Winchester 97

[Slater]

I read that the Winchester 97 went out of US production in 1957 or so. Seems that it just got too expensive to manufacture profitably, especially with all the other fine shotguns on the market.

For a time, the Win 97 was in production along with guns like the Ithaca 37, Remington 870 (in later years), and various other simpler, easier-to-make guns. Got to thinking that the old and rather complicated/dated design of the 97 continued to sell even with these other shotguns being available.

Is/was the 97 design that good or were people just so familiar with it that it kept it's market so long?

 

[olywa]

I have my Granddad's 1913-vintage Takedown 97. It has a full choke 30" barrel and I still use it from time to time. The blueing is all gone and the wood is kind of beat up but it still swings true and puts birds down for me. I'm tossing around the idea of sending it off to Ahlmans for a re-blue and action job, then re-stocking it. But I'll probably just pass it on as-is to my grandson one day.

I also have my Dad's 1958-vintage 12 Ga 870 Wingmaster. I've replaced the 30" Poly-choked barrel with a 26" vent-ribbed Skeet choke barrel and put a new wood stock on it with the R3 recoil pad. This is my "go-to" shotgun and I use it for 90% of my hunting.

I think about my Granddad and my Dad every time I pick these guns up. I think the biggest difference between them is the way that they were used by their original owners. My Granddad was a farmer/rancher and his 97 was as much a working tool as it was a sporting arm, probably more so. Whereas my Dad was a WWII GI-Bill college grad, and his 870 was strictly a sporting arm, and the only one he ever felt that he needed.

I'm kind of rambling now but the bottom line is that both of these fine old shotguns still do a great job with the proper loads, and I never hesitate to use either one. The 97 is a more complicated design and I'm a little more careful with it but I'm not really sure I need to be. The 870 is a true workhorse and it just keeps on delivering the goods without a burp. I had a Browning BPS pump for a while but ended up selling it. It was prettier than my 97 or my 870 but it didn't function any better and it didn't come up to the shoulder or point and swing nearly as well. I hit better with the older ones and I just feel better carrying them.

 

[mjolnir]

It's an incredibly compact design (until you work the pump and parts spill out all over the place!. It's almost hard to believe there's enough room for 12 ga. shells to make their way around in there.

Plus, those other designs were "hammerless." The ability to see the hammer's condition, and to use the half-cock were probably more prized then than now.

 

[Dave McCracken]

The 97 has been covered elsewhere in the Archives. A couple points...

Its a JMB design, thus overbuilt.

It was the first popular repeater, holding 6 in the magazine.

Work the action on one. Locks up like a bank vault.

It points well for lots of people.

 

[oletymer]

The originals are great guns. As mentioned above, well built and very solid lockup.