Win 97 Takedown Questions

[Dragoon 45]

I recently purchased a Win 97 Takedown in 12 ga. The barrel had been shortened to 20" persumeably to make it into a home defense gun. As this is the first 97 I have owned, I am not that familiar with them. One question I have is: are there available, longer barrels that can be easily interchanged with the current barrel much as the Remington 870? I currently plan to shot this shotgun in SASS and Wild Bunch, but it would be nice if I had a longer barrel for the occassional bird hunt or clays match. Would I need both the magazine tube assembly and barrel or would just the barrel assembly be needed as it appears that only one clamp holds on the magazine tube assembly when the gun is disassembled?

I will be replacing the stock, as a crack has been repaired at the wrist at some point in the past, but replacement stocks seem to be readily available at Midway and Brownells. According to the SN # this shotgun was manufactured in either late 52 or early 53. The Action is very tight and cycles readily, some surface rust appears around the interrupted threads where the barrel assembly and receiver mate together. Otherwise the blueing is at better than 95% over all.

Any Information you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thank You.

[stubshaft]

IIRC - you will also need another section of the interrupted thread block. They were usually a matched set with the breechblock and had the serial numbers stamped on both of them Whe I had my gunshop I did rebarrel a couple of them but that was over 30 years ago and Numrich had all of the parts that I needed.

[Bull Schmitt]

The barrel is inserted into the Takedown Extension piece along with an Adjusting Sleeve and a Barrel Chamber Ring. It is my understanding that removing the Barrel Chamber Ring is a job for a gunsmith as the ring is easy to break.

Barrels are available, but just interchanging barrels does not seem to be a good idea. You can probably find a complete barrel/magazine assembly. Swapping just the magazine assembly as you suggested would be possible between two barrel assemblies but probably more trouble than it is worth.

Bull Schmitt
SASS 9535

[Eutectic]

Dragoon 45,

You will need to make up another complete 'front end' to have a two barrel set. This is the new barrel complete with extension piece and adjusting sleeve, the magazine tube complete along with the slide assembly. It is NOT a job for an amateur either. The barrel tenon, extension piece, and adjusting sleeve will all have to be adjusted with precision to the receiver/chamber ring fit the same as the original barrel/front end was. Special tools are required especially for the extension piece which is fragile IF TURNED INCORRECTLY.
You need a good '97 gunsmith' for the job to do it correctly.

Eutectic

[fourarmed]

Takedown is the same as on a Model 12. With the gun held normally and pointing away from you (OK, first make SURE it is unloaded!) push the crosspin at the front of the magazine as far to the right side of the gun as it will go (it will stick out about 3/4 of an inch.) Using it as a handle, rotate the magazine clockwise as far as it will go, then push it toward the muzzle as far as it will go. Grab the slide handle, push it toward the muzzle as far as it will go, and give the barrel assembly a clockwise twist until it stops and pull it off the receiver.

[Dragoon 45]

Thank You for the information.