Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Pretty excited about it - Outlaw Gambler is holding for me an original '97 serial 447XXX, E model, takedown, matching numbers, 20" cyl bore barrel. From the pics it looks to pretty in nice condition, Can't wait to join the ranks of y'all '97 shooters out there although I will still be using my Ketchum Quick 'slicked' Stoeger SXS as my main match gun... GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 You'll like Wild Bunch. It seems to be gaining popularity and is offered as a side match at most larger matches. A 97 is a handy thing to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pit Bull Tex Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I have the nicest Win. 97.I got it to shoot before I got my Baikals. I try over the top loading,I try right hand loading ,I try what a very fast young lady does two right hand and two over the top.I drop more on the floor than I get in the gun.I do shoot it some after a match.That gives me a gun to clean when I get home.It is fun to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Good start...now ya just need 2 more. You'll need one for your gun cart You'll have one in the safe needing repairs Then you have one on yer workbench that you've just fixed So then when the one in your cart breaks, you put it in the safe, take the one that was in the safe and put it on yer workbench to fix it, and take the one that was on the workbench and put it in yer cart. Love the 97, but ya need a bunch of 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Good start...now ya just need 2 more. You'll need one for your gun cart You'll have one in the safe needing repairs Then you have one on yer workbench that you've just fixed So then when the one in your cart breaks, you put it in the safe, take the one that was in the safe and put it on yer workbench to fix it, and take the one that was on the workbench and put it in yer cart. Love the 97, but ya need a bunch of 'em. Thanks Phantom for the confidence ...but yeah, I do need back-ups in this game...so once I shoot WB and see how much I like it I'll go from there. GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 From The Wreck of the Win 97.. Then all that remained were the knockdowns at last They were small and unthreatening things We knew that he’d take em down all with a blast For he moved as if he had wings One shell in the Winnie, in the hand one more round As our hero took up his stance The 12 gauge roared fire and the steel hit the ground We knew that it had not a chance The forearm slammed back to eject the fired shell It almost ejected just right But it stuck in the port as things went to Hell And the bright daytime turned into night Quick as a snake he cleared the jam fast And then he was back in the fray Slammed the next round in, ready to blast But he stuffed in the wrong way! He popped it back out as he made his last stand And grabbed a fresh shell with a grin Maybe slightly too hard…..for it flew from his hand And left a big welt on his chin The next shell got chambered as the clock ticked away It went bang and the kd went down Two more were left. Would our boy win the day? A few of us started to frown The next one refused to come out of the pump I guess that it liked it in there The posse was silent, our morale in the dump As our boy was now gasping for air And now at the end only one knockdown stood Unimpressive, defiant, and small A quick blast rang out and we craned for a look But the danged wretched thing wouldn't fall With a growl like a sob our boy loaded again And at last reluctant steel fell We had witnessed the fall of a great one, my friend On Stage Number Ten, straight to Hell In the end he was beat by a gray-haired galoot With a limp and an old side-by-side I guess some days you win, some days you lose And some days you swallow your pride Now he wouldn't let the big loss just fester He practices hard every day He wins lots of matches, but without that Winchester I hear tell he threw it away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palo Verde, SASS # 56522 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Good start...now ya just need 2 more. You'll need one for your gun cart You'll have one in the safe needing repairs Then you have one on yer workbench that you've just fixed So then when the one in your cart breaks, you put it in the safe, take the one that was in the safe and put it on yer workbench to fix it, and take the one that was on the workbench and put it in yer cart. Love the 97, but ya need a bunch of 'em. Hi guy, That's more of an urban myth -- or something experienced by some one who bought a $450 '97 off of a table at a local shoot. Furthermore, Winchester made over a million '97s and some of them are simply worn out and not suitable for our game although some folks continue to try to use them. Yes, '97s do sometimes break, but so do