Barrel wiggle on 1897

[mudbass7]

I have a winchester 1897 that was manufactured in 1916. I have never shot it. The barrel/magazine tube both wiggle a little from side to side, just a little. Is this normal for this gun? (i doubt it) and what could be the problem?

[boltmopar]

Is it a take down or solid frame? I have a solid frame and that has no play but I had a take down that had a little play. I took that one to a gunsmith, and he said it was normal for the take down. I mad a brace and fired it from there with some cable to e safe, it held together and I fired about 50 rounds through it before I sold it to buy the solid frame.

[boltmopar]

I should add, that if you are worried, you might want to take to gunsmith first.

[mudbass7]

It's a takedown model. the one gunsmith i know of in my area didn't know or have much to say about it....

[mudbass7]

Took it down, removed the barrel and mag tube from the receiver. I think i MAY have found the problem... I think the adjusting sleeve on the barrel is in the wrong position. When putting the barrel back on, i notice that the threads do not completely engage, and they only overlap approx 3/16". The adjusting sleeve is stuck and i can't get it to unscrew. the adjusting sleeve lock i noticed is not placed in any of the notches within the adjusting sleeve... any tips on how to break it free?

[mudbass7]

You can see the inside of the receiver where the barrel is supposed to thread in: note the wear on the threads where the threads of the barrel connects.

[mudbass7]

And the adjusting sleeve on the barrel. The threads should be completely vertical as to match up with the threads on the receiver. Notice how the serrations do not match up with the adjusting sleeve lock... it's stuck and I cannot turn it. I have a pipe wrech, but somehow I think that would be a bad idea... any suggestions?

[renardsubtil]

To answer the original question. There should be 0 wiggle in the two takedown sections of the 1897.

This is a prime example of why you should take an old girl like the 1897 to a competent gunsmith. If you don't have one in the area, I suggest you look up your local gun range to see if they host Cowboy Action shooting and then either attend an event or ask who organizes it to see if they have a gunsmith they tune their guns with (the 1897 is a popular CAS shotgun).



That being said, you "might" be able to loosen the adjustment sleeve screw enough to try removing the barrel (see side profile picture below). Even then, I would still recommend getting a gunsmith who knows a thing or two about 1897s to verify that the adjustment sleeve isn't worn out and to adjust it so that it's in the correct notch and the two halves of the takedown are nice and tight.




Newer or unworn adjustment sleeves will look like this below, notice the teeth are line up on the left of the barrel. This was my 1897 that I recently sold. It looks like my barrel was either new old stock added to this frame or it was simply never removed (the more often the shotgun is broken down, the more worn the adjustment gets)

[mudbass7]

It doesn't look worn out compared to your photos. I was able to get it to turn a little bit and got the teeth/threads to like up better. Wiggle was only slightly decreased but it's still there. I'm not going to fiddle with it anymore. Does anyone know any respectable gunsmith around Fresno, or at least not too far away.

[19K]

penetrating oil a little heat, don't rough it up with the pipe wrench, and stick with light loads. I had an old one from the early 1900s, man it was beat to hell, but it still worked just fine.

[jl7422]

If you choose to work on the gun yourself, I have found the AGI dvd to be quite helpful in addressing a couple of common 97 problems (yours is covered there), as well as providing helpful tips, takedown, reassembly and common parts replacement/wear issues. Well worth the $35 IMO.

[mudbass7]

If you choose to work on the gun yourself, I have found the AGI dvd to be quite helpful in addressing a couple of common 97 problems (yours is covered there), as well as providing helpful tips, takedown, reassembly and common parts replacement/wear issues. Well worth the $35 IMO.

I came across that during my google travels... i think i may get one.

And don't worry... No pipe wrenching i might not be the brightest crayon in the box but i know better than that lol

[bohoki]

please just leave it i'm sure its fine