The Model 1897 was offered in numerous barrel lengths and grades, chambered in 12 and 16 gauge, and as a solid frame or takedown.

Since the time the Model 1897 was first manufactured, it has been used to great effect by American military personnel,[3] law enforcement officers,[4] and hunters.

Throughout the time period the Model 1897 was in production, over a million of the type were produced in various grades and barrel lengths.

When the forend is slid forward again, the breech bolt pushes a fresh shell into the gun's chamber and locks into place.

The Norinco 97 is an almost exact copy of the Winchester 1897, produced in both Trench and Riot grades, yet lacking in the fit and finish of the originals.

These grades stood a higher chance of being badly damaged so there was no need to put extra money into them for appearance purposes.

This first major use of issued shotguns by the United States military involved 200 weapons procured and sent to the Philippines in 1900.

[3] This model was ideal for close combat and was efficient in trench warfare due to its 20-inch cylinder bore barrel.

[4] It has been said that American soldiers who were skilled at trap shooting were armed with these guns and stationed where they could fire at enemy hand grenades in midair.

Coupled with its five-shot capacity, this made it effective for close combat, such that troops referred to it as a "trench sweeper".

Shortly before the end of the war, the German government protested the use of shotguns in combat, claiming it to cause unnecessary suffering.

"[23] A part of the German protest read that "[i]t is especially forbidden to employ arms, projections, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering" as defined in the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare.

The Judge Advocate General of the Army, Secretary of State Robert Lansing, promptly rejected the German protest.

[23] France and Britain had double-barreled shotguns[further explanation needed] available for use as trench warfare weapons during World War I; however, unable to obtain high-powered ammunition and judging reload speed too slow for close combat, these countries did not field them.

He believed that in spite of retaliation threats, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) ordered that photos of trench guns in combat be censored, and ultimately eliminated to prevent leaking among the press that would give Germany a reason to portray U.S. troops as "undisciplined and barbaric" and "incapable of using proper rifles."

Another reason is that there were also seemingly concerns by General John J. Pershing and his staff that French and British commanders might exert control of American forces over public relations with the combat use of trench guns, as America was considered a junior partner among the Entente Powers.

Laemlein concluded that "[t]he trench guns would remain in France and continue to do their deadly, effective work, but there would simply be no photographs allowed to document it.