Cimarron Firearms Is Building a Winchester Model 1897 Replica
Cimarron Firearms is working on a Winchester Model 1897 replica, and from what President Mike Harvey has shared in a recent product development video, this one is being built to a level of authenticity that Cimarron is well known for. The prototype, serial number one, has been produced, tested, and approved by the ATF. It cycles and functions, but Harvey is still working through the fine detail corrections before it goes into full production.
The video, sent directly to their overseas manufacturer alongside photographs, documents exactly what needs to change. Harvey is comparing the prototype side by side with an original 1897, calling out specific differences in the metal cuts, stock dimensions, butt plate profile, and markings. The kinds of things most people would never notice but Harvey absolutely will. The serial number needs to move from the side to the correct location on the original. The stock needs to be fuller and more rounded. Certain metal cuts need to match the original’s radiused edges rather than the prototype’s square drops.
The butt plate is getting particular attention. The original 1897 butt plate carries the Winchester Repeating Arms script in the metal, and the Cimarron version will carry the Simmeron name in the same arc and spacing because, as Harvey points out, both names have nearly identical letter counts. The markings on top of the barrel will also be repositioned to match exactly where they appear on an original.
Two variants are in development. The standard 1897 and a WWI and WWII US Trench Gun configuration with the heat shield, bayonet lug, US military markings, and the flaming cannonball ordnance stamps that appear throughout on original trench guns. Harvey is putting flaming cannonball stamps all over the Cimarron version to match. The bayonet lug will be present on the trench gun model but modified so a bayonet cannot actually be mounted.
No MSRP has been announced and the timeline from Harvey’s own description puts the 1897 about six months out. Given that this is still in the prototype correction phase, that timeline may shift. Cimarron has been making quality replica firearms for 40 years and the attention to detail Harvey is showing in the development process tracks with what they have historically delivered.
Are you a fan of the Model 1897 platform, and is the trench gun configuration or the standard civilian model more interesting to you? Let us know in the comments below. We always appreciate the feedback.
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