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 | 22 yards (20 meters) |
| 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
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 1893, 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.[1] 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 and makes of shotguns were judged, including the most expensive imported articles”.[2] Production of the 1897 ceased in the 1950s, but the gun can still be found today in regular use.
Description
The Winchester Model 1897 evolved from the Winchester Model 1893. The Model 97 and 93 were both designed by John Browning. The Model 97 is a hammered shotgun lacking a trigger disconnect giving it the ability to slam fire. This 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.[3] The gun itself is classified as a pump action shotgun. A pump action shotgun "has a single barrel above a tube magazine into which shells are inserted. New shells are chambered by pulling the pump handle attached to the tube magazine toward the user, then pushing it back into place to chamber the cartridge (in a few cases this action is reversed). This action simultaneously projects the most recently fired shell out of the ejection port".[4] 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 1897 came in two different chambering. One was the 12 gauge and the other was the 16 gauge.[3] 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. An average Model 97 weighed 8 lbs (3.6 kg) and held 5 shotgun shells. However, this would vary from grade to grade.[5] 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.
The Chinese company Norinco has made an effort to reproduce this firearm. The Norinco 97 is an almost exact copy of the Winchester 1897. The grades of Trench and Riot were reproduced by Norinco.
| 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 | Plain walnut, solid or takedown frame |
| Trench | 12 | 20 | Same as riot gun but with hand guard and bayonet fitting |
Military use
The Model 97 was popular before the first World War, but it was after the war broke out that sales of the Model 97 picked up. The problem was that when the United States entered the war, they were low on weapons. After “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”.[6] This brought about the Model 97 Trench grade. This model was ideal for close combat and was efficient in trench warefare due to its 20 inch cylinder bore barrel. Buckshot ammunition was issued with the trench grade during the war. Each round of this ammunition contained 9 buckshot that were of the size 00. This gave considerable firepower to the individual soldier by each round that was fired.[5] The Model 97 was modified by adding a perforated steel heat shield over the barrel which "protected the hand from the barrel becoming over-heated by rapid fire"[5], and an adapter with bayonet lug for affixing a M1917 bayonet.[6]
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). Coupled with its six-shot capacity made it 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.[7] 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.
World War I Protests
Although the Model 1897 was popular with American troops in World War I, it wasn't so popular with the German troops. It was in 1918 that Germany protested "U.S. use of shotguns firing multiple projectile buchshot ammunition as a violation of section II of the 1907 Hague Convention (the Geneva Convention's prodecessor treaty), which forbade belligerents to employ arms, projectiles, or material caclulated to cause unnecessary suffering"..[8] However, the United States interpreted the Hague treaty differently than Germany did and ended up rejecting the German protest. The following is a note from a 1997 paper of W. Hays Parks, Special Assistant for Law of War Matters, Office of the Judge Advocate Gerneral, U.S. Army; "The highly-effective use of the shotgun by United States forces had a telling effect on the morale of front-line German troops. On 19 September 1918, the German government issued a diplomatic protest against the American use of shotguns, alleging that the shotgun was prohibited by the law of war.[citation needed] After careful consideration and review of the applicable law by the Judge Advocate General of the Army, Secretary of State Robert Lansing rejected the German protest in a formal note."[8] However, this upsetted the German forces even more due to the fact that they thought they were treated unjustly in the war but there wasn't going to be any action done to consolidate them. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. After the German protest was rejected, there were threats issued by the Germans that they would punish all of the American Soldiers that they captured and found to be armed with the shotguns. This however caused the United States to retaliate with a similar threat.[citation needed] The United States said that any measures that were unjustly taken against captured American Soldiers would lead to an equal act by the United States on captured German Soldiers.[citation needed] However, "The reality is that internation agreements of this kind invariably include substantial quantities of broad and unspecific statements, inevitably requiring interpretation. Someone hast to decide whether 00 buckshot constitutes the kind of projectile calculated to cause unnecessary suffering".[8]
Other Uses
After the war, a short-barrel version of the Model 97 was marketed by Winchester as a riot gun. Messengers of The American Express Company were armed with this weapon as were various police departments throughout the US.[2] The differences between this riot version and the trench version were the riot version lacked the heat shield and bayonet lug,[6] and all trench guns were equipped with sling swivels, whereas most riot guns were not.[3]
One of the most popular uses of the model 97 was for hunting, specifically by professional market hunters.[2] 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 wildlife in the country”.[2] Game hogs were hunters who would kill every animal 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 as the game hogs were perceived as a threat to wildlife.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b David, Miller. The Illustrated Directory of Guns. Cordwainers: Collin Gower Enterprises, 2005. Print.
- ^ a b c d Williamson, Harold F. Winchester. 1st Edition Washington DC: Combat Forces, 1952. Print.
- ^ a b c The Winchester Collector: Model 1897 Shotguns
- ^ name=Pump-action shotgun[1]
- ^ a b c Angelfire.com: Winchester Model 1897
- ^ a b c Phil Davis. Winchester Model 1897. Sangamon County Rifle Association.
- ^ Department of the Army-PAM 27-50-299.
- ^ a b c Never Yet Melted: Winchester Model 1897