1897 Winchester Riot Model Question

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Milkmaster

Milkmaster

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Pictured is an 1897 Winchester Riot model made in 1918. Obviously it has been refurbished at some point. The buttpad is obviously not original. Even though it is a nice job, will the refurbishment affect the value much on a shotgun this old? The seller is saying it was refinished 40 years ago. Asking $1K.
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Many homages made of the riot model from regular ‘97’s.

Any proof it was actually born a riot model?

20” barrel marked cyl. would be a good start, although I’ve read a few were marked mod.
 
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I'd pay a grand for that. That's an awesome shotgun, refurb aside. A collector might not be too jazzed about it but I would be.....
 
I dunno the rear receiver sight is throwing me off. A riot gun is short handy point shooter. Having to aim defeats the purpose for me.
 
Hmm... I was thinking a grand for an 1897 in good condition would be a score, I guess I'm mistaken. Ice seen a few 97's in one of the LGS's that typically has more milsurps and older stuff and they had some that looked beat to shat and had gnarly pitting, wood was very dingey and speckled pitted recievers, etc and they were asking $595 for them and they sold. I suppose being totally original probably helped their case but they weren't riot models or proper "trench" models that I recall...
 
I do not see any “collector” value left. Is it the original stock or a restock at the butt? Is the grip cap original?
 
Ditto . You can get a new chicom replica in about the same price range. With a little adjustment they work as well as the originals.
 
I have the opposite problem.

I have my grandfather's old 16, which I know to be sawed-off, because he once loaned it to someone who put the muzzle in the mud and petaled the barrel. He cut it off with a hacksaw and a file. The thing is, I want to restore all of it, (it's pretty hammered,) and I can't find a barrel. They still make the 12s in China, but 16s are somewhat rare, even more so any that are broken but with an intact barrel. I think I might need to have one made.

My brother took my dad's 12 which has been restored, and it's gorgeous.
 
They made two models of the 1897 barrels take down and non-takedown. The one shown at the top is the non- take down version. The chicom copies are non-takedown.
 
While I'm not an expert on the 97, that price seems very steep to me- especially for a 97 whose originality can't be proven. A friend of mine who is an expert once warned me that riot/trench 97's are one of the most "faked" guns in the genre.
 
Jerry M said:
1897's did not have rifle sights on riot SGs. IMHO that has no collectors value, very little practical value. Yes I know it will probably work, but there are a whole lot of little parts in that SG that can break, and are hard to find.
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This. I once had a military-marked Winchester 97 trench gun (basically a riot gun with added bayonet lug, sling swivels, and heat shield). What impressed me about it was its overall sense of fragility. Nothing like a basic Rem. 870. No regrets when I sold it.

There is no way I would pay $1,000 for the OP gun.
 
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I never saw an ad for a 97 with sights.

$1000 seems high to me. Marauder has a checklist of things to look at before buying one.
 
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