JLF
This is a Winchester 1897 original commercial riot gun with a 20" bbl, and
cylinder bore. It was mfg in 1899, the second year of production, and has all
the earliest features. I walked past it on a table at the Dallas gun show a few
years back. The condition scared me so bad that I took it to a Winchester
collector for a second opinion that it had not been refinished. The guy had $595
on it, and I offered him $550, and did not haggle further with his return price
of $570.:) At the earliest opportunity, I passed under the widened eyes of
Friend Powell, who pronounced it "The best 97 I have ever seen". Even though he
was now well treed, I didn't hurt him too bad.:) When it came back through my
hands in liquidating the estate, it went no further.
At grave risk of tooting my own horn, I was blazingly fast with these in my
youth. Drummers learn to move their hands and arms at high speed in a rythmic
fashion, or they aren't very good drummers.:) Riot gun events were a regular
part of the Wild Bunch fandangos, and I routinely swept the field, pissing off
everybody.:) When I moved up to the better designed 870, I got even quicker, and
could always embarass cocky challengers with Rem. 1100s, who thought the auto
was a sure thing. But the old 97 remained the class of the field, and earned a
permanent warm spot in our hearts.
The Wild Bunch, Powell, and the speed are all gone now. I didn't have enough
sense in those days to realize that these old guns just kick like the blue
blazes.:) So I won't be doing any more trombone work. I just want to have this
one just because.:) I keep it loaded with buckshot though. Kind of like the old
dog chasing rabbits in his sleep.:)
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