Norinco has come out with a clone of the Winchester Model 1897, and I think I’m in love. Gunner’s Journal reviews it.
I’ve always had a real love for older military weapons and shotguns are no exception. The Winchester model 1897 has always been of particular interest to me. I started looking for an original Winchester 97 a few months ago but having found only one in fair condition. I had just about given up since the ones in shooting condition were higher priced than the budget would allow. I did notice a few Norinco clones in my daily GunsAmerica list. After looking at them and checking them out on the importers website I decided this was a good alternative. List price on this model is $450 however they can be found for less. Now the military version with bayonet mount and heat shield is higher at a retail of $550 but again can be had for less.
I think this is my next gun. We were just arguing about using a shotgun for home defense per Massad Ayoob’s objections (here and here), and, for whatever reason, I started itching to buy a new one. Something about this thing just makes my heart flutter.
Benjamin,
I’m glad you enjoyed the writeup on the M97! If you get one I know you’ll enjoy it:-)
Phil
Gunner777
Thanks, Phil. Saving my pennies . . .
Hmmmm…
How ’bout a Model 12?
I don’t think they make a Model 12, but they do make a clone of the Ithaca M-37, which was also used in the Vietnam War, I think. (Correct me if I’m wrong.) I saw one on Gunsamerica for less than $300 with ghost ring sights, a heat shield, the whole bit. And Norinco builds them on milled steel receivers. I might need one of those, too.
The ’97 is a seminal John Moses Browning (PBUH) design, but as a modern fighting shotgun, it suffers from some serious flaws.
I’m not much of a shotgun person myself (notice that, among groups who shoot people for a living, shotties have largely been relegated to duties such as breaching tools or launching rubber batons and beanbag rounds) but were I to pick a gauge for defending Roseholme Cottage, it would be the ubiquitous-for-a-good-reason Remington 870.
Edited To Add: I will say that I owned a Norc ’97 for several years, and it was a decent-functioning weapon, but “shoot-one-load-one” or “select slug” drills and suchlike are unreasonably difficult with it.
Thanks, Tam. I think if I bought one of these it’d be mainly for off-road truck camping and skeet.
The other part of that is, yeah, they look really cool, but now that I’ve cooled off a little, I still have a lot of work on my 1911 that needs done. And a Ruger 22/45 that needs purchased before my daughter turns seven . . .
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