possible (and many/most owners never bothered to try and get one), because a lot of the records no longer exist.

The bluing on your gun looks really nice, which strongly suggests it was redone (and done well). It is very likely your gun has had work done on it, to wind up with the features it has. Guns with non-standard combinations usually are, but may not be.

Look at the barrel (and any other) markings. I'm no expert, but I do know that the markings were different in different eras of production. These can give you an approximate date range for when the barrel was made, at least.

Example: Early .30-30 Win barrels were marked .30 WCF (Winchester Center Fire). Later guns, are marked .30-30 Win. Experts know (or can find) when the changes were made, and it is different for different models, and calibers.

Also patent dates on the barrel (or anywhere) further ID the time period when the gun was made. Or at least, give you a range of time during which it could be made.

June 9, 2014, 10:12 AM	#7
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,820	It is very likely a reworked gun. But, back in the day, Winchester would, literally, sell you a gun with any combination of features you wanted and paid for. You could, if you wanted, order a gun with a carbine magazine, a rifle barrel and a shotgun butt. Or any other combination you wanted. You can find combinations (I have seen some, myself) that are not in the catalogs or the usual reference materials, and are still factory original, and not a reworked gun. Factory letters from Winchester are not always possible (and many/most owners never bothered to try and get one), because a lot of the records no longer exist. The bluing on your gun looks really nice, which strongly suggests it was redone (and done well). It is very likely your gun has had work done on it, to wind up with the features it has. Guns with non-standard combinations usually are, but may not be. Look at the barrel (and any other) markings. I'm no expert, but I do know that the markings were different in different eras of production. These can give you an approximate date range for when the barrel was made, at least. Example: Early .30-30 Win barrels were marked .30 WCF (Winchester Center Fire). Later guns, are marked .30-30 Win. Experts know (or can find) when the changes were made, and it is different for different models, and calibers. Also patent dates on the barrel (or anywhere) further ID the time period when the gun was made. Or at least, give you a range of time during which it could be made. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.