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Trench Gun Madness
- Thread starter buffalowinter
- Start date
Tell the truth looking at this project when it was two sleeved pipes riding the barrel and mag extension I was thinking "Yeah nice try!"
Never underestimate a Green Beret..........
My father (KIA Camp Enari, 21 NOV 69) and his uncle were stationed in the Philippines at the same time for a short time. My great Uncle was a bulldozer operator and had uncovered a stash of weapons from the infamous "I shall return" time frame. They were able to assemble quite a few Model 97's from the rust pitted and otherwise destroyed remnants. I have the only one remaining in our family and it ain't going nowhere. It is not in mint shape but not bad either. I used it to shoot birds with as a 12 year old. It has a 32" full choke barrel!!! The barrel shroud, bayonet mount, stocks...everything else appear to be original to that shotgun. Now I'm seriously considering a restoration to the short barreled version and finding a correct bayonet.
Thanks for spending more of my money.
Thanks for spending more of my money.
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Sold my 1920s-era, US marked Model 97 a few years ago. It was a nice representative example but just not my cuppa....
Sir, I am humbled by your estimation of my knowledge. I have fooled you sorry to say.
Looks like a takedown 97.
Unsure why the heat shield long barrel came together or how.
I do know a lot of long barrel mil guns existed and were used for aerial gunnery training but they tended to be semi autos and would have no need for a bayonet.
Maybe someone was putting together a repro but never got to the cut stage.
Any ordinance marks on it?
What's the butt pad, well used or some civilian replacement?
PS - Went back and saw the US/ bursting bomb.
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What's the choke?
He said they prices together guns from Macarthur era, maybe someone wanted to keep this choke in there? I don't know, it's strange. Weird as a $3 bill
Again my fail....didn't realize this was that same poster.
Man if that came out of the ground in the PI it is in way better shape than I expected.
Having to be built from parts of multiple guns, they used what was salvageable......I have no reason to doubt the story.....I am sorry for the loss of your Dad....I was coming up on my second birthday.
I wonder if an SRS check would have any info on the serial number.
Interesting to know if it was buried by soldiers prior to surrender, by the Japanese? Doubt it was post war....our habit than was ocean burial.
Put that receiver in the hands of 4th Marines at Corregidor it's a priceless relic.
My WWII Phillipines Guerrilla Gun. Built by stay behind troops for guerilla's so they could obtain better weapons. After the war, inventor Richardson marketed it in the US, but it was only a couple dollars cheaper than a modern shotgun and the company went out of business.
Original combat used gun.
Post WWII commercial gun.
Original combat used gun.
Post WWII commercial gun.
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Of the several that made it back to the US in the care of my dad and his uncle, this one was said to be in the best condition as far as the pitting of the receiver.
The barrel shows more pitting than the parts mated to it which is why I believe the barrel came from another shotgun. I read decades ago that the 97 could be had with up to a 32” barrel and pretty much any choke. Also read that use of weapons originally intended for the civilian market was commonplace. My guess, and that’s all it can be, is this barrel came off a civilian shotgun.
I’ve never once considered altering it until this thread by @buffalowinter. Even now I debate whether to leave it as is with the scars and patina but taking it back to 20”, cleaning up the metal and bluing and finding a correct 1917 bayonet would also be cool.
You have a family heirloom. Don't fuck with it. Buy another one to carve up. My 2 cents.
I always figured this thing, being a frankenstein, was worth very little monetarily. Maybe not even worth much historically. However, I have never once considered selling it and intend to make sure that it ends up in the hands of a deserving nephew or great nephew who feels the same as I do regarding the family heirloom. The story is sorta cool, even if the old shotgun isn't.
The bad part is you really have no documentation to back up your story. Don't confuse that with me saying it's not true. I believe you. But any gun buyer probably won't.
Ever heard, "buy the gun, not the story"?
I think you're right, it's not worth big bucks at all. Mismatched serial on forend vs frame, 32" barrel with heat shield cuts, etc.
If you got info like pmclaine said and pinned it down with documentation to a pacific island and a marine unit, the sky's the limit.
