I bought a Winchester '97 12 gauge pump gun some time ago. I finally tried it out today after replacing the thick rubber Pachmyr buttpad with an original steel buttplate.

Now I know why it's favored in the SASS community. So...is it bad to deliberately slamfire this shotgun? (hold the trigger back while cycling the pump action) Because it's really fun and a fast way to empty the 5 shell magazine!

Hell, it's almost as much fun pressing the magazine release buttons on the sides of the receiver. With one round in the magazine, and if you don't cover the bottom of the receiver with your hand while holding the shotgun upside down, it'll pitch that last live shell 4 feet away!

be very careful...with that firearm..

we have one...in the family a 97% mint..one.

except..

the sear that holds the hammer in place in the " fire" position has failed in the past and the hammer rode forward on the forward action of the pump and discharged..on accident.

i think those guns are too cool..not to use.
they just need a gunsmith who nows what the hell he is doing to check them out and replace worn parts.

I have a well used one that has been in the family since the 1920's, still hunt with it, has a 32" barrel, full choke, it and my AR are the only guns I've ever had go off on me unexpectedly. The AR slam fired, the 97 dropped the hammer while unloading. Not toys.

rk

Axl-

You've already figured this out, but for those following along:

There are three buttons on the receiver of a '97,

#(1) is located on the right side of the receiver, below the hammer. When pressed, the bolt will be allowed to come out of battery and extract the shell from the chamber.

[not recommended!]Without that button being pressed, the only way to get the bolt to come back is to pull the trigger and lower the hammer![not recommended!]

#(2) and #(3) are found about halfway the receiver's length under the ejection port and on the opposite side. When these are pressed the next shell (or shells) in the magazine tube is (are) released and come(s) out below the shell carrier to fall to the ground.

Regarding the slamfire issue:
From www.milesfortis.com/church/akc12.htm

The outside hammer is a touch one comes to appreciate. You can carry it with one round chambered, the hammer on half cock and thumb that hammer back in a hurry. Of course, you can flick off the safety on a tang safety gun just as fast, but somehow that big hammer sticking up there is reassuring... Another touch, very much of its period, is the lack of a disconnector. If the trigger is held down while the action is cycled, the chambered round will fire the moment the action closes. I’ve never found a use for this feature, but there are some who love it. It shares this feature with a number of other fine pump guns: The original Winchester Model 12, earlier Ithaca 37s, and Winchester Model 42s. I’m no engineer, but I see no way a disconnector could be fitted to the ’97 action. Because of the potential liability that represents, I predicted that this gun would never be reproduced but was taken aback upon seeing magazine advertisements for new specimens made by NORINCO & supposedly soon to be available for shipment to your favorite dealer.

To safely unload the gun, empty the magazine using the (2) and (3) buttons first. Then press the (1) button, to allow the bolt to come back, clearing the chamber. Since you've already cleared the magazine, the shell carrier won't find a new shell waiting to be loaded.