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US M1897 Shotgun


Gildwiller1918

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Here is my newly made, fully functional copy of the WW1 US M1897 Trench Shotgun. Originals are extremely scarce and expensive. The Winchester model 1897 got its debut in the Philippines combating locals in close quarters combat. It also saw service in the punitive expedition to Mexico in 1916, so when war was declared in 1917, the already proven and popular gun was fitted with a perforated heat shield to reduce the heat injuries from the barrel and also included a bayonet lug. The need for close quarters weapons became quite real as the narrow confines of the trench systems sometimes made the bolt action rifles hard to use. The shotgun fired buckshot rounds with nine .33 caliber pellets, and could hold 5 rounds internally. The length of the barrel (20 inches) combined with its firepower made it an effective weapon to clear out enemy positions. It also had an auto trigger, which allowed the user to fire all the rounds quickly by holding down the trigger and pumping the slide. The main issue with the gun was the rounds, which were mainly pressed paper, and tended to swell in the damp conditions of the Western front, making them impossible to use. 

It became so feared and loathed by the Germans that they filed an official protest on September 19th, 1918, which stated: The German government protests against the use of shotguns by the American Army and calls attention to the fact that, according to the laws of war, every prisoner found to have in his possession such guns or ammunition belonging thereto forfeits his life. The German Government was referring to Article 23(e) of the Hague Convention of 1907, which prohibited the use of “arms, projections or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering.” 

The US Government sent the following reply 9 days later: “The Government of the United States notes the threat of the German Government to execute every prisoner of war found to have in his possession shotguns or shotgun ammunition. Inasmuch as the weapon is lawful and may be rightfully used, its use will not be abandoned by the American Army." “If the German Government should carry out its threat in a single instance, it will be the right and duty of the United States to make such reprisals as will best protect the American forces, and notice is hereby given of the intention of the United States to make such reprisals.”

Despite the protests, the Germans never executed anyone encountered with a shotgun. It was said that skilled US soldiers could use the shotguns to hit incoming enemy grenades, detonating them before they could reach their lines. Below are images of the shotgun with the M1917 Bayonet, and a period image. 

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