- OAL Rifle Length: 51"
- Barrel length: 32" and 20"
- Capacity: 5 round magazine tube.
- Cartridge Caliber: 12 gauge
- Weight: 8.5 lbs
- Service: 1897-1945
The 1897 Winchester shotgun has been issued to the US military since 1897, but began to see real action during the Pulajane Campaign and Moro Rebellion (1902-1913). The shotgun proved the be more lethal at dropping an assailant aside from the .45 Colt revolvers. On many accounts the Krag rifles also fell short of stopping charging combatants, Philippine Constabulary officers would pair off officers and scouts during expeditions; one would be equipped with a Krag and the other a shotgun. The early Philippine shotgun models are distinctive by their very long 32" barrel, and they are the predecessor to the WWI M1897 shotgun which would gain fame and notoriety as the "Trench Shotgun". The 1897 Winchester shotgun had an extensive military service life, serving all the way til the end of WWII 1945.
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| Order placed for 1,000 1897 Winchester Shotguns by William Taft, who at the time served as Civil Governor-General of the Philippines. |
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| Response from Tafts request. |
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| Winchester M1897 shotgun with Moro Constabulary Officer. Ca.1910. |
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Winchester M1897 shotgun can be seen in the left side pile of firearms.
Photo from the early 1900s of a Filipina from the Batangas province posing with a M1897 Shotgun.
World War I model M1897, aka the Trench Shotgun. |
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