Ole 97

[Caprock]

That is a set of good looking shotguns. I really appreciate the "Winchester red" oil that they used to finish the stocks with. That is the color oil that I use to finish my Stevens single shot rifles with.

Pictures just don't do the actual color justice.

Can you imagine how that 97 would have looked new ?

Next year or so, I am going to get another Ithaca 16 that needs new wood and get wood from Macon Gunstocks. I have a source that reproduced the oil that Winchester used. Then I will do the stock and foreend, and rust blue at least the barrel, maybe the whole gun, but at least the barrel and standard blue the rest of the parts that are hard to card the rust off of.

But at least a high quality total reblue.

I'll have Macon profile the back of the stock just a little thicker so I can use a checkered buttplate on it, like we do our singleshots.

Winchester used to put the checkered steel buttplates on their shotguns back in the day as an option. I have one, it is a little wider than the ones that came on the model 70's. I also have bought a couple old model 70's ones off eBay. They clean up and the steel they are made of take a rich color bluing.

Dave, have you tried Tapaderas Winchester oil and what have you been using? Actually, its hard for me to tell the difference in what Winchester, Marlin, and sometimesSavage used back in the early 1900's. All had that red undertone.

This 97 has a lot of varnish missing and could do with a restoration. Yet I'm really hesitant to touch the old girl.