Winchester Model 1897

|}

Winchester Model 1897 shotgun
Winchester Model 1897 shotgun
Type	Shotgun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps,
Wars	Philippine-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War
Production history
Designer	John Browning
Manufacturer	Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Produced	1897–1957
No. built	1,024,700
Variants	See text
Specifications
Mass	8 lb (3.6 kg)
Length	39+1⁄4 in (1,000 mm)
Barrel length	20 in (510 mm)
Caliber	12-gauge
Action	Pump-action
Effective firing range	20 m
Feed system	5-round tubular magazine

The Winchester Model 1897 was a pump-action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine. It was offered in 12 and 16 gauge, solid frame or takedown. Numerous barrel lengths were offered. The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchester Model 1893 designed by John Browning. From 1893 until it was discontinued by Winchester in 1957, over one million of the type were produced in various grades and barrel lengths. The 16-gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 28 inches, while 12-gauge guns were furnished with 30-inch length barrels. Special length barrels could be ordered in lengths as short as 20 inches, and as long as 36 inches.

==History==hi i hiih hihihi hi ih The Winchester Model 1897 was designed by the Famous American firearms inventor John Moses Browning. Originally produced as a tougher, stronger and more improved version of the Winchester 18983, itself a takeoff on the early Spencer pump gun, the 1897 was identical to its forerunner, except that the receiver was thicker and allowed for use of smokeless powder shells, which were not common at the time. In the new model 97, many of the weaknesses that were present in the Model 93 were taken into account and remedied. One of these weaknesses that was improved was the slide lock. This improved slide lock kept the gun locked until actual firing occurred which prevented the gun from jamming in the case of a misfire. Other improvements included a stronger frame and a longer, angled stock. (David) The 1897 also introduced a "take down" design, where the barrel could be taken off; a standard in pump shotguns made today, like the Remington 870. The 1897 was in production from 1897 until the mid- to late 1950s in which produciton ceased. It was in this time frame that the "modern" hammerless designs became common, like the Winchester Model 1912 and the Remington 870. Over time, “the model 97 became the most popular shotgun on the American market and established a standard of performance by which other kinds hi hi hi hii hi hiihhhi h hiih hihi hi ih hi hii hih hi hi hi hi hi hihi hi hhi hi hi hihi hi hi hi hihi hihii hi hiihihii hhii hi hihihihihi h ihihih ihi hmakes of shotguns were judged, including the most expensive imported articles”. (Williamson) Production of the 1897 ceased in the 1950's, but the gun can still be found today in regular use.

Description

The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchester Model 1893 designed by John Browning. The Model 97 is a hammered shotgun lacking a trigger disconnect giving it the ability to slam fire. This simply means that the user can hold the trigger down while pumping the shotgun and once the pump is returned to the forward position the gun fires. The gun itself is classified as a slide action pump shotgun. It was the first truly successful pump-action shotgun produced. From 1893 until it was discontinued by Winchester in 1957, over a million of the type were produced in various grades and barrel lengths. The model 97 came in two different chambering. One was the 12 gauge and the other was the 16 gauge. The shells should be of the 2-¾ inch model. Any shells larger are not recommended. 16-gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 28 inches, while 12-gauge guns were furnished with 30-inch length barrels. Special length barrels could be ordered in lengths as short as 20 inches, and as long as 36 inches. When working the action of the Model 97 the fore end is racked and a long slide comes out of the receiver and ejects the spent shell while simultaneously cocking the external hammer. There is one single hook that is used to operate this action. The gun acquired the nickname of “the knuckle buster”. This nickname was a direct result of its sliding action. What happened was that the user would hold his or her hand too close to the receiver when he or she worked the action and the slide will come back and smash into the users hand resulting in a busted knuckle. When the hammer is back in the model 97 you cannot work the action, which means you cannot rack the slide. However, there is a button on the side of the receiver that allows the user to depress it and unlock the slide thereby ejecting an unfired case without lowering the hammer. The finish on most of these firearms was that of a standard blue. Specimens that are vintage with the original finish gain a darker brownish color that is called a patina. It is the collectors that prefer a patina because it means that the gun is original and has not lost any of its historical value. The 1897 has been out of production for over fifty years now. There has been an effort made to reproduce this firearm by the Chinese company Norinco. The Norinco 97 is an almost exact copy of the Winchester 1897. The grades of Trench and Riot were reproduced by Norinco.

