Polytech 1897 shotguns
- Thread starter kf123
- Start date
- Location
- Prince George B.C.
Ordered mine from Frontier on the 28th. Arrived this morning. Seems pretty solid. Gave it a quick brake cleaner spray, a little lube and off to the range. Ran a couple of boxes of cheapo Walmart Winchester and Federal through it with no trouble. I am quite happy so far 
John
John
heavenIsAlie
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Abbotsford
had no idea these were back... good price to, may have to get one to tinker with
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
I just received it today. I've cleaned it and disassembled it, but have yet to shoot it. I was not able to remove the carrier and the bolt. I looked on youtube how to do it, but could not pry out the carrier from the bolt with a screwdriver as the bolt does not seem to be identical. I'll retry it next time. The mag tube and all the screws/pins where easy to remove.
The Good:
- Well machined. I have two Norinco pistols and I would say the machining is better than on my 1911
- Bluing is appropriate, the same as on my 1911
- Cycling the gun is really slick, nothing binds and it feeds properly with empty rounds. Will try with real ammo this weekend.
- Pretty good wood to metal finish
The Bad:
- The stock is made of some sort of soft wood.
- Mine already has an hair crack being the tang, on top of the wrist, and it was never fired.
The Ugly:
- There is a big "M1897 IMPORTED BY LEVER ARMS 12GA 2 3/4" written on the left side of the barrel. I think that I will be able to blank it with some cold blue.
- The wood is finished with a lacker, possibly to better protect it since the wood is soft.
You should note that this is a copy of the solid frame and not the take down model.
Here are some pictures
Pictures of the crack:
I just received it today. I've cleaned it and disassembled it, but have yet to shoot it. I was not able to remove the carrier and the bolt. I looked on youtube how to do it, but could not pry out the carrier from the bolt with a screwdriver as the bolt does not seem to be identical. I'll retry it next time. The mag tube and all the screws/pins where easy to remove.
The Good:
- Well machined. I have two Norinco pistols and I would say the machining is better than on my 1911
- Bluing is appropriate, the same as on my 1911
- Cycling the gun is really slick, nothing binds and it feeds properly with empty rounds. Will try with real ammo this weekend.
- Pretty good wood to metal finish
The Bad:
- The stock is made of some sort of soft wood.
- Mine already has an hair crack being the tang, on top of the wrist, and it was never fired.
The Ugly:
- There is a big "M1897 IMPORTED BY LEVER ARMS 12GA 2 3/4" written on the left side of the barrel. I think that I will be able to blank it with some cold blue.
- The wood is finished with a lacker, possibly to better protect it since the wood is soft.
You should note that this is a copy of the solid frame and not the take down model.
Here are some pictures
Pictures of the crack:
Did not shot it yet, but I finally made a successful disassembly. The bolt is the same, contratry to my previous post. But mine lock up so tight that to make the carrier separate from the bolt, I had to remove the sear spring screw and remove the sear spring. I was not able to insert a screw driver between the bolt and the carrier like I saw on youtube.
I also had to adjust the trigger stop screw since mine was slam firing before the bolt was locked. To test for this, rack the slide back, keeping your finger on the trigger, and carefully move the slide forward, looking for the hammer to fall. If the hammer fall before the carrier lock the bolt, you have to screw the trigger stop screw a little bit further. The hammer must fall when the carrier is nearly fully extended. There is a fail-safe where the firing pin will not extend out of the bolt if not locked, so it should not have been dangerous, but slam firing would not have worked.
I took the opportunity to remove some tension from the main spring to futher slick the action. I'm not sure it made a big difference and in the end, the firing pin may not have enough momentum to do a good strike. Will keep you informed when I'll go shoot it.
I also had to adjust the trigger stop screw since mine was slam firing before the bolt was locked. To test for this, rack the slide back, keeping your finger on the trigger, and carefully move the slide forward, looking for the hammer to fall. If the hammer fall before the carrier lock the bolt, you have to screw the trigger stop screw a little bit further. The hammer must fall when the carrier is nearly fully extended. There is a fail-safe where the firing pin will not extend out of the bolt if not locked, so it should not have been dangerous, but slam firing would not have worked.
I took the opportunity to remove some tension from the main spring to futher slick the action. I'm not sure it made a big difference and in the end, the firing pin may not have enough momentum to do a good strike. Will keep you informed when I'll go shoot it.
