Make: Winchester Repeating Arms
Model: 55
Serial Number: 1255323
Year of Manufacture: Circa 1940 / C&R
Caliber: .38-55 Winchester
Action Type: This rifle has a lever action with a 1/2 length button tubular magazine. Solid Frame.
Barrel Length: 24" Round. The bottom of the barrel is marked "38-55" and "32" for 1932, the final year of model 55 production.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a Marble No. 2 beaded blade dovetailed to a base at the front of the barrel. The rear sight dovetail is filled with a Marble blank. The left side of the receiver is installed with a Lyman 21 adjustable peep receiver sight. The tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight, none present.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two piece smooth wood with straight grip, straight comb, serrated steel buttplate, and capped forend. The LOP measures 13 1/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the plate. There are scattered handling marks, compression dents, and scratches throughout. There are no cracks. There is intermittent finish loss, primarily on the forend. Overall, the stocks are in Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original. The bottom of the receiver is marked with a "W" which was an internal proof used between 1939-1941 when Winchester began testing a new Dulite bluing formula.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 9.75/10. There is minor erosion on the outside of the muzzle that has been polished.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 85% of its original finish. The barrel is turning a copper/plum tone, common with the 1940's Dulite finish. There is thinning at the muzzle and the leading edges. There is light intermittent oxidation. There are light scattered scratches on the receiver. The action shows operational wear. The markings are clear. The screw heads are sharp to lightly tool marked. Overall this rifle rates in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety. The lever safety does function properly. The trigger is crisp. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: Winchester introduced the Model 55 in June 1924 as a variation of the Model 94, intended to bridge the gap between the 26-inch Sporting Rifle and 20-inch Carbine. Chambered primarily in .30 W.C.F., .25-35 W.C.F., and .32 W.S., it featured a 24-inch rapid-taper nickel-steel barrel. Production ran from June 26, 1924, through late December 1932, with an estimated 20,580 rifles manufactured. Very few examples were made in .38-55. The Model 55 was initially offered only as a takedown, with the solid-frame version introduced in early 1931; because approximately 82% of production consisted of takedown rifles, solid-frame examples are comparatively scarce. Serial numbers 1 through 12002 were assigned from a separate Model 55 range through March 7, 1928, after which production was incorporated into the Model 94 serial-number sequence.
This is a very scarce Winchester Model 55 parts clean-up rifle, assembled after the main production run, chambered in .38-55 Winchester, assembled circa 1940 and retaining its desirable 24” round barrel, button magazine, solid-frame configuration, and correct period character. Bert Harman’s WACA Winter 2012 article on the Model 55 mentions only 3 having been observed. The Model 55 is already a desirable variation in the Winchester lever-action family, but the .38-55 chambering is exceptionally difficult to find, with very few examples encountered by collectors. The “W” marking on the bottom of the receiver is a notable Winchester internal proof associated with the 1939–1941 Dulite bluing trials, helping place this rifle in the correct late parts clean-up period. The rifle is further elevated by its Lyman 21 receiver sight, which of the few encountered examples in 38-55, have this sight.
Condition is also a major strength. The rifle retains about 85% of its original blue finish, showing honest age and handling wear, some light oxidation, operational wear, and the expected copper/plum toning often seen on Winchester Dulite-finished parts from this period. The stocks remain solid with no cracks, showing scattered handling marks, dents, scratches, and finish loss consistent with field use and age. Mechanically, the rifle functions correctly, with a crisp trigger, working lever safety, and proper half-cock hammer safety. This is an extremely valuable Winchester collector’s piece, and given the rarity of a Model 55 in .38-55, its parts clean-up configuration, originality, condition, and excellent bore, this rifle belongs in the best of the Winchester collections. With fewer than 1% of the observed examples chambered for .38-55 and the total production of solid frames, it is likely fewer than 30 were produced in total.