all of the other guns we use. I'm sure you have at least one back-up '73. A good '97, well set-up and gone through by a good '97 mechanic, will probably last as long as your '73. That said, it is a good idea to replace your '97's ejector spring and left extractor every couple years as a part of regular maintenance and keep your right extractor's spring and plunger clean and oiled. I use Cowboy and Indian Store ejectors and extractors and they must be fitted to your gun. Like everything else, regular maintenance and inspections with professional mechanic work go a long way toward reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 From The Wreck of the Win 97.. Then all that remained were the knockdowns at last They were small and unthreatening things We knew that he'd take em down all with a blast For he moved as if he had wings One shell in the Winnie, in the hand one more round As our hero took up his stance The 12 gauge roared fire and the steel hit the ground We knew that it had not a chance The forearm slammed back to eject the fired shell It almost ejected just right But it stuck in the port as things went to Hell And the bright daytime turned into night Quick as a snake he cleared the jam fast And then he was back in the fray Slammed the next round in, ready to blast But he stuffed in the wrong way! He popped it back out as he made his last stand And grabbed a fresh shell with a grin Maybe slightly too hard…..for it flew from his hand And left a big welt on his chin The next shell got chambered as the clock ticked away It went bang and the kd went down Two more were left. Would our boy win the day? A few of us started to frown The next one refused to come out of the pump I guess that it liked it in there The posse was silent, our morale in the dump As our boy was now gasping for air And now at the end only one knockdown stood Unimpressive, defiant, and small A quick blast rang out and we craned for a look But the danged wretched thing wouldn't fall With a growl like a sob our boy loaded again And at last reluctant steel fell We had witnessed the fall of a great one, my friend On Stage Number Ten, straight to Hell In the end he was beat by a gray-haired galoot With a limp and an old side-by-side I guess some days you win, some days you lose And some days you swallow your pride Now he wouldn't let the big loss just fester He practices hard every day He wins lots of matches, but without that Winchester I hear tell he threw it away! That's a good'un UB - though not quite inspiring Doesn;t matter - I be stickin' to my guns and gonna get that piece of history GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 If'in your gona stick 6 shells in that '97 your gona want to get a magazine spring from Wild Bodie Tom. He has engineered a spring and follower to allow you stuff 6 shells in the tube. You can contact him: Wild Bodie Tom <wildbodietom@q.com> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 From Maurauders website it looks like the '97 I'll be acquiring was made in 1910... http://marauder.homestead.com/Model97sn.html GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 From Maurauders website it looks like the '97 I'll be acquiring was made in 1910... http://marauder.homestead.com/Model97sn.html GG ~ Pay no attention to Phantom. That gun is only 101 years old. What could go wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Pay no attention to Phantom. That gun is only 101 years old. What could go wrong? I certainly don't use my guns or practice like any of the champion shooters (including Phantom, Deuce Stevens, etc..)...if it breaks, I'll just get it fixed. No big deal...it's a mechanical device. The one thing is it has been looked over by Outlaw Gambler and the 97's are his thing...so I feel good about it. GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Cubbie Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I got a "97 that had been used quite a bit and sent it up to Pinckneyville, IL to Stu Wright (www.wrightsgunsmithing.com) and had him go over it. He is THE MAN for those guns. Mine may not be pretty, but boy is it smoooooth!! Now if I could just be as fast as it is!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Once you get started shooting a 97, you fall in love with them. It won't be long before you decide to try it out as a main match shotgun. You may not decide to make the switch full time, or not, but you will at least try. I have an original 97 made in the 20's that serves as my normal main match shotgun. Take down, 20", all original, all as it came from Hartford. Never had any problems with it. About 2 years ago, I picked up another one, another takedown, all original, but with a 28" tube. I got it cuz I wanted one with a long barrel. It was made in 1908. Only used it a couple of time so far, but no problems with it either. In the realm of reproductions, I've got one the Trenchgun's, picked