Not a rifle, Win 97
- Thread starter Bret4207
- Start date
L Ross
Well-Known Member
Are you gonna take your backhoe and did a series of trenches now? The biggest thing I'd want to check is chamber length.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
And the hammer/trigger notches. Assume you know that if you hold the trigger back and work the action it will fire every time?
...and it's not like it's a "goose-gun," so a 2 3/4" chamber is not a problem.
I had one which was a police-gun. Rode in a cruiser for several decades and showed it - on the outside. On the inside, it was almost like new. Virtually no wear on the parts. It was going to be my deer slug-gun and I had planned to mount a Lyman or Williams receiver sight on it and a Remington ramp with a sourdough blade on the front.
Someone offered me $400 for it (I'd bought it for $275) so I sold it and bought a brand new Ithaca-SKB 20 gauge auto with the slug barrel and a ribbed shot barrel.
The 97 was the only shotgun I ever loaded for. I found a used 12 gauge LEE whack-a-mole set at the pawn shop in town and took it home. I only ever loaded a couple boxes of shells for it, but they all went off and actually patterned well-enough for close-quarters rabbit-hunting.
Currently, my shotgun is a short, Mossberg 500, 20 gauge of the same general form. I have absolutely nothing against that Mossberg, but I don't get excited about shotguns, so handling it doesn't really "stir" me or make me WANT to shoot it. Handling that 97 made me want to fill a coat pocket with shells and go out in the back yard. I was more confident handling and shooting that one as well.
I've got a 97, near as I know Grandpa bought it new about 1904, then it was dad's but that I know of dad never shot it. Became mine in 72 when dad passed. I did some pheasant hunting with it in the 60's but discovered I didn't like pheasant, so I stopped shooting them, it's been in the safe ever since. Also have a Remington rolling block 22 that was also Gramps from the same time period.
Dimner
Named Man
I think you should trade it to me
Just don't go and wrap a wire around the trigger and trigger guard behind it for full trench slam fire mode. I've unloaded a tube of 12ga that way (without the wire) it was pretty fun on all those leftover pumpkins. I'll admit though it was #7 shot. No way I'd do that with big loads.
L Ross
Well-Known Member
No, but a 2 5/8" chamber might be an issue.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
Always found it interesting that Winchester continued to catalog the 97 until the 1950s, decades after the intro of the Model 12, a much superior gun. Apparently, enough old timers liked the familiarity of an exposed hammer.
I seem to see a lot of 97s around here, more than I used to back east. Dad tells me when he was growing up in Denton, Texas tha the 97 was like the standard issue for farmers there, everybody had one.
I seem to see a lot of 97s around here, more than I used to back east. Dad tells me when he was growing up in Denton, Texas tha the 97 was like the standard issue for farmers there, everybody had one.
They made about a million of them.
winchestercollector.org
www.americanrifleman.org
Model 1897 Shotguns -
The Model 1897 was a superior slide-action exposed hammer shotgun that was specifically designed for the new smokeless powder. Winchester manufactured just shy of one million Model 1897 shotguns, with the production taking place from July 1897 to September… Read more ›
winchestercollector.org
An Official Journal Of The NRA | The Winchester Model 1897: A Look Back
Many features introduced in this shotgun remain standard in today’s modern pump guns.
smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
Like L Ross said, check chamber length. Some of the earlier ones had 2-5/8 chambers and some have had chambers bored to 3". Keep loads on the lighter side and have fun with it. Mine's the "Trap Gun" model and has a 2-3/4 chamber.
Joshua
Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
The 1897 is normally the only pump shotgun that is allowed in CAS “Cowboy Action Shooting” competitions. That might also be the reason you were offered $400 for yours. I seem to remember reading that that rule created a little niche gunsmithing specialty, chopping off long barrels, and then slicking out the action on old duck and goose guns. I believe that the 1897’s exposed hammer was used as the rational for allowing it in competition. It is of course also allowed in the “Wild Bunch” competitions.
Missionary
Well-Known Member
That is great to get that Model 97 shotgun and 1917 Enfield.... I trust you have many many happy years with them.
quicksylver
Well-Known Member
YUP!! IT WILL SLAM FIRE. LOVE them, the Germans tried to get them band. A real " trench gun will have a barrel marked CYL, a flaming bomb, and US stamped on the receiver, an upper hand guard that allows for the use of a bayonet, back in the late sixties we had them held by a clip mounted to the dash of our cruiseres. In the early seventies, I was fortunate to buy a 55 gal. drum of them from our county prison for the great sum of $35.00 each , little did I know that they would eventually go for $3,500 each. out side of the slam firing the other thing to watch out for is that to the untrained they can do a real numer to the top of your thumb when the slide is racked. enjoy ! .PS.They ere also known as " riot guns", "street/ alley sweppers'
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I think a lot of folks that learn to shoot with SXS's much preferred the '97 stock than the straight '12 stock, I know I did. Growing up with Ithaca SXS and shooting with your head up, made the '12 always shoot high unless I concentrated on putting my cheek down. Plus liked the hammer rather than the cross safety. Was in my late twenties when I converted over to Ithaca Model 37's, and still use them, but miss the old '97's to shoot.