Winchester Model 1897

Winchester Model 1897 shotgun
Winchester Model 1897
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 Irish war of independence World War II Korean War Vietnam War Gulf War
Production history
Designer	John Browning
Manufacturer	Winchester Repeating Arms Company Norinco
Produced	1897–1957
No. built	1,024,700
Variants	See text
Specifications
Weight	8 lb (3.6 kg)
Length	39 1⁄4 in (1,000 mm)
Barrel length	20 in (510 mm)
Caliber	12-gauge, 16 gauge
Action	Pump-action
Effective firing range	22 yards (20 meters)
Feed system	6+1-round tubular magazine

The Winchester Model 1897, also known as the Model 97, M97, or Trench Gun, was a pump-action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchester Model 1893 designed by John Browning. From 1897 until 1957, over one million of these shotguns were produced. The Model 1897 was offered in numerous barrel lengths and grades, chambered in 12 and 16 gauge, and as a solid frame or takedown. 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. Since the time the Model 1897 was first manufactured it has been used by American soldiers, police departments, and hunters.

The Winchester Model 1897 was designed by American firearms inventor John Moses Browning. The Model 1897 was first listed for sale in the November 1897 Winchester catalog as a 12 gauge solid frame. However, the 12 gauge takedown was added in October 1898, and the 16 gauge takedown in February 1900. Originally produced as a tougher, stronger and more improved version of the Winchester 1893, itself an improvement 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. The 1897 introduced a "take down" design, where the barrel could be taken off; a standard in pump shotguns made today, like the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 series. 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”. The Winchester Model 1897 was in production from 1897 until 1957. It was in this time frame that the "modern" hammerless designs became common, like the Winchester Model 1912 and the Remington 870 and the Model 1897 was superseded by the Winchester Model 1912. However, the gun can still be found today in regular use.