Collector5516 Posted October 5, 2014 Share #1 Posted October 5, 2014 Hi all, This shotgun/trench gun belongs to a friend of mine and he is wondering if there is any way to tell if it is military. Any information or insight would be much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted October 5, 2014 pics 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted October 5, 2014 pics 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share #4 Posted October 5, 2014 pics 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted October 5, 2014 pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted October 5, 2014 last Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherneck72 Posted October 5, 2014 Share #7 Posted October 5, 2014 Not military. Hunting shotgun. However, if you can't afford a real US issue trench gun, you could cut the barrel and add all the military hardware (bayou lug, ventilated hand guard) to give it "the look!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted October 5, 2014 Share #8 Posted October 5, 2014 Looks like a typical Civilian 97. The trench guns do have a shorter barrel. There are usua;;y ordnance marks as well if I recall correctly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted October 5, 2014 Share #9 Posted October 5, 2014 Yep, there'd be a flaming bomb, I think on the side of the receiver not shown. I would buy a trench/riot gun barrel, if I were you. You could find them maybe 5 years ago from one of the big gun parts suppliers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroAlpha Posted December 19, 2014 Share #10 Posted December 19, 2014 What they said. Trench gun or even riot gun would have a shorter barrel. Having said that, the Winchester Model 97 is an amazing shotgun. You can probably use the serial number to look up the date of manufacture. Some of the early models are capable of slam-firing. Here's a trench gun I bought for my dad, but was passed back to me several years ago after he passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroAlpha Posted December 19, 2014 Share #11 Posted December 19, 2014 Here's the U.S. ordinance bomb near the ejection port: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted December 19, 2014 Share #12 Posted December 19, 2014 Totally a very cool shotgun. Regarding the slam-firing, it's fun as can be, but the same feature also makes the 97 a little dangerous if you've never been around one. Heard of a few accidents locally in the past years. Back, I think in the 1930s, a local cop was killed by another cop when they were getting ready to raid a bootlegger. Newspaper said it went off when the second cop was loading his shotgun, and I imagine he chambered a round to top off the tube and kaboom. The other story involved a poacher, as related by a retired game warden that is a friend of the family. The guy kept it chambered, hammer down, and the investigation believed that the guy stopped his truck to take a shot, grabbed that gun out of the gun rack, and bumped the hammer against the rack to pull it back, but not to the point of cocking it. When it fell it all but severed his neck. Awesome guns, but there are a few things to the design that you have to keep in mind when you play around with them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usa1918 Posted December 19, 2014 Share #13 Posted December 19, 2014 Yep, there'd be a flaming bomb, I think on the side of the receiver not shown. I would buy a trench/riot gun barrel, if I were you. You could find them maybe 5 years ago from one of the big gun parts suppliers. You're correct on the ordinance markings for WW II Trench Guns, However on the WW I Trench Guns, the Ordinance marking are often missing and you have to go with the serial number ranges. Bruce Canfields books "A Collectors Guide to United States Combat Shotguns" and "US Infantry Weapons of the First World War" are excellent references In this instance though, you're right....a civilian commercial model Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted December 19, 2014 Thank you all for the information and words of wisdom. This is definitely not a collecting area I would pursue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1563621 Posted December 19, 2014 Share #15 Posted December 19, 2014 True trench guns are running 2K+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted December 20, 2014 Share #16 Posted December 20, 2014 WWI military guns have an E prefix to the serial number and have no choke, The Barrel is marked "cyl" just in front of the chamber (cylinder bore) and many of them will be marked with the ordnance bomb and US in front of the ejection port. WWII guns are Ordnance marked on the left side of the receiver. The gun you posted is civilian and is still a collectible Winchester and a damn fine shotgun so please don't convert it into a trench/riot gun clone. Tom Bowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroAlpha Posted December 21, 2014 Share #17 Posted December 21, 2014 Here's the E prefix on mine. I blurred out some of the serial number using photoshop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroAlpha Posted December 21, 2014 Share #18 Posted December 21, 2014 Here's the "CYL" in front of the chamber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now