Winchester 1897 as HD Shotgun

[WDW]

Is it wrong that I use a 104yr old '97 as one of my HD shotguns?

[ssb]

If you've got the bayonet for it and managed to use it in a defensive manner, you'd certainly be a hero of the internet.

[BLR]

Respect

[Malamute]

I see little practical difference. If it works and you use it well, the end result is the same. My shotgun is 80 years old, my 45 is 100 years old.

[WDW]

It works great & it's just so damn cool. Every time I fire it I feel like I'm getting kicked in the shoulder by history.

[NETim]

That big bolt flying out of the receiver reminds me of some Ridley Scott flick.

But they work. :)

[WDW]

That big bolt flying out of the receiver reminds me of some Ridley Scott flick.

But they work. :)

Gladiator?

[NETim]

Gladiator?

Alien.

[Tamara]

Marko uses a Remington 11 that's probably close to a hundred years old for his around-the-homestead ready piece, with progressively larger shot sizes in the mag tube. (The main use is for critters that get after the chickens, of course.)

[Malamute]

Marko uses a Remington 11 that's probably close to a hundred years old for his around-the-homestead ready piece, with progressively larger shot sizes in the mag tube. (The main use is for critters that get after the chickens, of course.)


Tam, or anyone else with experience with them, how do you feel the model 11's rank in reliability compared to modern self loading shotguns?

[Tamara]

There are more caveats with an older Model 11/A5 than with a new-in-box gas gun, such as you want to make sure nothing's broken or worn out, but as long as you use good ammo, have the friction rings turned the right way 'round for what you're shooting, and give 'em something to recoil against, they're very reliable guns.

[Hambo]

Is it wrong that I use a 104yr old '97 as one of my HD shotguns?

No, but if you use it and it ends up in an evidence locker you might be sadder than you would be if it were an 870.

[LittleLebowski]

If you've got the bayonet for it and managed to use it in a defensive manner, you'd certainly be a hero of the internet.

I have a bayonet on mine.

[GardoneVT]

No, but if you use it and it ends up in an evidence locker you might be sadder than you would be if it were an 870.

An unlikely occurance, as that would mean the original poster survived an event far more harrowing then a temporarily lost firearm. Even a permanently seized classic firearm is preferable to death .

[KeeFus]

Is it wrong that I use a 104yr old '97 as one of my HD shotguns?

It depends on how attached you are to it. My dad died in January, leaving me a safe full of family heirloom guns, which included an 1897 that belonged to his brother.

http://i.imgur.com/7nWmXg7.jpg?1

[WDW]

No, but if you use it and it ends up in an evidence locker you might be sadder than you would be if it were an 870.

Nope, as I absolutely despise the 870

[LSP972]

Nope, as I absolutely despise the 870

Curious as to why?

.

[WDW]

Curious as to why?

.

Guess I should clarify....I several old 870's & some wingmasters that are great. I also HAD some newer ones that sucked, less reliable than a NEF single shot. I've sworn off new 870's for good. If it's a defensive pump I'm after I go straight for the 590A1.

[Malamute]

There are more caveats with an older Model 11/A5 than with a new-in-box gas gun, such as you want to make sure nothing's broken or worn out, but as long as you use good ammo, have the friction rings turned the right way 'round for what you're shooting, and give 'em something to recoil against, they're very reliable guns.


Thanks Tam, I've owned a couple of them, but never used them enough to know what their reliability level is compared to others.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

IMNSHO, no.

I shoot Cowboy with a Chinchester '97 clone. The '97 is a black hearted, temperamental beast given to all sorts of malfunctions and catastrophic failures. The tube feed is often problematic, original and clone alike. Good '97 mechanics are hard to find - and VERY busy - my '97 has been in the shop for 5 months now. In short, it's nothing I'd bet my life on if I had options.

Still, holding the trigger back and cranking out 6 rounds as fast as you can trombone the slide in a Wild Bunch completion -- well, that's about as much fun you can have with your spurs on. ;)

I'd get a Mossy 590, or Rem 870 for your life's work.

[LSP972]

I also HAD some newer ones that sucked, less reliable than a NEF single shot. I've sworn off new 870's for good.

Heard that… they certainly have cheapened them up quite a bit, eh?

A couple of years ago, Pennsylvania State Police dumped all of their old 870s, and a few of the two dozen or so a local dealer got in looked to be unissued. I now regret not grabbing a couple of those.

I bought an Express Police model when I retired. It has the cheesy composite trigger group, but shoots Federal Flite Control OOB like a frigging rifle. I have put several hundred rounds through it with no issues, so I trust its reliability. I have a "modified" Beretta 390 I keep handy for an HD shotgun… but that 870 is waiting in the wings if needed.

.

[Trooper224]

Because it has history and a high cool factor is no reason to use it for home defense. I get the attraction, but save it for those evenings when you're setting on the couch watching The Wild Bunch. The '97 is truly cool, but it's also a real mousetrap of a shotgun. I just can't see the sense in using one for anything other than sport and recreation, especially when there are far more durable shotguns on the current market. I also recommend fixing the bayonet, if you insist on using the '97 for realsies you may just need it. You like the 590A1? I'm currently issued one that replaced the Benelli semi-auto we'd carried for twenty years. A bigger piece of shite I've never seen, mileage varies. My current HD shotgun is a 50's vintage 870 I got from my father-in-law right before his passing. It's pretty worn finish wise as it went through several family members who were neglectful gun parents, but it's mechanically sound. I wish the new ones were built as well. I have zero funds tied up in it and it has zero value as a collectable. If I ever have to hand it over for evidence it's no big deal.