Winchester Model 1897 The Winchester Model 1897 , also known as the Model 97 , M97 , or Trench Gun , was a pump - action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company . The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchester Model 1893 designed by John Browning . From 1897 until 1957 , over one million of these shotguns were produced . The Model 1897 was offered in numerous barrel lengths and grades , chambered in 12 and 16 gauge , and as a solid frame or takedown . The 16 - gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 28 inches , while 12 - gauge guns were furnished with 30 - inch length barrels . Special length barrels could be ordered in lengths as short as 20 inches , and as long as 36 inches . Since the time the Model 1897 was first manufactured it has been used by American soldiers , police departments , and hunters . History . The Winchester Model 1897 was designed by the famous American firearms inventor John Moses Browning . The Model 1897 was first listed for sale in the November 1897 Winchester catalog as a 12 gauge solid frame . However , the 12 gauge takedown was added in October 1898 , and the 16 gauge takedown in February 1900 . Originally produced as a tougher , stronger and more improved version of the Winchester 1893 , itself a takeoff on the early Spencer pump gun , the 1897 was identical to its forerunner , except that the receiver was thicker and allowed for use of smokeless powder shells , which were not common at the time . The 1897 introduced a " take down " design , where the barrel could be taken off ; a standard in pump shotguns made today , like the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 series . Over time , “ the model 97 became the most popular shotgun on the American market and established a standard of performance by which other kinds and makes of shotguns were judged , including the most expensive imported articles ” . The Winchester Model 1897 was in production from 1897 until 1957 . It was in this time frame that the " modern " hammerless designs became common , like the Winchester Model 1912 and the Remington 870 and the Model 1897 was superseded by the Winchester Model 1912 . However , the gun can still be found today in regular use . Improvements From the 1893 . In the new Model 1897 , many of the weaknesses that were present in the Model 93 were taken into account and remedied . These improvements included : Of the improvements , the slide lock is the one that really made the gun safer . This improved slide lock kept the gun locked until actual firing occurred which prevented the gun from jamming in the case of a misfire . The slide lock " stands in such a relation to the body of the firing pin as will prevent the firing pin reaching the primer until the pin has moved forward a sufficient distance to insure locking of the breech bolt . " This prevents the action sleeve " from being retracted by the hand of the gunner until after firing , and hence rendering the fire arm more safe " Description . The Winchester Model 1897 evolved from the Winchester Model 1893 . The Model 1897 and 1893 were both designed by John Browning . The Model 1897 is an external hammer shotgun lacking a trigger disconnector giving it the ability to slam fire . This means that the user can hold the trigger down while pumping the shotgun and once the pump is returned to the forward position the gun fires . The gun itself is classified as a slide action pump shotgun . It was the first truly successful pump - action shotgun produced . Throughout the time period the Model 1897 was in production , over a million of the type were produced in various grades and barrel lengths . 16 - gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 28 inches , while 12 - gauge guns were furnished with 30 - inch length barrels . Special length barrels could be ordered in lengths as short as 20 inches , and as long as 36 inches . Along with various grades and barrel lengths , the Model 1897 came in two different chamberings . One was the 12 gauge and the other was the 16 gauge . The shells should be of the 2 - ¾ inch or 2 - ⅝ inch model . Any shells larger are not recommended . An average Model 1897 held 5 shotgun shells in the magazine tube . After including the one shell that could be held in the chamber , the average Model 1897 held a total of 6 shotgun shells . However , this would vary from grade to grade . When working the action of the Model 1897 the fore end is racked and a long slide comes out of the receiver and ejects the spent shell while simultaneously cocking the external hammer . This is why the gun is classified as a slide action pump shotgun . The Chinese company Norinco has made an effort to reproduce this firearm . The Norinco 97 is an almost exact copy of the Winchester 1897 , produced in both Trench and Riot grades , yet lacking in the fit and finish of the originals . Original Prices . When the Model 1897 was first introduced , the price depended upon what grade was being purchased and what features were being added to that specific gun . To purchase a plain finished shotgun would cost the buyer $ 25 . Whereas to have an engraved receiver with checkered and finer wood included , it would cost $ 100 . The more expensive grades of the Model 1897 were the standard , trap , pigeon , and tournament grades . These were the grades that were normally equipped with an engraved receiver and with checkered , finer wood . These grades did not go through the abuse that the other grades went through . The less expensive and plainer grades were the Brush , Brush Takedown , Riot , and Trench . These grades were not given