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Title:	SHOTGUN -  WINCHESTER SHOTGUN MODEL 1897 12 GAUGE 9424499
Maker/Manufacturer:	WINCHESTER
Date of Manufacture:
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 8918
Measurements:	OL: 40" BL: 20"

Object Description:

WINCHESTER SHOTGUN MODEL 1897 12 GAUGE 942449
Manufactured by Winchester, New Haven, Ct. - Standard Winchester M97 slide-action shotgun. Trench. Tubular magazine feed located under barrel. 20-inch barrel with ventilated barrel guard and bayonet lug. Blued finish, oiled walnut stocks with pistol grip. Sling mount. World War II serial number range.

Markings:
Frame: U.S. Ordnance bomb. PW in oval. E942449.
Barrel: Ordnance bomb/PW in oval. MODEL 97 - WINCHESTER - 12 GA./TRADE MARK 2 3/4 CHAM./CYL. Right side: MADE IN U.S.A. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN./PAT. NOV. 25. 90. DEC. 8. 92. JULY 21. 96. FEB. 22. 98. JUNE. 14. 98. OCT. 16. 1900. DEC. 25. 06. JULY. 5. 10.
Stock: G.H.D. in rectangle/Ordnance Insignia. NPS labels affixed to right butt area: NPS logo/35005. US GOVT PROPERTY/NP7000008473.

Weapon transferred to the Museum from Navajo National Monument, Tonales, Az. on 23 April 2002.

Notes: "The Winchester Model 97 trench gun was the most widely produced variant of the weapon during WWII with slightly over 25,000 of them being made from 1941 through 1945. The WWII made Model 97 trench guns are very easy to distinguish from the earlier (and much scarcer) WWI models. Unlike the WWI guns which were modified from existing commercial 97s, the WWII Winchester shotguns were built 'from the ground up' under military contract. This is evident from the markings found on WWI and WWII guns. As we have seen, the only martial markings found on WWI guns were the hand stamped 'U.S' and ordnance 'flaming bomb' on the right side of the receiver. The WWII guns had machine stamped markings consisting of a 'U.S.' and the flaming bomb (much larger than on the WWI guns) stamped on the left side of the receiver. Very early WWII guns did not have the flaming bomb, only the 'U.S.' There was also a flaming bomb marking on top of the barrel just in front of the receiver. These martial markings were applied prior to the final heat treatment of the metal and are well aligned and deeply struck compared to WWI guns. It should be mentioned that a collector may occasionally come across a Winchester Model 97 trench gun devoid of any martial markings. The company turned out a small of commercial trench guns in the 1920s and 1930s which were essentially identical to the later WWII 'G.I.' guns except for the lack of markings. While quite desirable and collectible in their own right as Winchester products, these guns are not government issue items and would not be appropriate for a martial collection.
There was also an inspector's cartouche stamped on the left side of the stock consisting of the inspector's initials enclosed in a box above the Ordnance Department 'crossed cannons' escutcheon marking. The early WWII Winchester military shotgun stock cartouches were stamped 'WB' for inspector Lt. Col. Waldemar S. Broberg while later guns were marked 'GHD' for Col. Guy H. Drewry. As stated previously, the WWI shotguns did not have any stock cartouches.
Another distinguishing feature of the WWII Model 97 military shotgun as compared to the WWI variant was the fact that the Second World War guns were of the take-down variety while the WWI guns were solid frame types. This is probably the quickest way to ascertain at a glance the vintage of a Winchester Model 97 trench gun.
The WWI Model 1897 trench guns had buttstocks which were noticeably thinner in the wrist area than the WWII guns and had shorter combs than the later guns. Once a collector has observed both the WWI and WWII pattern trench gun stocks, it is easy to tell the two apart.
The WWI trench gun had a metal handguard/bayonet adaptor with six rows of ventilation holes. The early WWII guns used the same pattern adaptor until sometime in 1942 when four rows of holes rather than six were substituted. It is not necessary for a collector to count the number of row of holes as the later adaptors have holes which are obviously larger in diameter than the earlier adaptors. The handguard/adaptors used with the Winchester trench guns were standardized as the 'Type W' during WWWhile some slight variation may be observed, the vast majority of the WWI Model 1897 trench guns have barrels which are about flush with the end of the bayonet socket on the adaptor. Most of the later WWII 97 trench guns have barrels which extended well beyond the end of the bayonet socket.
Despite these many differences, WWI and WWII Winchester Model 1897 trench guns do have some things in common other than their basic actions. Both were finished in the commercial grade blue of their respective periods and are fitted with virtually identical sling swivels. In addition both guns have six round capacities and are adapted for use with the M1917 bayonet....
As with the WWI military shotguns, there are no known offical records of the serial numbers of the WWII guns. Based on observation of existing samples, a very rough serial number range for WWII Winchester Model 1897 military shotguns would be from approximately E910000 to E960000. The 'WB' stock cartouche would be expected on WWII guns below serial number E930000 and the 'GHD' on the guns above this number. Again, it must be stressed that these serial number ranges are only estimates based on the observation of a limited number of examples.
Judging from existing wartime photographs, the Winchester Model 97 trench gun was widely used during the Second World War. It saw action in the hands of both U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps personnel. The weapon was extensively used in the Pacific Theater due to its value in the close quarter combat common to that environment and the Marine Corps' greater acceptance of the weapon during WWII. The shotgun was utilized in virtually every operation in the Pacific where it excelled in jungle combat just as it had done in the trench fighting in France a quarter of a century earlier. The use of shotguns in the European Theater seems to have been confined chiefly to the guarding of prisoners and other related tasks.
Most Model 97 military shotguns were retired from the government's inventory shortly after the end of World War II. This marked the end of the long and distinguished career of the Model 97 trench gun. The Model 97 was the prototypical combat shotgun and it firmly established the value of the weapon as a military arm." - Canfield

References:
Canfield, Bruce N. A COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO WINCHESTER IN THE SERVICE. Andrew Mowbray. Lincoln, RI. 1991.
Canfield, Bruce N. COMPLETE GUIDE TO UNITED STATES MILITARY COMBAT SHOTGUNS.Andrew Mowbray Inc., Woonsocket, R.I. 2007.
Thompson, Leroy. GREENHILL MILITARY MANUALS: COMBAT SHOTGUNS. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsburg, Pa. 2002.

See, "GIVE US MORE SHOTGUNS!": AMERICAN TRENCH GUNS IN THE GREAT WAR by Bruce Canfield, American Rifleman, May 2004.