Fantastic footage on "The Pacific"

[Scott Wilson]

Episode 2 has some great footage of John Basilone hammering the Japs with a Winchester 97 trench shotgun. It appears to be a solid frame (probably a Norinco or other reproduction) but I guess that a WWI gun could have easily been in the Marine's inventory in 1942.

[chuckles]

Since they were using 03' Springfields, Model 1917s and water cooled machine guns, I would imagine 1897s were very much in their inventory. When I was an MP in the mid 60s, we had Win Model 12s with the handguard, bayonet lug and 18" bayonets for use in crowd control situations. Early on all our 12ga ammo was brass cased 00 buck. Sure would like to have that rack of riot guns now.