Philosopher

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations. I think I'll call Ahlman's and see what say about the Baikal. If they think they can do it I'll probably give them a shot, otherwise I'll mail it off.

I have a Remington SPR 200 in 12 gauge with 20 inch barrels. This is a Baikal that Remington imported, has a single trigger and screw-in choke tubes. Who would you recommend to slick this up?I If they were driving distance from St. Paul, MN it would be even better. Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for the ideas!

Want to put together an ensemble where I would be dressed as a late-1800s townsperson. Correctly or not, when I'm wearing my Stetson cowboy hat I like to wear my cowboy boots. With my new pair of "townie" shoes, (Chippewa 6" lace ups) I don't feel that my Stetson is appropriate. I guess a derby would work but they don't really look that great on me. Any ideas? Links to suggestions appreciated!

A model 12 in 20 gauge is a great upland bird gun and is worth more than TWO 12 gauge model 12s in similar condition.

Check Brownells for spring kits. That's where I bought mine. All sorts of combinations to try out.

The combined efforts of the eco-friendly paint stripper and the "destroyer of worlds" paint stripper have revealed the truth!

I've got a bottle of "eco friendly", citrus-based paint stripper in-bound from Amazon, supposed to arrive Thursday. HOWEVER, I mentioned my woodworking project to a neighbor last night (from a safe distance). Turns out he had a half can of full power, HAZMAT grade, paint stripper! The type that requires you use gloves and have lots of ventilation. Going to go to work on the area of the stock away from the area a black diamond inlay might be to test the effectiveness of the stripper against whatever substance is on the stock and fore arm.

Thanks to everyone who has shared pictures of their model 97s. Those are some beautiful guns! Tried out the paint thinner on the stock finish. Removed NOTHING after giving it a good rub with a paint thinner soaked rag. My bottle of citrus-based paint remover is arriving via Amazon this next week. I'll give that a try on the areas of the stock well away from where a black diamond inlay may or may NOT be.

Big Boston: thanks for the excellent advice, especially regarding the ebony inlay. The finish that is currently on the stock does not appear to be original. It's much closer to a thick shellac or varnish than an oil finish. I removed the stock from the action just last night and I'll try and get a couple close-up pictures of what the finish looks like. The good news is that I can't see any cracks where the the stock is inlet to fit the action. Whatever's on the stock is so THICK and DARK that I have no idea if an ebony inlay is present to not! I do have some mineral spirits on hand, maybe I'll give an area of the stock a quick scrub to see if I can thin out the "tar" a bit. This is going to be a "slow reveal", I'm afraid. OK, here's the promised pictures. Is there a black diamond inlay under the finish???!! What do YOU think? Stay tuned!

That had occurred to me before Rough 'N Ready Rob suggested an alternative location that it might be stamped "Trap". If it was a Mixmaster of parts I might have cut it. Now that I know it's "correct" I'll clean it up the wood but make no alterations beyond that. I am NOT a barbarian!

Just took it apart and checked the action rod as you suggested. Here's a photo of what it looks like. You Sir, are a wealth of 1897 knowledge! I couldn't find anything, anywhere, on the internet that suggested that the Trap models were marked anywhere but on the bolt.

Is the bolt marked with a serial number anyplace?

Just acquired a Winchester 1897 from a fellow gun club member. Met outside to maintain our “social distance” so as to not pass any viruses. The shotgun is in pretty decent condition overall, good mechanically but the old finish on the wood has become “gummy” with age. Believe it or not, there IS checkering under there! Need to refinish the wood and repair a partial split in the forearm. It's a take-down model, with a 30 inch barrel. The serial number (469XXX) indicates it was made in 1911. The numbers on the receiver and barrel assembly match. This is a series “E” as indicated by an “E” stamped above the serial number. Barrel is marked “FULL” near the breach end. The gun has some of the features of a “Trap” model, but is not marked “Trap Gun” on the bolt. It does have a thin, checkered forearm and a checkered English straight grip stock. The top of the receiver and barrel are stamped or scribed in a pattern that I presume is intended to reduce glare. The pattern on the barrel is scribed into the barrel itself, it is not a raised rib. My question is just what version of the 1897 do I have here? Here's a few pictures to aid in your cogitations.