Different Grades of the Model 1897

Grade	Gauge	Barrel (inches)	Remarks
Standard	12,16	30,28	Plain walnut stock with steel buttplate
Trap	12,16	30,28	Fancy walnut with checkering
Pigeon	12,16	28	Same as Trap, but hand-engraved receiver
Tournament	12	30	Select walnut; receiver top matte to reduce glare
Brush	12,16	26	Shorter magazine, plain walnut without checkering, solid frame
Brush Takedown	12,16	26	As above, but takedown frame
Riot	12	20	Shoots buckshot, plain walnut, solid or takedown frame
Trench	12	20	Same as riot gun but with hand guard and bayonet fitting

(David)

Military use

Winchester Model 1897 Trench Gun

The model 97 was already popular before the first World War, but it was actually after the war broke out that the sales of the Model 97 really picked up. The problem was that when the United States did enter the war, they were fairly low on weapons. After sitting back and “observing the war for the first three years they realized how brutal trench warfare was and how much you needed close range fire power when you were in a trench”. This brought about the Model 97 Trench grade. This grade was ideal for close warfare. It was particularly efficient in trenches. The gun was modified by adding a perforated steel heat shield over the barrel, and an adapter with bayonet lug for affixing a M1917 bayonet. “It had a 20 inch cylinder bore barrel and a lug and a boss on it for the mounting of the U.S. 1917 sword bayonet”. This provided an alternative if you ran out of ammunition.

This trench gun version was widely used by American troops during World War I. One of the most important duties that it was called upon was to protect the American trenches from enemy hand grenades. Basically they would have a group of American soldiers that were greatly skilled at trap shooting and arm them with these trench guns. They would then station them at a position where they could fire at enemy hand grenades after they had been thrown and were still in the air. Therefore when “they would hit the enemy hand grenades in midair and this would deflect them from falling into the American trenches” (Williamson). Besides deflecting enemy hand grenades there was a tactical advantage offered by the model 97 trench gun. This tactical advantage was that in close quarters it was able to deliver a massive amount of firepower in a short time. This was much more efficient than using a rifle. When you’re in close quarters you have a much better chance at hitting your target with a shotgun then you do with a rifle. In the end, the model 97 trench gun introduced a whole new tactic to fighting in close quarters during war that became very popular.

Unlike most modern pump-action shotguns, the Winchester Model 1897 (versions of which were type classified as the Model 97 or M97 for short) fired each time the action closed with the trigger depressed (that is, it lacks a trigger disconnector and is capable of slamfire). That and its six-shot capacity made it extremely effective for close combat, such that troops referred to it as a "trench sweeper". It was so devastating, and feared, that the German government protested (in vain) to have it outlawed in combat. The M97 was used in limited numbers during World War II by the United States Army and Marine Corps, although it was largely superseded by the similarly militarized version of the hammerless Model 1912.

See also: List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces

Other Uses

After the war, “A short-barrel version of the Model 97, using buckshot loads, became widely used as a riot gun”. Messengers of The American Express Company were armed with this weapon as well as various police departments throughout the country. (Williamson) The only difference between this riot version and the trench version is that the riot version didn’t contain the heat shield and bayonet lug on it like the trench version did. Another difference is that all of the trench guns were equipped with sling swivels, but only a few riot guns were equipped with sling swivels.

One of the most popular and obvious uses of the model 97 was for hunting. Particularly it was accepted by “the professional market hunters because of its effectiveness”. (Williamson) However, “acceptance by this group proved to be something of a boomerang to the company because the gun began to be associated with the so called game hogs who were a threat to the preservation of wild life in the country”. (Williamson) Game hogs were basically people who would go out and kill everything that they saw so that they could sell pelts and meat to get as much money as possible. This was a boomerang for the company because their sales were boosted from the “game hogs” buying their gun, but in the end it gave the company a bad name. This is simply because people that killed animals like this were not only looked down upon by society, but they were also a threat to the wildlife.

References

• David, Miller. The Illustrated Directory of Guns. Cordwainers: Collin Gower Enterprises, 2005. Print.
• Williamson, Harold F. Winchester. 1st Edition Washington DC: Combat Forces, 1952. Print.

External links

• GlobalSecurity.org – Military use of shotguns
• Olive-Drab: Winchester Model 97 Shotgun