The firearms market of the early 20th Century was altogether different than it is today. Labor was cheap and machinery was expensive. This meant that instead of automating each and every process of their manufacturing process, firearms companies usually opted to rely on manual labor when they could and machine operations when they had to. In other words, firms like Winchester, Colt, and Marlin typically produced their parts on modern machinery set up for mass production, but left the final fitting and finishing to in house labor forces of skilled craftsman. This allowed the guns of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries to exhibit some of the finest craftsmanship in the world; a fantastic blend of precision interchangeability with the personality of and beauty of hand finishing.
The emphasis on skilled labor in finishing firearms also meant that most gun companies could offer their customers a nearly limitless number of options when special ordering a firearm. Everything from caliber to stock style to barrel length could also be specially tailored to a customer's specifications. After all, if the gun was to be hand fit and finished anyway what difference did it make if a barrel was made shorter or larger butt plate fitted to the stock? . The large number of special order options led to an extremely wide variety of configurations, many of which are immensely collectible to this day.
This particular offering is a great example of a custom ordered firearm from the famous Winchester Repeating Arms Co. This 1910 vintage Winchester M1897 "brush" takedown shotgun was special ordered as a two barrel set. The Brush Gun was offered by Winchester from 1897 until 1931. They featured a 26" cylinder choked barrel, making them ideal for upland birding through thick under brush (hence the name). They are fairly rare, as most collectors agree that Brush Guns make up only 3% of the total production of 1897 shotguns produced.
What's rarer still is this special ordered Brush Gun that was shipped as a two barrel set with the addition of a 30" full choked standard barrel which is also numbered to the receiver. That's right, this is not a mix master parts gun with two random barrels forced to interchange on the same receiver but an actual factory fit and numbered two barrel set - a fairly common feature for the side by side Winchester Model 21 but practically unheard of for a repeating shotgun.
This set is in very goon condition. The action still retains a majority of its original vibrant blued finish with some areas of minor wear and light surface rust. The action works well and cycles shells perfectly; regardless of which barrel is installed. Both barrels mate up to the receiver perfectly without any wiggle or slop; and with plenty of adjustment left in both adjusting sleeves.
The stocks are very good with a large percentage of original factory varnish and no cracks or damage. The original hard rubber butt plate is in good condition without any cracks or pieces missing.
Both barrels retain a majority of their original rust blued finish with some minor external rust present on the cylinder choked barrel. The bores of both barrel are excellent with no rust or pitting. Both barrel are original length with their original factory bead sights.
We have test fired this shotgun and found it to perform flawlessly in terms of function and reliability.
*This weapon was made after 1899 and MUST be shipped to Federal Firearms License holder for transfer. Never bought a gun through an FFL before? Give us a call at (262) 473-5444 and we'd be glad to walk you through this simple process
