what to do RE: Winchester Model 1897
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:47 am
I have a Model 1897 too! Take Down model, 1913 birth year but not nearly the same condition as some of the posts here .
My father bought it used (probably just after WWII) for pheasant hunting in SD. I remember tagging along as a kid in the late 50s & early 60s either pheasant hunting in SD or rabbit hunting in MN. The one I have DID NOT live a sheltered life. As many have said, these shotguns were tools. The stock was cracked and my Dad repaired it by tightly wrapping wire around the entire wrist portion of the stock. I thought it looked kinda cool. In my late teens, I was hunting with some friends and experienced an accidental discharge! No one was injured but my faith in the safety of using this shotgun was greatly diminished. It languished in the bedroom closet of my parent's house for many years. After my father passed away, my younger brother "inherited" the gun. He and his college roommates decided that the broken stock needed modification and hacked it off into a "pistol grip"! Maybe they thought that their neighborhood wasn't safe enough and they need something to "meet BGs at the door". They didn't do a very professional job . Fortunately the "Bubba"ing stopped there (for a while). Again, this relic languished in a series of closets for several years. When I retired from the military, I took possession after scolding my brother for neglecting and maiming Dad's gun. Sadly, I have to admit that I haven't done much to make things better.
Having not forgotten the AD of years gone by, I decided to find out what was the cause and get it fixed (or better still, fix it myself). Between online guides and YouTube videos, I learned the proper disassembly process and dug into my refurbishing project. Most of the disassembly went well. I took photos along the way to help with reassembly (always a good plan). Eventually, I reached a point where the internal components weren't coming apart as described in the guides. It took a while but I determined that the Action Slide Hook Screw had somehow gotten damaged and try as I might, I was unable to remove it from the right side of the receiver. I spoke with an old retired gunsmith from our gun club about the issue. He understood the problem and gave a few possible options but the way that the screw had broken, there was no way to get purchase on it and back it out. As a last resort, I had to drill an "escape portal" in the left side of the receiver (ouch!) and once that was done, the broken screw merely fell out! Of course, that left a gaping 3/8" hole in the receiver. At the time, Numrich Gun Parts didn't have a replacement screw in stock, so I fabricated my own .
With the gun completely disassembled, I was able to clean the years of neglect out of the nooks and crannies of the components. Once reassembled, everything seemed to work properly. I don't know for sure but I'm of the belief that the broken action slide hook screw had, at least, a small part to play in the AD that I had experienced.
Phew, this story is getting long isn't it? Anyway, now I'm at the part related to the subject. I don't believe that there is much in the line of collector value in this shotgun and I doubt that there is much in the line of cash value but I could be wrong. There's nothing anyone would call "pristine" about this gun, not to mention the left side of the receiver being ventilated with the 3/8" hole that I drilled . I'm wondering just how much head shaking and eye rolling might result from my suggestion that I further modify (some might say "continue to Bubba") this 1897 into the Riot Gun configuration (20" barrel) or more drastically, an 18"(or 20"), pistol gripped, home defense weapon? The barrel shortening would be done in a professional manner. In the case of the Riot Gun configuration, I would need to procure a replacement stock. For the latter, I would fabricate the grip.
So, what says the forum?
Sleeper
My father bought it used (probably just after WWII) for pheasant hunting in SD. I remember tagging along as a kid in the late 50s & early 60s either pheasant hunting in SD or rabbit hunting in MN. The one I have DID NOT live a sheltered life. As many have said, these shotguns were tools. The stock was cracked and my Dad repaired it by tightly wrapping wire around the entire wrist portion of the stock. I thought it looked kinda cool. In my late teens, I was hunting with some friends and experienced an accidental discharge! No one was injured but my faith in the safety of using this shotgun was greatly diminished. It languished in the bedroom closet of my parent's house for many years. After my father passed away, my younger brother "inherited" the gun. He and his college roommates decided that the broken stock needed modification and hacked it off into a "pistol grip"! Maybe they thought that their neighborhood wasn't safe enough and they need something to "meet BGs at the door". They didn't do a very professional job . Fortunately the "Bubba"ing stopped there (for a while). Again, this relic languished in a series of closets for several years. When I retired from the military, I took possession after scolding my brother for neglecting and maiming Dad's gun. Sadly, I have to admit that I haven't done much to make things better.
Having not forgotten the AD of years gone by, I decided to find out what was the cause and get it fixed (or better still, fix it myself). Between online guides and YouTube videos, I learned the proper disassembly process and dug into my refurbishing project. Most of the disassembly went well. I took photos along the way to help with reassembly (always a good plan). Eventually, I reached a point where the internal components weren't coming apart as described in the guides. It took a while but I determined that the Action Slide Hook Screw had somehow gotten damaged and try as I might, I was unable to remove it from the right side of the receiver. I spoke with an old retired gunsmith from our gun club about the issue. He understood the problem and gave a few possible options but the way that the screw had broken, there was no way to get purchase on it and back it out. As a last resort, I had to drill an "escape portal" in the left side of the receiver (ouch!) and once that was done, the broken screw merely fell out! Of course, that left a gaping 3/8" hole in the receiver. At the time, Numrich Gun Parts didn't have a replacement screw in stock, so I fabricated my own .
With the gun completely disassembled, I was able to clean the years of neglect out of the nooks and crannies of the components. Once reassembled, everything seemed to work properly. I don't know for sure but I'm of the belief that the broken action slide hook screw had, at least, a small part to play in the AD that I had experienced.
Phew, this story is getting long isn't it? Anyway, now I'm at the part related to the subject. I don't believe that there is much in the line of collector value in this shotgun and I doubt that there is much in the line of cash value but I could be wrong. There's nothing anyone would call "pristine" about this gun, not to mention the left side of the receiver being ventilated with the 3/8" hole that I drilled . I'm wondering just how much head shaking and eye rolling might result from my suggestion that I further modify (some might say "continue to Bubba") this 1897 into the Riot Gun configuration (20" barrel) or more drastically, an 18"(or 20"), pistol gripped, home defense weapon? The barrel shortening would be done in a professional manner. In the case of the Riot Gun configuration, I would need to procure a replacement stock. For the latter, I would fabricate the grip.
So, what says the forum?
Sleeper