it up for Wild Bunch shooting. My only complaint with it is that the bayonet seems a little sloppy when mounted. But, that may be the way it's supposed to be, I don't know. Finally, a few weeks ago, I picked up a 93/97. Haven't fired it yet, but it's a nice gun. Since original 93's are scarce, and have a reputation for being unsafe to shoot, I picked one of these up to fill a gap in my Winchster collection. The 97 is a great gun. You will enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefro, SASS#69420 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 If'in your gona stick 6 shells in that '97 your gona want to get a magazine spring from Wild Bodie Tom. He has engineered a spring and follower to allow you stuff 6 shells in the tube. You can contact him: Wild Bodie Tom <wildbodietom@q.com> Yep, get the spring kit so you can stuff six in. Yer gonna love WB, it's a blast. Good Luck Jefro Realx-Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventura Slim, SASS #35690 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 What Phantom said. I had a lot of trouble with the latest one I bought breaking it down as it had been sitting untouched for years and the screws were frozen in place. Busted the hook screw and had to sacrifice the bolt to drill it out. Next time I will buy one that has been taken apart in the last ten years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 What Phantom said. I had a lot of trouble with the latest one I bought breaking it down as it had been sitting untouched for years and the screws were frozen in place. Busted the hook screw and had to sacrifice the bolt to drill it out. Next time I will buy one that has been taken apart in the last ten years. Sounds more like the previous owner's error for lettin' sit and lettin' the screws freeze like ya say...not the guns fault. GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Hi guy, That's more of an urban myth -- or something experienced by some one who bought a $450 '97 off of a table at a local shoot. Furthermore, Winchester made over a million '97s and some of them are simply worn out and not suitable for our game although some folks continue to try to use them. Yes, '97s do sometimes break, but so do all of the other guns we use. I'm sure you have at least one back-up '73. A good '97, well set-up and gone through by a good '97 mechanic, will probably last as long as your '73. That said, it is a good idea to replace your '97's ejector spring and left extractor every couple years as a part of regular maintenance and keep your right extractor's spring and plunger clean and oiled. I use Cowboy and Indian Store ejectors and extractors and they must be fitted to your gun. Like everything else, regular maintenance and inspections with professional mechanic work go a long way toward reliability. Ah what do I know My 97's were all built by the best (IMHO) - Jim Bowie and T.L. BUT, the fact is that they've got a lot of parts...a good half-dozen that can go bad at the worst time. Whereas the 73 has a couple of problem areas. If you are going to run 97s, you'll need a back up FOR SURE! A 73 or other rifle...not so much. Cheers! Phantom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I run a 97 also. My experience is like Phantoms. I used to have 5 of them. One for dry fire practice. It finally totally broke down and is now used for parts. Two for live fire practice. I sheared a pin in one of them last weekend that now needs replaced. Two others for matches. These don't get 'abused' much but I still have to watch for broken ejectors, etc... Seems like one or two of them were always needing a repair of sorts. If you got a Perfect 97 that absolutely gives you no problems and is 100% reliable, give it to me for a few days and I'll show ya how Murphys Law really works. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palo Verde, SASS # 56522 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Ah what do I know My 97's were all built by the best (IMHO) - Jim Bowie and T.L. BUT, the fact is that they've got a lot of parts...a good half-dozen that can go bad at the worst time. Whereas the 73 has a couple of problem areas. If you are going to run 97s, you'll need a back up FOR SURE! A 73 or other rifle...not so much. Cheers! Phantom Hmmmmm.sounds like I might have offended you. Didn't mean to. Perhaps I was a little sensitive to your statement. Didn't realize you were so knowledgeable about '97s. My '97s and my son's were also built by a very good '97 mechanic. They have run fine for years and I have intimate knowledge of many other '97s that are very reliable -- that is not to say that none of them ever break , because all this stuff breaks or stops running sometime But I do still contend that the "you will need three '97s in order to have one working in your gun cart" is a myth proffered by people who do not have a "good" '97 or do not