Unfortunately, the stories only live on with the story tellers tied to the original characters. Usually. After you are gone, you never know what the next owners will do/think.
Starting work on the Owen Semi-Auto "SMG". Pretty complicated as the vertical feed means I pretty much have to make a new bolt. Trying to modify one right now, but it's pretty rough. The little stove pipe in front of the magazine is the barrel screw. It's just for show on mine, I'm welding a barrel trunion in. Nice concept, vertical feed and bottom eject gets gravity working for you, probably don't even need an ejector...but it serves as a bolt guide. I don't know why they didn't offset the mag a little to the left so you wouldn't need offset sights. I'll start a separate thread as work progresses. I'm also working on my British WWII Paratrooper folding bicycle and a Winchester Model 12 trench gun.
I am not sure about that being a sign of madness you can hardly ever have too much of a good thing and a good shotgun is always a good thing . also if you like them having more is a great thing . Unless you have no ammo that might be bad sweet looking guns by the way .
I'm going to paint it in the original camo colors. The gun in your pic isn't matched very well. I have some professionally matched colors left over from a Rhodesian FAL that I built. My FAL came out of South Africa but there is some evidence it was first in Rhodesia. Many original parts, lower, stock, magazine, and Halbeck device (muzzle brake) which is pretty rare.
Model 37, the shotgun my father bought a year before he died. Spent my last day with him, duck hunting. Got me one, with that same Model 37.
Thank you for restoring John Browning’s finest.
Thank you for restoring John Browning’s finest.
@pmclaine, @buffalowinter
Wellllllll....UPDATE.
To correct @Charger442 on only one point, the serial numbers do, in fact, match.
I never considered this as anything more than a family heirloom, even if it HAD been on that island in the time discussed. The problem is, this shotgun was manufactured about a year after that fateful date when MacArthur left about 4000 Marines to the hands of the Japanese. I will leave that thought to marinate.
That being said, this shotgun MAY have been in the Philippines circa 1957-58 when my dad and great uncle were stationed there. It is also very possible that the great uncle did uncover a pile of weapons stashed in a hastily dug ditch because hiding the stuff in a ditch did happen. It may very well be that this shotgun had a 30 some inch full choke barrel installed from one salvaged from said ditch, but the receiver and barrel extension were never in that ditch.
So, I decided to make it as original as I could. I looked all over for a correct Winchester barrel. That is not a fast and easy item to find. I almost had decided to have the long barrel cut to the appropriate length when I came across http://bullcreekarms.com/ and they happen to be not very far from me at all. They located a correct barrel, replaced a few dinged up screws and made sure the action was all gtg. I will add a Turner sling and am planning to launch some bird shot over the next day or 3.
I am very pleased to have this join the other WW2 weapons of mass destruction in my collection.
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. I was going to buy a real 97 trench gun from a guy and when I called to head over he claimed it was “stolen over night”, could have just said he changed his mind. Like I moron I passed on 3 97s I could have converted just to shoot.I wasn’t looking for one at the time, and they were field model s I’d have to convert. The one the guy pretended was stolen was the only one that was a real trench gun.Yep.
You are a moron to have passed on 97's when you were lookin for one (maybe other reasons, too, but I will withhold further judgement). I don't know what they have available but I can't recommend Bull Creek Arms any higher.
Bull Creek Arms does excellent work! Don't hesitate to pick up an 1897 and send it to them for the conversion...
DW
DW
GREATO POSTO!
Hey, check this out... ..not in trench gun form...but you know...
Anyways... This really is a great post, and your builds are awesome. They're good enough that they got me up, out of the chair; and pacing around while I checked them out.
Sound the Charge.
Hey, check this out... ..not in trench gun form...but you know...
Anyways... This really is a great post, and your builds are awesome. They're good enough that they got me up, out of the chair; and pacing around while I checked them out.
Sound the Charge.
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Thank You. I don't know if it has been refinished or not, but looking at it; I can't help but think that it has to have been. It's an early-ish serial number... 500xxx-something...that you can see. .... The little specs on it, on some of the pictures is just lint, and dog hair... It wipes off. I don't know how the dog hair gets through the case, but it does.
