Not to take anything away from Winchester 12s and 97s but a fair number of "sporting" shotguns have turned in good service, both for U.S. forces and for the armed forces of other countries, as well.
U.S. troops armed with "trench guns" did, indeed, get "the Hun's" attention during "The Great War". However, the Germans eventually learned how to respond to shotgun-armed troops that were insufficiently supported by rifle-armed troops by engaging them with rifles and machine guns at relatively long ranges. On the whole, though, the Germans developed a healthy respect for "barbaric" shotguns and they did not relish engaging troops that were so armed.
One thing that is not mentioned very much is how well Model 97s handle. With their original stock configurations they can be very "sweet". Don Zutz claimed that 97s encouraged hand alignment that is the closest to that found in side-by-side double barreled game guns. I have wondered whether such "ergonomics" may have been behind the straight-gripped stocks that are often found on high-grade Model 97 trap guns.
