Here are some pics of my winter project this year. Every year I get a project gun right before winter and rebuild it to pretty much new specs. It gives me something to do while the snow is falling, and I like to think of it as testing my skill. Here is this years project a 1897 Winchester 12GA that was built in 1917. I got it at an auction on Wed for $75.00 and figured what the heck. The action was seized and the stock had more cracks in it than I can count. I did a full detail strip and cleaned it out. Now the action is smooth as silk. I repaired the cracks in the stock, you cant even see them though I still need to do the fore-end. The last 6" of the barrel were pitted to hell so I cut it down to 20"(purists dont be haters, if it wasn't for me this gun would have been a wall hanger). I am going to hand polish the entire gun and do a rust blue on it. I am going to convert it to a Trench gun, so when I find a shroud and bayonet lug I will get them. I shot it a little more today and I have to say this is now my favorite shotgun even though it still is currently a turd. Here are some pics of before I touched it and where I am at now. Updates will come as I do more work.

 

BEFORE I TOUCHED IT

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW

that looks so cool, alot of character and flavor! thanks for the pics....

Man..the stories that gun could tell...the places its been, the game its Harvested?

Very nice...looking forward to seeing the finished work.

Man..the stories that gun could tell...the places its been, the game its Harvested?

Very nice...looking forward to seeing the finished work.

 

Either that or it sat in someone's basement for 70 years! either way it's seen better days. I think the same thing when I see a tractor trailor carrying smashed cars, those cars where once brandy new and someone picked them out off of a lot. Now they are sold as scrap to China.

I have a gentleman came in to show todayn and has a trench gun from WW1 with lug and wants to sell. I told him excel cond 8-1200

Very nice 97. Good luck with it! I picked one up at a gun show a few years ago. Mine is the take down model made in 1899. been debating on cutting the 30 inch barrel to 20... just cant get myself to do it.

I got it at an auction on Wed for $75.00 and figured what the heck.

 

An Auction?

 

Looks good by the way. I would like to get an older shotgun to fix up too.

I love the auctions, ya never know what you are going to see. I normally hit one every time I am home

anyone who likes guns should have at least one vintage piece, i know i will, could be a pistol, rifle or shotgun.

there's an article in this Month's American Rifleman on the 1897 trench gun. very interesting.

I started hand polishing the gun a little yesterday. I can say to do it right is going to be a long arduous process. It took me over an hour to get one spot about the size of a silver dollar on the receiver polished down good. The way I do polishing is to start what I call a "benchmark" spot. Do one spot down to a full final polish and then tackle the rest of the gun. This way it keeps you from saying "good enough" on any areas on the rest of the gun. To make it blend right, you must get the rest of the gun to the same standard as that one spot. My "benchmark" spot is now done, now just to get the rest of the gun like it. This is why I call it my winter project, it is going to take most of the winter.

hows your 97 coming along? any updates?

hows your 97 coming along? any updates?

 

I think he's in Louisiana.

I think he's in Louisiana.

 

Negative, he's in the Gulf of Mexico on an Oil rig. Will be back in a few weeks

ooooooooh, ok. ill try again later. Thanks.

I am at work right now, wont be home till about the 22nd. I did however build an electrolysis tank for this thing and let it go for one treatment. WOW that electrolysis is the shiz nit. All of the crud from the gun plated itself on an old barrel I put in the tank as an anode. All of the stampings and numbers are clear as day now. I actually found some stampings on it you couldn't see before. It really cleaned the heck out of the barreled action. I think i am going to do one more treatment when I get home. I did get a replacement fore-end from numrich. The original was trashed and not salvageable. I dont have pics but you really didn't miss much. I will take some pics next time I am home.

Wow, sounds great. Definitely in for pics!

Got a heat shield and bayonet lug on the way. Fortunately I already have a bayonet for it. I can't wait to see how it starts coming together! Nothing says don't fugg with me like a short 12ga with a 20" bayonet!!!!!

they bayonet makes it a mean fightin' machine, cant have a trench gun without one of those awesome 17"ers!

 

HD gun

damn, it'll stab the guy behind the bad guy!

It really will. Holy crap man, it looks GREAT.

I am at work right now, wont be home till about the 22nd. I did however build an electrolysis tank for this thing and let it go for one treatment. WOW that electrolysis is the shiz nit. All of the crud from the gun plated itself on an old barrel I put in the tank as an anode. All of the stampings and numbers are clear as day now. I actually found some stampings on it you couldn't see before. It really cleaned the heck out of the barreled action. I think i am going to do one more treatment when I get home. I did get a replacement fore-end from numrich. The original was trashed and not salvageable. I dont have pics but you really didn't miss much. I will take some pics next time I am home.

You beat me to it..I was going to caution you to be CAREFUL when polishing it. I have an 1897 that has the Serial number all but polished OFF by someone who had stripped it down to the white. I ended up using an Acid Etching gel to being the S/n back up to where you could see it readily.

here are some updated pics so far. I got the mag tube rough polished, and about half the barrel. I had to basically re-make a fore end for it and do a ton of stock repairs. I am not sure I like the fore end, might have to age it a little with some leather dye. But here it is. a polished mag tube and half a barrel. woo hoo, slow and steady. She should be done by the spring.

good job dude, she's ready for home defense! Or the safe, not sure of her philosophy of use.

Eric, the forend definitely needs some more darkening but its looking a million times better than when you got it

Looking good, man! Keep it up.

Well it doesn't even seem like the same rust bucket that i first got. And at least the action is smooth as glass. Off to do some more polishing.......

I have a gentleman came in to show todayn and has a trench gun from WW1 with lug and wants to sell. I told him excel cond 8-1200

 

 

excel condition is over $4k :icon_e_surprised:

 

there are special markings to look for to ensure they are originals.

Got a heat shield and bayonet lug on the way. Fortunately I already have a bayonet for it. I can't wait to see how it starts coming together! Nothing says don't fugg with me like a short 12ga with a 20" bayonet!!!!!

 

How much barrel do you need beyond the mag tube for that heat shield to fit? I was thinking of doing the same thing, but I only have about 2" of barrel beyond the end of the mag tube.

they bayonet makes it a mean fightin' machine, cant have a trench gun without one of those awesome 17"ers!

 

HD gun

 

And they're awesome to shoot black powder with!!

 

Just don't ride the rear grip too high, otherwise you'll learn real quick why these scatterguns got the nickname *knucklebuster*.