Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 1919 Winchester Model 97 riot gun that served with the Omaha PD, and it’s got one heck of a backstory. According to documentation, this is one of just 40 shotguns that were fitted with cast aluminum stocks made from melted-down slot machines confiscated during an Omaha PD raid. The stock is marked “OMAHA POLICE/NO 18/DEPT.”
The Winchester Model 97 was the standard police riot gun for decades, and a 20-inch cylinder bore barrel was the go-to configuration for close-quarters work. But standard Model 97s came with walnut stocks. These Omaha guns got something completely different: cast aluminum furniture made from gambling equipment seized during what was likely a major vice operation.
Turning confiscated slot machines into gun stocks is the kind of creative police department thinking that made for great newspaper headlines. Some administrator decided those seized machines could serve the city better as raw material than sitting in an evidence locker, and whoever made that call understood both symbolism and practicality. Aluminum stocks would be heavier than wood but essentially indestructible and immune to weather damage.
One of these aluminum-stocked Omaha PD shotguns was advertised in the Fall 1976 issue of “Soldier of Fortune” magazine, which means by the mid-1970s the department was selling them as surplus. The fact that the ad mentioned the slot machine connection suggests that story was already part of the gun’s appeal. Cast aluminum stocks weren’t common outside of some military applications, and having one made from confiscated gambling equipment makes this a unique piece of law enforcement history. This is number 18 out of reportedly 40 guns that received this treatment, which means finding one today is uncommon.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
Omaha Police Department Marked Winchester Model 97 Riot Slide Action Shotgun with Cast Aluminum Stock | Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1049/700/omaha-police-winchester-mod-97-riot-shotgun-with-aluminum-stock. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
The post POTD: Omaha PD Winchester 97 – Stocked Confiscated Slot Machines appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
