I installed the new spring and follower and it seems very good I got 8 rounds off in the video pretty quickly for me. (full strength 00buck.

If you want skip the shooting at 2:44 and miss the install if you know what it looks like.

1897 vid

Who sells/makes the kit?

Wild Bodie Tom.  Available from Brownells.

I can't be the only one that cringed seeing you shoot an 1897 without glasses.

I have what my father-in-law called a "3rd series" M97 made sometime in the 1950's.  He said the older ones were bad to wear internally and go off if you bumped them or slammed the slide too hard when chambering a round.  Since I only have the one, I can't say one way or the other.

Isn't is a John Browning design (off the 1893 pump shotgun?)

Never any issues with mine except - How can a shotgun that weights that much kick that hard?  I squirrel and grouse hunted with mine some back in the early 80's but because of the "issues" I just went back to my M37 Ithaca for hunting.

Seems like I remember a comment by Elmer Keith and an old Guns and Ammo magazine about the durability of M97's.  He said he worked at one of the government arsenals during WW2 and part of what he did was test ammo.  He said they had a couple of older M97s they used for testing buckshot and each gun had around 100,000 rounds through them with nothing replaced but firing pins.  It has been a long time since I read that, so I may not be remembering correctly  He was writing for Guns and Ammo back in the late 70's, early 80's.

Uniquetek also sells them.  $29.95

These guys have some great stuff.  I have micrometers for my Dillon powder measure coming my way right now, from them.

Yep. That's where I purchased mine.