Winchester Model 1897 Riot Gun

2010111132944-img_3849_2_f.jpg

Whether brandished by Lee Marvin in “The Professionals” or wielded by William Holden in “The Wild Bunch,” the Winchester Model 97 Riot Gun is the “bad boy” of smoothbores, but paradoxically, it was a favorite of early 20th century law-enforcement agencies. Yet in its standard 30-inch-barreled configuration, the 12-gauge version of John Browning’s exposed-hammer pump-action design was one of the most popular sporting shotguns in America.

The Model 1897 was a much-needed evolution of Browning’s Model 1893, a weaker gun designed for blackpowder shotshells. By contrast, the Model 97 had the improved strength and metallurgy required for the then-new smokeless propellant shotshells. Its action locked up tightly and required a slight forward movement of the automatic slide lock (usually recoil was enough) to free the pump handle for cycling.

From 1898 through the 1960s, Winchester offered its Model 1897 as a Riot Gun (take-down versions were added after 1935) with a cylinder-choked 20-inch barrel. There was no trigger disconnector, which meant that by holding the trigger back the gun could be slam-fired as fast as the pump could be worked. With the ’97s standard five-round-capacity tubular magazine and a sixth shell in the chamber, the Riot Gun was a formidable arm indeed. During World War I it evolved into the Model 97 “trench gun,” complete with a bayonet lug, sling swivels and a perforated steel heat shield covering the barrel.

In civilian life, the Riot Gun was used by law enforcement groups as diverse as the Texas Rangers, the Union Pacific Railroad and various express companies. Not all of these guns were marked. Unfortunately, the popularity of cowboy action shooting, which favors these fast-shooting, jam-resistant smoothbores, has caused a number of longer-barreled sporting models to have their tubes trimmed to riot-gun length. Factory riot guns have rounded muzzles and are stamped “CYL.”

The Model 97 Riot Gun shown here was made in 1924 and was used by the Pasadena, Calif., Police Dept. It was purchased three years ago for $1,000. It retains an unusual amount of finish (most law enforcement guns are fairly worn), leading one to speculate that it spent more time in a station gun rack than in a patrol car. As such, and with its documentation, it is easily worth $1,200 on today’s market.

Gun: Winchester Model 1897 Riot Gun
Gauge: 12
Condition: 80 Percent - NRA Very Good (Modern Gun Condition Standards)
Manufactured: 1924
Value:
$1,200 (With Pasadena P.D. authentication; $750 if no L.E. provenance)

Latest

Memorial Day Sagi
Memorial Day Sagi

The Price Of Memorial Day

The military and firearm industries, more than any others, understand freedom is not free. Some paid the ultimate price while serving in this great republic’s armed forces and their willingness to go in harm’s way to protect our freedom is honored each year on Memorial Day.

The Armed Citizen® May 29, 2023

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Selby & The Superposed: A World-Class Shotgun Afield

A protégé of one of the world’s most famous professional hunters recounts his mentor’s generous gift of an over-under shotgun—one representing yet another seminal design from the greatest firearm genius in history.

Demand For Firearm Training Fuels Range Expansions

All those new gun owners since COVID-19 are not shying away from training. It’s a trend reflected in nearly every industry survey to date, and those observations are now verified by the heavy investments being made by training facilities.

Product Preview: Obsidian Arms Complete AR-15 Armorer’s Punch Set

Designed with input from professional armorers and made in the United States, Obsidian Arms’ 12-piece punch set for AR-style rifles and pistols is also accompanied by a lifetime warranty.

Training America’s First Aerial Gunners

America was born as a nation of riflemen, and that foundation of marksmanship carried over to the fledgling pilots and aerial gunners training in America. One of the biggest problems that the Air Service faced, particularly in 1917, was an embarrassing lack of machine guns.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.