How in the world did that survive in such great condition?
The simple answer Ian is it spent many, many, years in the dark! The amazing part is why.....
My whole family has always thought I missed my calling.... They all think I should have been in forensic work.
I do love detective work... I love the firearms ammunition part. Heck they could be right.
Like I said it is a long story how this gun became mine. I didn't even want it much when it did!
I won't go into the whole story for this answer; but enough for you to get some details. I know you like details.
When I first got it I thought the original owner was a trap shooter. The barrel was a matted top (no ribs back then) Full choke. 28" length. For this early of '97 this is an uncommon short length! A special order length.... I marveled at its condition; marveled even more that the takedown tightening adjustment was still on its first notch; never moved! These two items were fantastic clues.... But I wouldn't know clues for what for another 37 years!!!!! So I took it after I really didn't want it much and put it away; locked in the dark...... For years!
I shot a lot with my good friend in Connor, Montana. He's a double man, the side by side type; a fabulous Sporting Clays shot. Even shot pumps some.... Model 12's. That's another story though! I told him about the '97 Pigeon Gun one day in 1997. He loved fine guns, checkering, engraving, fine wood..... Things that didn't mean as much to me. He bugged me until I dug it out and took it over for him to see. I had planted the seed for him to own '97's! He loved Winchesters and he really loved this one. I think so and so (he said the name) engraved this! This is from the Winchester factory I'm sure! "You got a letter?" "From who?" I said.... "From Cody!" I sent for the letter and got it back after a wait..... I read through it, I read through it again! My detective mind was activated! All the fancy stuff was documented including the funny stock dimensions. Mechanical stuff was more general. Under barrel it only said '28" Cylinder'. Another very uncommon barrel for 1899! I thought they just wrote the choke wrong as the barrel said "Full" I was sure.
It came up that the gun was going to be 100 years old the next year... "You need to shoot it next year for it's birthday!" My buddy says. "Naw...... It's never had a plastic shell through it." "How do you know?" "Well I got it in 1961.... The bore had been dirty for what looked like years and I had to bronze brush out lead streaks.." "Yeah.... I remember that before plastic wads or even Mark 5" (plastic shot wraps) Pete, you got a bunch of Federal paper hulls and let's shoot it! You can keep it a virgin that way!"
!998 came and I hadn't done anything... I got chewed out.... So I loaded some paper 12ga with 8's. I shot at the pattern plate at 30 yards. Nice pattern 33" in diameter. "Clean barrel" I mumbled. Another shot was 32 1/2". I took the barrel off. I got a telescoping gauge in behind the choke. I miked the gauge .730".... I miked the choke .720"!!!!! IT HAD BEEN OPENED TO IMPROVED CYLINDER!!!! Now my detective mind was really activated! What's with this barrel thing? Something told me to pull the magazine tube off. I knew an 1899 barrel wouldn't have a date on it... But this one did! I read "30".... This barrel was made in 1930!!
So my Montana buddy and I figured out roughly what happened although we have circumstantial evidence in this. The original owner that ordered and bought this gun wanted it special! I now believe him a hunter. He had put every option or extra you could get from Winchester when it was ordered as per Cody. When I got it in 1961 it was missing one of them! Know what that extra was??? A Damascus barrel! That 28" Cylinder was a Damascus barrel! Early in the 1900's there were some Damascus barrel ruptures and every manufacturer dropped them. Shell boxes were marked "Do not use in Damascus barrels." My gut tells me the owner locked his pride and joy in the dark... Even though Winchester would change the barrel... HE WOULDN'T! Say the owner died about 1930 and a son gets the gun. He knows the barrel is dangerous. He has Winchester replace it (I know Winchester put the 1930 barrel on) He had a kid or wife interested in shooting. He shortened the stock to 13"
! The shooting evidently was short lived and the ol' gun was locked in the dark again for another generation! Then I got it. Do you have any idea what that old gal would be worth if the original Damascus was still on it as it left the factory???? They are rare in this condition alone from 1899 and there may not be any with Damascus that still exist!
Pete