I own one of each, the latest UN marked one made in China, at some undisclosed factory, and sold through the Chinese marketing agency Norinco. I also own a Marstar imported 1897, made by Jianshe PRC. and in all likelihood distributed through Norinco, the Chinese governments marketing agency.
So, not made in the same factory, and not even made with the same parts. There may be some interchangeability, but I wouldn't count on it.
I also own several Winchester made 1897 shotguns, and have repaired a few as well.
I shoot Cowboy several times a year and invariably I use my CN 19 CA. It functions well and the action is smooth. Unfortunately, like so many Chinese firearms, it wasn't very good out of the box. I bought it used, for about 250 IIRC, as the previous owner could not get it to feed from the magazine. That was due in part to an incorrectly machined carrier, and some minor timing issues. It also had very rough surfaces where the carrier contacts the bolt. Not wanting to increase headspace, I lubed those surfaces and I let use and recoil smooth things out. I also inspected another 1897 from the same basic shipment, it was better made. If you buy this, I'd suggest you have someone that is familiar with how these work check it out for you. If there was a gunsmith that specialized in slicking these up, I'd recommend that you have them do that to yours.
After working on mine I haven't had to touch anything on it. I documented this and distributed a pdf to the members in our club. I'd attach it, but pdf is not a valid file type on CGN.
Then there is my Marstar, again, purchased used from a owner who could not get it to feed reliably. The issues were minor in nature, and I can't remember how those problems were addressed. One plus is the Marstar 1897 has a screw in choke. I didn't like the pattern, and bought a skeet choke from Brownells. Length of pull was an issue, the slave labourer that put on the recoil pad knew nothing about firearms. I didn't mention it for the CN 19 CA, but it had stock issues as well. Both needed a slight length of pull tweak and the pitch angle needed a major tweak.
The biggest issue I have with the Marstar 1897 is the two piece riveted together action slide. The arm is pretty thin to begin with, reducing the thickness by half and riveting it together has to be a problem waiting to happen. I used it for cowboy for a while, but before I bought my CN 19 CA, I preferred a Winchester takedown that I bought from a cowboy that got too old for the game.
Now, IMHO, if you want to learn about 1897 pump shotguns, you have to buy an original. Most are so old that once stripped down you will uncover at least a half dozen issues. There are lots of parts in a 97, and those parts seem to interact with each other to create a functioning shotgun. Over time, through normal wear, neglect and minimal maintenance one by one these interactions get compromised. When enough issues are present, the shotgun stops working. In my experience you will have to fix most of the mystery problems before it will work smoothly again. Parts are a problem, new parts are available but expect to do some hand fitting. I bought a gunsmiths entire parts collection when he retired. I used quite a few parts and was able to resurrect a basket case or two. I still have one with issues, and I stuffed it away for one of those days that life isn't frustrating enough.
The best options to find a Winchester 97, preferably made after WWII, and one that hasn't seen too much use and abuse. The ones built before WWI are for the most part pretty much wore out. A fair number won't #### the hammer anymore, or have some welding on the hammer to try and take some of the slop out of them. Most will need adjustment. The interlocks and such will need to be addressed, and the because the trigger does not have a disconnect, that adjustment will need attention. IOW, the slam fire timing will need to be worked on. You can expect one or more of the springs to be broken as well.
IMHO, a trigger that causes a slam fire if held down is a design deficiency, basically unsafe, so it's very important to adjust it correctly to prevent an out of battery firing. I don't think a disconnecting trigger is possible in a 97 without a complete redesign. Model 12 the same. The Ithaca 37 trigger was converted to a disconnect type, eventually. The interim design was of the hold the trigger down and jam the action type, extremely annoying.
The CN 19 CA version is not a bad choice. Sure, machining is rough and quality control doesn't exist, but they are built very rugged. The Marstar has a bit better machining, but the some of the parts are poorly designed and not that good.
Whether old or new, most require a new magazine spring. An old Winchester one will be rusted and broken, a Chinese one will be unreliable most of the time.
Nitro.
