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We think of antique Winchesters as precious things.  They are often either family heirlooms that are never actually shot or considered too pricey to even consider adding to a collection without shelling out close to $1,000.  The Winchester model 1897 pump action shotgun is a fortunate exception to the usual market for old Winchesters.  They just made so many of them that the serious collectors seem to have what they need for now.

But that doesn't stop the fact that the 1897 is a very strong and reliable shotgun. Though it has a sort of archaic design with an external hammer and single-action bar, it was arguably the first really successful pump action shotgun.  Offered in 12 gauge and 16, it became popular among both hunters and troops in the trenches of World War I. 



In its day, Winchester famously conducted its own experiment to demonstrate that the 1897 was the gold standard for reliability.  They pulled a gun from the production line and set it up in a testing facility to see how many times it could fire before failing.  That shotgun fired about 1,247,000 cartridges in a row over the course of 29 years before they gave up on trying to kill it.  The firing pin and spring were once replaced, but nothing else failed.

Using non-magnum length shells, many 1897s still shoot well today.  However, if you get your hands on one be sure to inspect the steel carefully to make sure you don’t shoot one with Damascus steel barrels, which can be invisibly honeycombed and be dangerous to fire.

The 1897 went out of production in 1957, decades before steel shot became a requirement for waterfowl hunting in the United States.  Because of that fact, 1897 barrels are designed only to handle lead shot and the use of the harder steel shot will ruin an old barrel.

The 1897 is somewhat notorious for being capable of slam-firing, meaning when the trigger is held back, the gun will continue to fire every time that the pump is worked.  This technique was an effective way for US troops to deflect grenades in the trenches.

While slam-firing can be a dangerous and unstable technique, there are still some who favor the technique for civilian use. 

For example, legendary African hunter Peter Capstick stated that slam-firing was precisely why he wanted the gun in the first place.  Capstick kept an 1897 around with loads of buckshot for those special occasions when a wounded leopard needed sorting out.

Over a million 1897s were produced in a variety of barrel lengths, take-down versions, and trim grades.  A military trench gun may have considerable value, but the ordinary sporting models tend to go for around $150 and can be found at pawn shops and gun shows all over the United States.  

If you have an old 1897 in the family, go ahead and oil it up and see what she can do.  When in doubt, you should have a gunsmith look it over, as with any antique gun that hasn’t been shot lately.