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I have used double gund all of my life. However I inherited a well preserved Winchester model 1897 shotgun made in 1905 from my 95 year dad. It is a take down model and for the life of me I cannot seem to get it apart into its two componants. Has anyone had experience with this type of shotgun? He also gve me a beautiful L. C. Smith 20 ga. gun with ejectors. I can hardly wait to try it out.

It's like a Chinese puzzle. Similar to a Model 12 really. There's a cross pin through the magazine tube in front of the slide handle. Push the pin, rotate the tube, pull the forward assembly forward, and rotate the barrel 90 degrees. The barrel, and forend/mag tube assembly is now free.

Someone else asked about this within the last few weeks. I gave the full directions direct from manual. Don't recall topic title, but you might do a search on Win 97 & find it.

Shotgun Jones has it right. Also, there is a take up screw on the side in the event the barrel is loose once put back together. You may get info from either of these sites: http://www.e-gunparts.com/onlineschematics.asp
or
http://www.brownells.com

Jim

Rabbit Ears,

For what it is worth, in order to remove the barrel on my gun, I needed to completely remove the clamp that holds the barrel to the slide tube. I could then rotate the barrel far enough to disengage the threads. I have never seen this in the instructions but it worked.

Good luck,
RPr

Anyone familiar with a model 12 or 42 can show you how UNLESS yours is not a takedown model. If you don't have an extra plate at the front of the receiver and an angled crosspin at the front of the magazine, you do not have a takedown model. There was a good site I found through Google but could not find it this morning. JL

You need a mentor, sir. You are going way too far to disassemble your gun.

The barrel/magtube yoke might be gummed up and tight. I haven't seen one where the barrel would rotate (counterclockwise looking from the muzzle) until the crosspin is pushed down to extend below the magtube. In fact the crosspin is designed as a lever to turn the magtube as well as a preventer against doing so. Overzealous pushing on the slide can move the yoke forward on the barrel. If this happens, you should see dragmarks in the bluing on the barrel. I didn't know the screw in the yoke did anything more than anchor the yoke in one position. There is a screw in a notch in the adjustment sleeve that has the interrupted thread which engages similar in the receiver but you shouldn't have to play with that for the first hundred years.

jack

Model 12s (presumably 97s are much the same altho I don't know) are pretty forgiving of the barrel/mag yoke getting misaligned laterally but the slide and the single cocking rail work smoother if it's in alignment. My test is to hold the gun vertically and hit the slide release; if the slide and bolt drop all the way by virtue of gravity, I figure it's as good as it gets. Ted S. is laughing but admirers of loosey-goosey, half-worn out mechanisms will understand.

jack

I apologize for suggesting that the the 97 has an adjusting sleeve. I don't know if it does; thinking of the m12.

jack