I own five 12 gauge pump Shotguns! When I had to talk people into leaving my property, my 18" 97 was the gun to take along! It says so much, just by being there! My 20" 870 is actually a better gun but comparatively, the 870 is much too civilized!
My 97 from 1904 is mismatched halves, My 1954 is like new! On my guns, they feed AA brand and Federal paper shells well. They don't run well at all with any all brass cases! There are numerous take-down and repair instructions & videos on the internet, parts are starting to get expensive.
In J.B.Woods books on gunsmithing, he says the sear is often worn, causing the hammer to either to fall or just not stay cocked. This seldom needs new parts, just a new sear cut (By someone who knows what they are doing!). My 1904 gun has a great deal of use and abuse! The action is no longer "slick" under normal lubricating conditions. When I am finished with a Cowboy match, I disassemble the entire action, and thoroughly clean it. I spray a dry silicone lube (Elmer's Dry Lube) on only one surface where parts contact! While old and worn, the tolerances are too tight to allow both surfaces the have a layer of silicone!
With 2 2/3" shells, the take down was made to hold 5 +1. There is a vender in Arizonian that sells kits for 6 + 1. They include a new follower and a new Magazine spring. The kits for take down are different than ridged guns. The Vender is:
Wild Bodie Tom
PO Box 1178
Mayer, AZ. 86333
(602)-721-3175
I bought mine from Dillon (800)-223-4570, their part # is 11645 *06-0491* (for the take down model)
I don't remember the Kit price, but it was less expensive than the mag spring from a Winchester Parts Dealer alone! About 10 to 20 minutes to install. (Less if you are doing a detail cleaning at the same time!)
One other common problem is, the screw for the ejector is mounted on the exterior of the left side. When they work loose, they are gone before you realize it! They are ridiculous in price with shipping and handling, so if (more like when) you need one buy 2! (in 2009 they were $7.70 each W/S&H!)
In a season of Cowboy action shooting, I would shoot about 300 rounds in the competitions (I don't compete much), and about 1000 to 1200 in practice. That is dozens of times what a hunter would shoot in a year! The gun with hold up to multiple centuries of use with good basic cleaning and maintenance. I don't think the 870 Remington or Mossberg 500 will be able to say the same!
Ivan
Larry
