When was my Winchester Model 1897 made?

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. The Model 1897 was superseded by the Winchester Model 1912.

Where is the serial number on a Winchester 1897?

I have examined several dozen early production Model 1897 Take Down shotguns, and all of them have had the serial number stamped on the take down extension, and on the receiver.

What model is the Trench Gun?

Winchester Model 1897
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.

What was the barrel length of a Trench Gun?

The 16-gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 71 cm (28 in), while 12-gauge guns were furnished with 76 cm (30 in) length barrels. However barrels as long as 91 cm (36 in) could be ordered.

When was the Trench Gun made?

1897
The Winchester Model 1897, more commonly known as the Trench Gun, was a pump-action shotgun designed by John Browning and manufactured from 1897 to 1957 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

When was the Trench Gun used?

The Trench Gun, the Winchester Model 1897, was an immensely popular shotgun. Between 1897 and 1956 more than a million were produced by Winchester Repeating Arms. American Soldiers, Police, and hunters all loved and used the trench gun which is the reason it remained in production for 59 years!

When was my Winchester Model 12 made?

The pre-64 Model 12 Winchester was designed in 1912, with actual production from 1914 through 1963. During that 51-year period, there were over 1,900,000 guns sold. Production, clean-up and special orders of the Model 12 continued until serial number 2,027,500 in 1980.

Why are they called trench guns?

The trench gun is a shotgun adapted for military use during World War I. These guns were commercial repeating shotguns with trimmed barrels. The shortened barrels allowed them to be used in the tight quarters necessitated by trenches.

What gauge were trench guns?

33-caliber pellets for the 20-inch cylinder bore barrel. Carrying six shells, the M1897 gave the American Soldier or Marine considerable firepower in the confined trenches of the western front. With the Trench Gun gaining in popularity among the Americans, the Germans were dismayed by it.

How effective was the Trench Gun?

By squeezing and holding the trigger while pumping, the Trench Gun would fire every time the pump was pushed forward. A trained soldier could fire six shotgun blasts with devastating effect against unarmored targets in less than two seconds.

Why are trench guns banned?

In September 1918, the German government issued a diplomatic protest, complaining that the Model 97 Trench Gun was illegal because “it is especially forbidden to employ arms, projections, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering” as defined in the 1907 Hague Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of …

What caliber were trench guns?

.33 caliber
Trench guns packed five to six rounds of 12-gauge buckshot, with each round firing nine . 33 caliber pellets per shot.

Is a Winchester Model 1912 the same as a Model 12?

The Winchester Model 1912 (also commonly known as the Model 12, or M12) is an internal-hammer pump-action shotgun with an external tube magazine.

Are trench guns illegal?

Why is Trench Gun illegal?

Is the Trench Gun still in use?

Today, more than 100 years since the guns went silent on the Western Front, variations of the trench shotgun still remain within the US military’s arsenal.