Make: Winchester
Model: 97, 1897 “Trench Gun”
Serial Number: 952419
Year of Manufacture: 1942-1943
Gauge: 12 Ga. 2 3/4" Shells
Action Type: Pump Action Shotgun, Tube Fed, Exposed Hammer
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “MODEL 97 – WINCHESTER – 12 GA. / -TRADE MARK-” and “2 3/4 CHAM. / CYL.”. The top of the barrel is marked with a “WP” proof mark, found again on the upper left side of the receiver. The top of the chamber also has a “flaming bomb” acceptance stamp of the US Ordnance Department. The right side of the barrel is marked “-MADE IN U.S.A. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN.-” with patent dates. The bottom of the barrel extension is marked “952419”. The bottom of the receiver is marked “E / 952419”. The left side of the receiver is marked “U.S.” with another “flaming bomb”. The bottom of the barrel is marked “42”. The left side of the buttstock has a faint “G.H.D.” in box inspector’s cartouche above a “crossed cannons” ordnance cartouche.
Barrel Length: 20 3/4”
Choke: Fixed Cylinder Bore
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a bead set on the base of the heatshield/bayonet lug. There is no hole for a bead in the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece walnut with a grooved slide handle, pistol grip, straight comb, and Winchester checkered black hard rubber buttplate. There is a sling plate mounted in the belly, and a sling swivel on the bayonet lug. The stocks have scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches. There is a crack in the right front of the wrist. The LOP measures 13 3/4” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has wear, most notable at the heel and toe, with generally well defined checkering. Overall, the stocks are in Good Plus condition as refinished.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright. There is infrequent minor discoloration. There are three little bumps in the bottom of the bore at the location of the three heatshield mount screws. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates an 8 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 75% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are areas of finish wear going to a light patina, and there’s some scattered light surface oxidation. There are scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly disfigured with usable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this shotgun is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions properly. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: An OD canvas sling is attached.
Our Assessment: After observing the Great War for the first three years, it became clear to the United States that serious close-range firepower was needed in trench warfare. In 1917, the US military adopted the “Trench Gun”, the Winchester Model 1897 with a few notable modifications, namely the addition of a perforated steel heatshield over the barrel which protected the user’s hand from getting burned by a hot barrel after intensive firing, and an adapter with bayonet lug for affixing a M-1917 bayonet. The “Trench Gun” was so effective and brutal in combat, earning the nicknames “trench broom” and “trench sweeper”, that the German high command announced they would execute any US soldier captured with one in his possession. The Winchester Model 1897 “Trench Gun” would continue to be produced into WW2, and saw considerable use with US Marines in the Pacific, who prized the “Trench Gun” for its ability to clear enemy machine gun nests. As the war moved closer to Imperial Japan in 1944, the Japanese relied increasingly on well dug in “defense in depth” positions, with swaths of hidden bunkers and caves criss-crossing their island possessions, and the “Trench Gun” was ideal for point men on patrols. This Winchester Model 1897 “Trench Gun” was made in 1942-43, and features a 20 ¾” barrel, 75% of its original blued finish, refinished two-piece walnut stocks (there is a crack in the right front of the wrist) with a grooved slide handle and Winchester checkered black hard rubber buttplate, strong mechanics, wonderful markings, and a mostly bright bore. This shotgun would be a great addition to a US WW2 small arms collection.
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