POTD: The Last of The Winchester Garands – The Sought After Win-13
Sam.S 11.06.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have some of the last Winchester-made M1 Garand Rifles, the WIN-13. As World War II wound down in 1945, Winchester manufactured approximately 40,000 M1 Garand rifles labeled WIN-13, representing the company’s last Garand variant. Despite total production topping half a million M1s, few were assembled using leftover parts as contracts declined. Several oddities characterize this variant: low serial numbers in the 1.6 million range skipped over earlier Springfield sequences, revised receiver markings, and a round bolt recess replacing the square profile. Winchester strived to deplete components as government rifle contracts faced cancelation with Germany’s surrender. So this ad hoc batch was cobbled together even as M1 manufacturing concluded. For collectors today, these rare examples hold intrigue as the endpoint of Winchester’s WWII M1 production journey.
“Manufactured in June of 1945, the final WWII production block for Winchester. Undated “WP” barrel, “WRA” internal parts, “WIN-13” marked receiver and a “WRA/GHD” stock.”
Lot 5040: U.S. Winchester M1 Garand “WIN-13” Semi-Automatic Rifle. (n.d.-bc). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved November 5, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1034/5040/u.s.-winchester-m1-garand-%22win-13%22-semi-automatic-rifle.
