Winchester Model 55 .32 Win. Spl. Lever-Action Rifle, 24 inch Rapid-Taper Barrel, Half Magazine, 1927
This 1927 Winchester Model 55 is a period-correct example of a short-run lever-action made from 1924 to 1932, with about 20,500 produced. Chambered in .32 Winchester Special, it features the model’s defining 24 inch round rapid-taper barrel and half-length tubular magazine (3+1). It retains its top-eject action, straight-grip walnut furniture, and factory rollmarks, representing the distinctive configuration that bridged the gap between carbine and rifle and later informed the Model 64.
Condition
Overall Condition: Fair condition, showing extensive signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Condition: Good - Clean, well-maintained, minor wear marks.
Bore Rifling: Good Rifling - Intact, well-defined lands and grooves.
Specific Condition Notes: The wood furniture shows wear with scratches and dents. There is visible finish loss and discoloration on the receiver. The bore is clean and in good shape.
What’s Included
- Winchester Model 55 .32 Win. Spl. lever-action rifle
Produced in the late 1920s, this Model 55 represents Winchester’s transitional lever-action concept, intended to offer a handier option than the 26 inch rifle while retaining more sight radius and velocity than a 20 inch carbine. Total production ran only circa 1924–1932, with approximately 20,500 made, and the Model 55 directly preceded the Model 64.
The 24 inch round rapid-taper steel barrel and half-length tubular magazine (3+1) are core to the Model 55 identity. This example includes the threaded magazine cap and the top-eject action with exposed hammer that define the platform’s handling and profile.
Sighting is classic and practical: an integral ramped front sight with a pinned blade pairs with a barrel-mounted open rear sight featuring an elevation slider. Factory rollmarks include "WINCHESTER PROOF STEEL," "MADE IN U.S.A. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.," and "WINCHESTER TRADE MARK."
The rifle wears a blued steel receiver and straight-grip walnut buttstock with a matching walnut fore-end, both oil-finished and uncheckered, and fitted with a steel fore-end cap. The length of pull measures 13.0 inches. There is no saddle ring, consistent with the Model 55’s streamlined field configuration.