Jim91 said

Bert H. said
Jim,
You are welcome, and the Jotsam recoil pad is definitely period correct to the gun.  It has undoubtedly been on the butt stock for nearly the entire life of the gun, and very likely several years before Winchester began offering their own recoil pads (in 1922).  It is possible that it was installed by Winchester during an "R&R".  What is the LOP?
Bert
  

Attaching a pick for LOP. Do you think the butt was cut down to accommodate the pad?

Also, do you know if mine is a solid frame design (vs. a takedown design)? I don’t know if one is better or rarer than the other.

Again, very much appreciate the education!

Bert H. said
Jim,
You are welcome, and the Jotsam recoil pad is definitely period correct to the gun.  It has undoubtedly been on the butt stock for nearly the entire life of the gun, and very likely several years before Winchester began offering their own recoil pads (in 1922).  It is possible that it was installed by Winchester during an "R&R".  What is the LOP?
Bert
  

Attaching a pick for LOP. Do you think the butt was cut down to accommodate the pad?

You are welcome, and the Jotsam recoil pad is definitely period correct to the gun.  It has undoubtedly been on the butt stock for nearly the entire life of the gun, and very likely several years before Winchester began offering their own recoil pads (in 1922).  It is possible that it was installed by Winchester during an "R&R".  What is the LOP?

Bert

Bert H. said
Jim,
What you have is actually a "Tournament Gun" versus a Trap Gun.  Winchester introduced it as a new variant in the year 1910.  Your Tournament Gun was manufactured in August 1912.
What (if anything) is molded (marked) on the recoil pad?  In the year 1912, Winchester would  (on special order) fit the Model 1897 with a Silvers or Jotsam recoil pad.
I will assume that your gun has a 30-inch Full choke barrel, and that it is roll matted?
I recently wrote an article discussing the Model 1897 production (published in the Spring 2026 WACA Collector magazine - 2026 Spring (winchestercollector.org)
Bert
  

Hi Bert,

Thank you for the info on my 97. I have attached a few more pics to help answer your questions

below is what I was able to find about the butt pad

The buttplate is a Jostam “Anti-Flinch” recoil pad, not an original Winchester part. These were made by the Jostam Manufacturing Company of Chicago, and the patent numbers trace two distinct versions: the earlier J.S. Day patent from October 29, 1914, and a later W.R. Jorgenson patent granted October 12, 1915. Since your gun was made in 1912–13 and this pad wasn’t even patented until 1914–15, this confirms it’s a period aftermarket accessory added sometime after the gun left the factory — not original equipment. That’s not a bad thing at all; Jostam Anti-Flinch pads are themselves genuinely collectible and hard to find today, to the point where collectors have reportedly bought entire “project guns” just to get one of these pads. So this is a nice period-correct addition, just not factory-original to this specific gun.

I am OK with a pistol grip stock for targets. My 20 gauge wears a straight stock.

What you have is actually a "Tournament Gun" versus a Trap Gun.  Winchester introduced it as a new variant in the year 1910.  Your Tournament Gun was manufactured in August 1912.

What (if anything) is molded (marked) on the recoil pad?  In the year 1912, Winchester would  (on special order) fit the Model 1897 with a Silvers or Jotsam recoil pad.

I will assume that your gun has a 30-inch Full choke barrel, and that it is roll matted?

I recently wrote an article discussing the Model 1897 production (published in the Spring 2026 WACA Collector magazine - 2026 Spring (winchestercollector.org)

Bert

Ricklin said
Is that the style of stock that is also called Prince of Wales? That strikes me as a mashup of a straight grip stock and a pistol grip stock. My very old Elsie SBT is straight gripped, I do wish it was not.
I like straight and the prince of wales for field guns. For clay targets it's a full pistol grip for me. It just feels like the straighter grip shoulders more quickly.
  

I have not read or heard it called that.  It is simply the "round knob" pistol grip.  It was first used by Winchester on the Model 1887 shotgun (JMB's first), followed by the Model 1893 and then 1897, then on the early Auto-5 shotguns.

This is one of my Model 1893 shotguns (s/n 28149)

This is one of my Model 1897 shotguns (s/n/ 36850)

Bert

I like straight and the prince of wales for field guns. For clay targets it's a full pistol grip for me. It just feels like the straighter grip shoulders more quickly.

Ricklin said
I'm feeling like I just might need to add a 97 to my herd.
  

Hard to go wrong... I have a pile of them in my collection, mostly early guns with the round knob style pistol grip stocks.

Important to remember shipping guns is costly, shipping a barrel is not. A heavy cardboard mailing tube will do the trick.

Ricklin said
Was the longer "big" slide handle as pictured on the OP's gun ever original? I've not seen that larger one before on an 1897. My own trap grade model 12 wears a fore end like that. However the M12 field stock was a round corncob style similar to the 1897.
I've seen a couple guns like that on GB too. For using the darn thing I like the bigger one more.
I think they also call that a beavertail? Something like that anyway.
  

In answer to your question, No it was not ever a factory option on the Model 1897.  Ther "corn cob" style slide handle stock was standard on all Model 1897 variations except the Trap, Tournament, and Pigeon grade guns, and it remained standard until 1946 when it was replaced by the slightly larger grooved "flat bottom" slide handle stock.

The higher grade Trap Gun, Tournament Gun, and Pigeon Gun were made with a smaller non-grooved slide handle.

Black Diamond Trap - s/n 216372 (2-barrel set)

Pigeon Gun s/n 403002

Bert