How Winchester 1897 Work

Winchester Model 1897, also known as the Model 97, M97, Riot Gun, or Trench Gun, is a pump-action shotgun designed by John Moses Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1897 to 1957. The Model 1897 was an evolution of the earlier Winchester Model 1893, designed to address some of its shortcomings. Browning improved the design by making the receiver stronger and adding a bridge across the top to handle smokeless powder shells. Model 1897 was first listed for sale in the November 1897 Winchester catalog as a 12-gauge solid frame. The 12-gauge takedown model was added in October 1898, and the 16-gauge takedown model in February 1900. It featured an external hammer, a tubular magazine, and a pump-action mechanism. The shotgun was available in various barrel lengths and grades, chambered in both 12 and 16 gauge Model 1897 saw extensive use by American military personnel, particularly during World War I, where it was famously used as a trench gun