the higher valued wood or special designs . This is because these guns were designed and built for hard abuse . These grades stood a higher chance of being badly damaged so there was no need to put extra money into them for appearance purposes . As the functions that were performed with these grades required them to be lightweight it was not beneficial to use heavy and expensive wood when designing them . Most often , when these grades were purchased , they were purchased in high numbers . By designing these grades with standard wood and finish , it kept the prices at a lower level . Military use . The Model 1897 was popular before World War I , but it was after the war broke out that sales of the Model 1897 picked up . This was because many were produced to meet the demands of the Military . When the United States entered World War I , there was a need for more service weapons to be issued to the troops . It became clear to the United States just how brutal trench warfare was , and how great the need was for a large amount of close - range firepower while fighting in a trench , after they had observed the war for the first three years . The Model 1897 Trench grade was an evolution of this idea . The pre - existing Winchester Model 1897 was modified by adding a perforated steel heat shield over the barrel which protected the hand of the user from the barrel when it became over - heated , and an adapter with bayonet lug for affixing an M1917 bayonet . This model was ideal for close combat and was efficient in trench warfare due to its 20 inch cylinder bore barrel . Buckshot ammunition was issued with the trench grade during the war . Each round of this ammunition contained nine 00 ( . 33 - caliber ) buckshot pellets . This gave considerable firepower to the individual soldier by each round that was fired . This shorter barrel and large amount of firepower is what made this grade ideal for trench warfare . The Model 1897 was used by American troops for other purposes in World War I other than a force multiplier . American soldiers who were skilled at trap shooting were armed with these guns and stationed where they could fire at enemy hand grenades in midair . This would deflect the grenades from falling into the American trenches and therefore protect American soldiers . Unlike most modern pump - action shotguns , the Winchester Model 1897 ( versions of which were type classified as the Model 97 or M97 for short ) fired each time the action closed with the trigger depressed ( that is , it lacks a trigger disconnector and is capable of slamfire ) . Coupled with its six - shot capacity made it effective for close combat , such that troops referred to it as a " trench sweeper " . The slamfire allowed troops to empty the whole magazine tube into enemies with great speed . The spread of the buckshot allowed the weapon to hit many targets with minimal aiming . The Model 1897 was so effective , and feared , that the German government protested ( in vain ) to have it outlawed in combat . The Model 1897 was used in limited numbers during World War II by the United States Army and Marine Corps , although it was largely superseded by the similarly militarized version of the hammerless Model 1912 ( still slamfire - capable ) . Other military uses of the shotgun included " the execution of security / interior guard operations , rear area security operations , guarding prisoners of war , raids , ambushes , military operations in urban terrain , and selected special operations . " World War I Protests . Although the Model 1897 was popular with American troops in World War I , the Germans soon began to protest its use in combat . " On 19 September 1918 , the German government issued a diplomatic protest against the American use of shotguns , alleging that the shotgun was prohibited by the law of war . " A part of the German protest read ; " It is especially forbidden to employ arms , projections , or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering " . " This is the only known occasion in which the legality of actual combat use of the shotgun has been raised . " However , the United States interpreted their use of the shotgun differently than Germany . The Judge Advocate General of the Army , Secretary of State Robert Lansing carefully considered and reviewed the applicable law and promptly rejected the German protest . France and Britain considered using shotguns as trench warfare weapons during World War I . The shotgun in question was a double - barreled shotgun , which was not used because they were unable to obtain high powered ammunition and that type of gun is slow to reload in close combat . German Response . The rejection of their protest greatly upset the German forces , because they believed they were treated unjustly in the war . Shortly after the protest was rejected , Germany issued threats that they would punish all captured American soldiers that were found to be armed with a shotgun . This led to the United States issuing a retaliation threat , stating that any measures unjustly taken against captured American soldiers would lead to an equal act by the United States on captured German soldiers . Other uses . After the war , a shorter - barrelled version of the Model 1897 was marketed by Winchester as a riot gun . Messengers of The American Express Company were armed with this weapon as were various police departments throughout the US . The differences between this riot version and the trench version were the riot version lacked the heat shield and bayonet lug , and all trench guns were equipped with sling swivels , whereas most riot guns were not .