[Jaws]

I have this Winchester 97, first year they were built. It's in really excellent shape overall, doesn't appear to have been fired much, but the barrel is kind of loose. There's a fair amount of side-to-side play between it and the receiver. I don't plan on shooting it regularly because of the family heirloom status but I'm going to put a few rounds through it eventually. Any ideas what the cause of this play could be and can it be easily fixed? Do they have shims or something? I want to have some idea of what I'm dealing with before I bring it to a gunsmith.

[stalkingbear]

You DEFINITELY need to take it to a gunsmith to check it's ability to fire safely. He'll also be able to fix it if necessary. I can't tell what it needs without looking at it but have a good idea. It's going to require some gunsmithing work to bring back. The question is whether it'll be worth it to you to fix.