I did not mean to say Fakes . Most of the fakes are the Trench models as that is where more money was and fake makes it sound like something shady was going on.
What I should have said was cut downs. We have had SASS for about 25 years now. W have had movies like the Profesionals with Lee Marvin and the Wild bunch that both used the 1897 Riot models. Many people bought 97's and simply cut them down to make them look like the movie guns, or took great grandpas old gun and made it a house gun. As I said the Real riot models will have a sling stud in the stock and a sling stud in the barrel band. Not having the sling studs, I will most likely say it is a cut down. Nothing wrong with that. In the late 80's when I was in Western PA where was a gun store in town that farm kids lined up trying to trade or sell a 97 for a Rem 870. (if I had only known and had some $ back them) the shop had a rack full of every grade and model ever to leave Winchester over the years and they were not taking in any more. I am sure many of those are now cut downs to make Cow Boy action or wild bunch guns. Not a bad thing. The national combat shotgun championship was won for a number of years by a guy shooting a cut down 97. They are fast, great guns.
I think at some point it will be hard to find a 30" barrel 1897
Now you could have an original. many were sold to police departments and private citizens. Police departments could have had it sitting in a rack in the office for years and years and was surplused out as other models were adopted by the department.
Mine has shot quail, wodcock and deer as well as sporting clays and skeet.
Oh one way other way to tell if it is a cut down is to pattern it. If it shoots high it was probably a 30" barrel cut down. I can not explain it with out drawing it on paper as to why but the cut downs shoot high and will have an over sized front bead to compinsate.
Either way take it our and shoot it.
