Proud owner of a Winchester 1897! Help with some ID?

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Collector0311

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Three beach towels, two undershirts, two bottles of CLP, one wire brush, and 100yrs of crud later.... This is one clean and smooth "takedown"
ququ8y7u.jpg hypepute.jpg du5ytyme.jpg sy9u7amu.jpg

Would post more pics but I can only do 4 at a time from my phone. Don't know much about these weapons aside from their service use. I'd love to know a date of manufacture, along with what some of the other marks mean.
SN:666286 (matching)
NO DOD marks from what I can tell.
Marked "full" on barrel near receiver
No cracks or serious gouges in wood, and I haven't noticed any pitting in areas with heavy patina. Barrel/magazine band is slightly loose, but neither the barrel or magazine have any play in the receiver. Takedown is a quick and easy as it was meant to be. The bore looks mint, and that's no exaggeration, and I'm almost positive I was cleaning packing grease out of the mag tube and receiver. The bead is a spherical (brass?) piece.
Anything else I forgot gentlemen?
Oh yeah...I gave $500...how'd I do? Haha
Thanks in advance!
-Brandon
 
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It was made in 1919.

Sounds like in the condition you discribe, you probably did O.K. on price.

Your picture attachments don't/won't work here.
You can't attach pictures here.

You have to put them in a picture sharing service like Photobucket and link to them.

rc
 
Is there such a thing as a 20" full choked barrel? Just wondering. From the looks of that pic I wouldn't be surprised if that barrel isn't 20".
 
The serial starts with 666 so its evil. If you would like you could send it to me so I can dispose of it for you.
 
Yes. Why else would I have mentioned it?
I narrowly missed out on a Model 12 Riot with full choke. An area dealer got in a bunch of police tradeins, but I did not get there in time to get one with choke, they said those sold out first and fast.
 
excuse me for asking,,,I just never heard of it and was looking for the info. Bowing and backing out
 
Actually, that Model 1897 was likely made in 1917. Most of the serial number table are incorrect. The barrel looks too short to be 20". I was likely cut-down and that is why it's "full" choke marked. It also looks to have the earlier type buttstock with the knob-type bottom to the pistol grip. It should have a high comb stock with flat bottom pistol grip.
 
Haha Russ that is one killer offer...but I prefer my guns evil!
Dime passes through but just barely. Is that the be all end all? Anything else I can check aside from getting a factory letter?
Here's a couple of close up muzzle/front sight pics
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1358020849.080490.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1358020859.377185.jpg
 
Thanks Tom, I'll look into that. If I want to measure the barrel, do I do that from the receiver, or remove it and measure the whole thing? I don't want to be breaking any laws.
Also, any way to tell if the wood is original? Nothing to lead me to believe otherwise but I'd like to know!
 
With the shotgun unloaded and the action closed, measure down the bore to the face of the closed bolt... if you don't have a tape measure whose tape will go into the bore, use a dowel, mark it at the muzzle and measure that.
 
Dime passes through but just barely. Is that the be all end all?

As thick as the barrel appears at the muzzle it appears to be a cut down barrel. It was most likely originally a 30" barrel.
 
I don't have any before pictures. I tried to be gentle with the look of it, and just lightly scrubbed the externals and coated them in oil, then rubbed down the wood with a silicon cloth. The internals however, I went to town on. Soaked them overnight and took everything apart to clean with a dental pick, q tips, whatever it took to get every scrap of carbon out.
Pictures wouldn't do the before and after justice, but feeling the action before and after was like night and day.
 
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