maintained it well (or, maybe God just hates you). Sort of like that "all the top shooters are switching to double guns" myth. Hope no offenses are taken. Just my opinions and observations. Palo Verde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Hmmmmm.sounds like I might have offended you. Didn't mean to. Perhaps I was a little sensitive to your statement. Didn't realize you were so knowledgeable about '97s. My '97s and my son's were also built by a very good '97 mechanic. They have run fine for years and I have intimate knowledge of many other '97s that are very reliable -- that is not to say that none of them ever break , because all this stuff breaks or stops running sometime But I do still contend that the "you will need three '97s in order to have one working in your gun cart" is a myth proffered by people who do not have a "good" '97 or do not maintained it well (or, maybe God just hates you). Sort of like that "all the top shooters are switching to double guns" myth. Hope no offenses are taken. Just my opinions and observations. Palo Verde I'm not offended...my 97's were built by a great GUNSMITH. But they break...and it's often not possible to get the broken gun running again before the next weekend match. This is far more likely to happen with a 97 then it is a 73...or marlin 94. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 I'm not offended...my 97's were built by a great GUNSMITH. But they break...and it's often not possible to get the broken gun running again before the next weekend match. This is far more likely to happen with a 97 then it is a 73...or marlin 94. Cheers! Thanks Phantom for the info... GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Trampas, SASS # 55781 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I have 4 of them, 2 are needing minor work, the other 2 are just fine, but basically I shoot a double, but have been using the 97 here lately just for a change of pace All for now JD Trampas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Montana, SASS #23907 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I've been really lucky. I used a really ratty lookin' "97 for 3 years, loose as a goose, paid $325 for it in 1998. Never had any work done on it. Anytime anyone would take it to the unloading table they always thought it was broke 'cause it was so loose. Finally had Lassiter shim it. Still shoots fine today. One day at a friends house he said he wanted to sell this old shotgun his dad had and showed me a 30" takedown. I offered $350 for it and then I had one that shot for the next two years. I was in hog heaven. Relegated the ratty one to backup. Finally, took the "new" one to Manatee and had him cut the stocks to 13". New ejectors. Still works fine. Then I got serious and figgered I needed better '97's. Picked up a couple of higher serial numbered nice lookin' takedowns for around $500. Had Manatee cut the barrel and stock and poish the innards. The other I stuck in the safe where it sits today with nuthin' ever done to it. "Cause everyone knows that them '97's just don't hold up. Then my good friend Edisto Ike had this really rough hard to cycle surface rusted ugly solid frame with a 30" barrel. Manatee thought it could be salvaged. It's been my main match gun ever since. Still knowin' that ya cain't trust the reliability of a '97 and with every one goin' to side by sides, I just had to have a backup solid frame. Well luck was with me and I ran into Mudflat Mike out in Phoenix with a solid fram riot gun that looked like it came from a law enforcement armory because of the clamp marks on the frame and stock. He said he found it in a little gun shop on the Canadian border. Might have come from the mounties. Blueing still on the bolt and innards and a little stiff like it hadn't been cycled much. $600 later it's now my backup and last month at Guns of August I was too lazy to go back to the car to get my Norchester trench gun for wild bunch so I just used that backup mountie solid frame. Surprised me that is held 6 and it shot sweet. All my '97's work as good now as when I got them. ONe of them definitely patterns about a foot high. I suspect the barrel is slightly bent. It hangs on a magnet with 5 in the mag tube in my walkin closet. Figger pointin' it at a feller's midsection from 'bout 12' will work just fine. My friends '97 hangs above the door in the laundry room. But, I know like everyone says one of these days them '97's aren't gonna work like they have for me for the last 14 years and all the people that had them before me. Anyways, I'm thankful that so many want them big bucks fancy single triggered side by sides and their backups (in case that second chamber don't fire or the rib splits) 'cause it's helpin' keep them prices on the '97's low. Reckon' I jes been lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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