Repro 1897 Winchester

[leadeye]

Anybody have one of those reproduction 1897 Winchesters. I almost picked one up at the last show but don't know much about them. The real Winchester riot or military guns are getting too expensive to shoot much. I have always like the look of them and have an old 12 which I still get out for hunting.

[Bret4207]

I handled one briefly. Seemed "clunkier" than the originals, but seemed well made enough. Might search for some reviews in the Cowboy Action sites.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

We've only got Winchester 97's, but I'd say about one third of the cowboy action shooters are using the chicom copies. Haven't heard any complaints. There's one outfit that specializes in slicked up actions, that's having them made to their specs, and these are supposed to be better than the original Winchesters, at least as far as fast shooting is concerned. Check the SASS wire for the fellows name, I'm having a brain fart.
Morgan

[azrednek]

I've got one and it seems to get smoother with use. It was pretty rough out of the box. It is no where near as smooth functioning as an original Winnie 97 my friend has. My friend claims his was made in the 20's and was passed down to him from his Grandfather. My friend's is a sporter model with a long full choked barrel. Mine is a copy of the 97 trench gun with the metal handguard and bayonet lug. If anybody is interested I can post pictures.

[MtGun44]

Wonder if the originals were that smooth to begin with or are they
just showing 80-100 years of self-polishing by using?

Bill

[shotman]

I will bet the new ones you cant hold trigger and empty the gun I have one dating from the 30s that is 90+% but it only likes no 4 shot good tree rat gun rick

[Bret4207]

I'd like to get one just 'cuz they're neat. Trench gun of course, ala WW1. "Over the top on the whistle Lads!!!"

[leadeye]

The trench gun model is what I am after also. Always wanted one but when old guns get over $1000 you get a little reluctant to shoot them very much. Azredneck, if you have pictures I would like to see them. Good question about the "pump fire" feature, do the imports do this as well?

[azrednek]

Good question about the "pump fire" feature, do the imports do this as well?


Mine does what I believe is called slam fire. Hold the trigger down and it shoots as soon as the bolt goes home. It will take allot of practice to master it. I tried some Remington reduced recoil loads and it was a little easier to control slam firing. I have some left over Dove and Quail loads from Dove season I'm going to use for practice. Until I can master the slam firing I still rely on my 870 as my house gun.

Time is short at the moment, I'll try and get the pics posted tonight.

[Calamity Jake]

The 1897 win. was desigend I beleave by John Browning to allow the shooter to hold the trigger back and shoot as fast as he can pump the action. It was the first SG adapted by the military for use in the WW1 trinches, hense the handguard and bayonet lug.
I have two 97's, neather are trinch guns but I use them for CAS, my wife won a 97 copy last year, it works the same and is a pretty good gun.

[KCSO]

Yes the old ones were that smooth. I have been able to shoot two of the originals that were 90% or better. I cuttently have the original my Grandfather got in 1923 and two copies. The copies can be slicked up to preform well and they WILL pump through if you hold the trigger back. In about 1955 My Dad did a demonstration shoot for the FBI where he had a 5 gallon bucket thrown into the air and he put 5 rounds of 00 buck into the can before it hit the ground. He was a big guy and he held the gun tight to his hip, held the trigger back and pumped it dry. He learned to shoot a shotgun with a full choke 97 and passed the gun on to me and now my grandson is going to shoot the same gun 5 generations!

[azrednek]

Tried my best to get some decent flash pictures but my point and shoot digital just isn't up to the job. If I have the time I'll post some sunlight pictures tomorrow.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears205_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears206_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears207_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears208_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears210_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears212_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears213_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears214_edited.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/dnisbet/sears215.jpg

[Bret4207]

Gasp!!! An assault weapon!!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!:kidding:

[KCSO]

I have one just like that in the shop now. I slicked it up for my Dad and he will hang it on the wall along with his Shotgun Slade picture. He got his first one like that when Offut AFB surplused them out in 1950. They carried those on the SO in Omaha tilll 1970 and then traded them off for 870's.

[Geraldo]

Wonder if the originals were that smooth to begin with or are they
just showing 80-100 years of self-polishing by using?


I was wondering the same thing. I've read of Winchester Model 1887s and Model 12s being fast, but I don't recall anything about 1897s.

I can't recall the gunsmith's name, but I've seen pics on the net of '97s (and Remington 11s) that have been customized with a longer mag tube, etc. They didn't look historically correct, but they could hold their own against any modern made shotgun.

[cajun shooter]

When I first went to work at the SO in Baton Rouge, La. They still had about 10 in the gun vault. That was in 1976. I asked the captain over supply if I could buy one and he said yes and that he would put the paper work together; then the colonel rejected it so that he could take all of them. As they say RHIP.