I keep the surface pretty well wiped down, and I have been meaning to strip the grease off; and start keeping it treated and Renaissance wax rather than Lucas gun oil.
I will say this... You can see, up by the tang, where the wood has been stained over time with oil. It was like this before I got it. I try real hard not to get any oil on the wood.
Thank You. I think this might be one of my most special pieces. It's funny that his post was at the top, when I had just recently taken pictures; so I decided to share them.
I can get one in a day or so , weather has been tough here . Trees down , to clean up . I for sure get an image in a day or so .
Bringing this back to the top.
I just picked up a winchester model 12 in an auction. Just cleaned it all up, but haven't test fired or anything yet. Nothing makes me think it won't work.
It seems to be in great shape. Its a 12 gauge with a full choke 28" barrel. 2 3/4 chamber. It had a cool old wooden plug in the tube that was stamped with the gun specs. I've seen plenty of wood plugs, but they're mostly just carved up dowels. This one seems factory.
To stick with the trench gun theme here, and pretty much the only reason I bought it, I'm gonna cut it down to, what I think is correct, 20", or maybe 18". I'm gonna see if I can get it threaded for chokes too while I'm at it, just to have that utility.
I have a question about loading this thing. Any shells in the tube want to squirt right back out unless the loading gate is pushed about half way in to hold them. It makes it pretty hard to load. Is that normal? I'm used to more modern pumps that I can stick a shell in and it will just hang out there.
Edit. Forgot pics.
I just picked up a winchester model 12 in an auction. Just cleaned it all up, but haven't test fired or anything yet. Nothing makes me think it won't work.
It seems to be in great shape. Its a 12 gauge with a full choke 28" barrel. 2 3/4 chamber. It had a cool old wooden plug in the tube that was stamped with the gun specs. I've seen plenty of wood plugs, but they're mostly just carved up dowels. This one seems factory.
To stick with the trench gun theme here, and pretty much the only reason I bought it, I'm gonna cut it down to, what I think is correct, 20", or maybe 18". I'm gonna see if I can get it threaded for chokes too while I'm at it, just to have that utility.
I have a question about loading this thing. Any shells in the tube want to squirt right back out unless the loading gate is pushed about half way in to hold them. It makes it pretty hard to load. Is that normal? I'm used to more modern pumps that I can stick a shell in and it will just hang out there.
Edit. Forgot pics.
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I'm not a model 12 expert, but they don't have a shell stop spring like most other pumps do. What is meant to happen is the shell lifter has a nick inn it that functions as the stop - so it looks like the shell is partway out. Photo stolen from the internet.
It does come apart at the action. Based on quick googling when I was cleaning it it looked like they all do that. Is that not the case?
I thought it was the manner in which it came apart, as to whether it was a takedown or not...
Don't let me give you any bad information...maybe I misspoke..
I hate it every time this thread comes back... because it sends me off looking for a 97 to chop up...
And they keep getting more expensive. So I know I need to get a Trench gun done sooner as opposed to later or they will end up unaffordium. And I won't buy a ChiCom one.
Cheers,
SIrhr
And they keep getting more expensive. So I know I need to get a Trench gun done sooner as opposed to later or they will end up unaffordium. And I won't buy a ChiCom one.
Cheers,
SIrhr
I should have thought about you guys. There was a 97 in the same auction. I didn't watch too close, bust based on how they usually go it probably went for about $450.
Pretty sure all model 12s are takedown, it's the model 97 that had some solid frame derivatives as a portion of the numbers manufactured
This is my Model 97 I did a few years back.
I really like it! I am also glad that you are keeping it original.
I cried when I saw a CAS shooter cut down a Black Diamond trap gun to 18-1/2”.
If anyone is looking to make a trench gun, I’d recommend contacting your local SASS or NCOWS club and find one that has already been molested rather than cutting up a good one that is becoming scarce.
IIRC, the “E” denotes a 1950’s production.
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