M1897 on AuctionArms

[Rick the Librarian]

A friend of mine lists guns for people on AuctionArms. He recently came into a few military rifles that includes a Winchester M1897. In looking at the shotgun, he freely admits that it appears to have been refinished. The "catch" is if it is a "post-military" refinish or a military refinish. (I read that blued tranch guns were refinished). The serial number is very high and I already told him the "1950" manufacture date isn't correct. The buttplate also doesn't look right to me.

Here's the link:

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=10477692

Any comments on the shotgun or the description, as well as it's value?

[scosgt]

First of all, it is parked not blued. There is no such thing as a factory parked 97 trench
Second, you can see the pitting under the finish
The buttplate is wrong (factory hard rubber not metal) and the stock is refinished.
Serial range is correct.
I can't tell if the bayonet adaptor is correct or repro.

The gun is a rat and no collector would want it. If the adaptor is real, it is worth probably $400-500
The rest of the gun is "shooter value" only.

[Rick the Librarian]

I didn't imply it was blued, I said it had been refinished. The rest is pretty much as I thought.

[scosgt]

Uncle did not generally parkerize M97's
You will never convince anyone that finish is arsenal

[Rick the Librarian]

I thought I read in Bruce Canfield's book that they did refinish them, but I realize that my knowledge of US military shotguns is minimal. (I do know these saw service through Vietnam, and I would have assumed that some refinishing was done) Not trying to make this into a "silk purse", just find out how much (if any) is "real" and what it might honestly expect to fetch. My friend is not trying to push this for more than it is worth, either.

[scosgt]

Anything is possible, and I have seen a few parked '97's with arsenal markings over time. They were all riot guns, not trench.
The "official" line is that M97s were declared surplus at the end of WWII and disposed of, while M12's were refinished, and riot guns were converted to trench to make them "standard".
Of course, it is a fact that there were M97 trench guns in VietNam.

But to a collector, condition is everything. That gun has no condition, and unlike something ultra rare like an Ithaca, 97 trench guns are relatively common and available in nice condition. So I don't personally put much value on it.

[KABAR2]

I would say that this gun by it's black Parkarizing was recently refinished, sadly they took no time to clean the gun
up...... they just parked it over the pitting.... I doubt the military would have bothered refinishing a gun in this condition....
this was done in hopes of turning a sow's ear into a silk purse ..... to increase it's value...... from the photo's on can not tell if the serial numbers
for the reciever and barrels match.... they post very detailed photo's of the bayonet but not as many on the whole gun.

[GA-Dave]

Holy Rust Buckets batman, sold for $2500. The demand for trench guns seems to know no limits.

[Rick the Librarian]

Interesting! :D

[scosgt]

P T Barnum