Winchester Model 43
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.72 kg
- Introduced
- 1949
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Winchester Model 43 is an American bolt-action rifle produced from 1949 to 1957. Conceived as a more affordable, scaled-down companion to the Model 70 and sometimes called the 'Winchester Model 70 Junior', it was the first new rifle the company brought to market after World War II. Fed by a three-round detachable box magazine, it was chambered for small varmint and small-game cartridges including the .218 Bee, .22 Hornet, .25-20 Winchester and .32-20 Winchester, and earned a lasting reputation as a handy, accurate varmint rifle.
Marketed as a postwar 'junior' to the prestigious Model 70, the Model 43 gave Depression-era and postwar varmint shooters Winchester quality in a lighter, less costly package. Today it is prized by collectors, especially examples in the scarce .218 Bee chambering.
Offered in Standard and Deluxe grades; the Deluxe added a checkered walnut stock and grip cap. The .218 Bee chambering is the most sought-after by collectors. Roughly 62,600 were produced before the model was dropped in 1957.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1949 to 1957
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Overall length
- 1067 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.72 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 3
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 853 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1065 J
- Effective range
- 180 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Detachable box magazine
Ramp front sight
Checkered stock
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 2.72 kg | 3.50 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1067 mm | 1080 mm | Near the median |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 610 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 3 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Winchester Model 43
How much does the Winchester Model 43 weigh?
The Winchester Model 43 weighs 2.72 kg (6.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Winchester Model 43?
The Winchester Model 43 is chambered in .218 Bee.
How many rounds does the Winchester Model 43 hold?
The Winchester Model 43 holds 3 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Winchester Model 43?
The Winchester Model 43 is 1067 mm (42.0 in) long overall, with a 610 mm (24.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Winchester Model 43?
The Winchester Model 43 is made by Winchester Repeating Arms Company (United States).
When was the Winchester Model 43 introduced?
The Winchester Model 43 was introduced in 1949 and discontinued in 1957.
How does the Winchester Model 43 operate?
The Winchester Model 43 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian sport and varmint hunters
- 1949
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/winchester-model-43' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "winchester-model-43", "name": "Winchester Model 43", "manufacturer": { "id": "winchester", "name": "Winchester Repeating Arms Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1866, "website": "https://www.winchesterguns.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "032f75658544de9d931ca09f772b9ab92b282bf53db67851bf4eb3f8c0612520" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1949, "barrel_length_mm": 610, "weight_empty_g": 2720, "action_type": "bolt_action"}