Rifleman Q & A: Winchester .22 Pump?

by
posted on August 1, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
22pump.jpg

Q: I inherited a pump-action rifle I believe to be a Winchester Model 1890. Stamped on the gun is “22 SHORT” and the serial number is 208XXX. I am interested to know a little more about what I’ve got. Is it possible to find out when the rifle was actually made?

A: Your gun is a Winchester Model 1890 .22 rimfire pump-action rifle. This was an extremely popular little gun, and some 849,000 were manufactured between 1890 and 1932. However, they were sold by Winchester until 1941—that’s when the existing supply of parts dried up.

The first 1890s utilized a solid frame, but after about serial number 15,500 Winchester changed to a takedown barrel/receiver combination. Chamberings were .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle and .22 WRF. They were not interchangeable. The serial number of your rifle indicates it was made in 1904.

—Garry James, Contributing Editor

Latest

Proof Research
Proof Research

The PROOF Research PXT: A New Approach to Barrel Rifling

PROOF Research has introduced PROOF eXponential Twist (PXT)—an advancement in rifling that improves durability, accuracy and shootability—to the commercial market.

Review: Springfield Armory Model 2020 Heatseeker

Back when American Rifleman reviewed Springfield's Model 2020 Waypoint, we noted that we ...couldn’t help but wonder if a tactical-version Model 2020 rifle might be a logical future offshoot of the Waypoint hunting rifle." With the Model 2020 Heatseeker, that version is finally here.

Marlin Goes Mad: The Marlin Mad Pig Customs Model 1894

Marlin’s latest Model 1894 lever-action rifle, a collaboration with Mad Pig Customs that is a far cry from traditional, delivers “modern, factory‑installed features previously found only on custom builds.”

I Have This Old Gun: The Southern Derringer

People carrying small firearms for personal protection is not a new concept, and in the middle of the 19th century, many pocket pistols were designed with self-defense in mind. One such gun, the Brown Manufacturing Southern Derringer, was among the earliest cartridge-firing self-defense guns.

The Jewish Community Is Embracing Our 2A Freedom

In this episode of the NRA’s The Armed Citizen Podcast, we interview Gayle Pearlstein, COO and co-founder of Lox & Loaded, a Jewish-owned and -operated gun club that now—after being launched only a year ago—has 50 chapters around the United States.

Affordable & Feature-Rich: The Springfield Armory Echelon Alpha 4.0C

Springfield Armory entered the world of modular, striker-fired handguns in 2023 with its Echelon line of pistols, and for 2026, Springfield is introducing an entry-level Echelon model with the Alpha 4.0C.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.