Winchester 1897 Problem - Hammer/Trigger Stuck

[DavidMc]

Hi guys, I'm hoping you can help me with a problem I've run into with a Winchester 1897 I bought.

It's a takedown model from ~1939/40. I received the gun in a taken down form, so I put it together. I'm not sure if I made a mistake during the process. Once it was assembled, I pumped it to check everything worked. I may have then banged the slide release button.

The problem is that the hammer is all the way back, but I can't pull the trigger to release it. Also, in case it's relevant, the breech bolt is a bit loose and falls back from the rest of the frame a little if the gun is pointing upwards.

I know I'm clearly doing something wrong, but I don't know what. Please can anyone help me?

 

[DavidMc]

I've added a few photos, in case it makes things clearer. I've written to the vendor already, to see if he can help - unfortunately, my French isn't amazing, so it's hard to explain the problem to him.

 

[DavidMc]

Never mind, fixed it!

Turns out I wasn't being quite forceful enough. I guess John Browning wasn't thinking of delicate Englishmen when he designed the thing!

Sorry for any interruption, if a moderator could close the thread, that would be great.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

As you have found out the "Old 97" wasn't as smooth as the model 12...
Glad you figured it out.