Last year, Smith & Wesson introduced the model 1854 lever action rifle. Initially chambered in .44 magnum, they have since expanded the offerings to include .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, and just recently, .45–70.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/1854
The rifle offers several features, including a flat trigger, a Picatinny rail, a nice ghost ring sight, rubber butt pad, capacity of 9+1 in .44 and .45 Colt, and 10+1 in .357, a releasable magazine tube* that allows for faster unloading than cycling the action, and a polymer stock option, as well as tricked out “tactical” stock and hand guard option in the “stealth hunter” model. It’s made from stainless steel, and the polymer stock version leaves the receiver in bare stainless while the walnut and “stealth hunter” coat the receiver in black finish.
*You still load through the loading gate, this just allows faster unloading than cycling the action 9 or 10 times.
Reviews have all been very positive, praising the crisp trigger, the handling, the smooth action, and those features listed above.
I opted for the .44 magnum chambering with the traditional walnut stock. It arrived last week. I thought about the other chambering, but the .44 magnum has the most options for ammo, has the most power, and I can run .44 special if I need to reduce the recoil. The .45-70 had not been announced when I ordered this one, and I am not sure I would trade the ammo capacity for the increased power of the .45-70.
I added a leather sling from Teton leather: https://www.tetonleather.com/store/p92/Tetonsling.html#/
I added a Leupold Delta Point Pro Red Dot. The ghost ring was nice, but I wanted to see how a traditional rifle felt with a modern sighting system.
https://www.leupold.com/deltapoint-pro-red-dot
So, how does it shoot?
In a word - great!. The trigger is crisp, and relatively light, for a rifle. Very nice. The action is smooth, through, admittedly, I have very little experience with lever action rifles - I own three, but don’t shoot them much. This is at least as smooth as the Henrys that I have picked up and tried in various settings.
The recoil is considerable. Makes sense if you think about it - the 19 1/4” barrel imparts a lot more velocity to the .44 magnum projectile over that from a revolver. A 240 grain SJHP moving at close to 2,000 fps is going to make for some decent recoil, as well as excellent terminal effectiveness. But the rubber pad mitigates the feel, so it’s pleasant to shoot.
I have a Ruger .44 Carbine - Ruger’s first rifle - and that carbine, which weighs only 5 lbs and has a steel butt plate, is pretty harsh to shoot. 2lbs and rubber pad make a big difference.
Accuracy has yet to be determined. I sighted in the red dot, at 25 yards on an indoor range, and got three shots in an inch, but I did most of my shooting off hand - so many hits were much farther out than an inch. Could be me. It’s not the trigger, that’s quite nice, and I look forward to getting it to an outdoor range where I can bench it and see.
Because the .44 Magnum is of limited use beyond 100 yards (the big bullet slows considerably, and the modest velocity means there is significant bullet drop) I am would like to sight it in for 50 yards, and then see what that gets me for 100 yard drop. It’s great to be able to shoot both eyes open and with a crisp dot, and I don’t have any intention of shooting this long range.
As an aside, if I lived in a state that didn’t allow a semi-auto rifle, or limited the capacity of the same, then, honestly, this would make a great self/home defense gun. I would choose the .357 for that duty, both for faster follow up and for slightly greater capacity. The .357 allows you to shoot .38 special, as well.
I really like this rifle - it’s the first time in over 150 years that Smith & Wesson have built a lever action, and they really did a great job with this rifle - crisp trigger, good handling, nicely made, good magazine capacity, some nice features. It needs nothing right out of the box.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/1854
The rifle offers several features, including a flat trigger, a Picatinny rail, a nice ghost ring sight, rubber butt pad, capacity of 9+1 in .44 and .45 Colt, and 10+1 in .357, a releasable magazine tube* that allows for faster unloading than cycling the action, and a polymer stock option, as well as tricked out “tactical” stock and hand guard option in the “stealth hunter” model. It’s made from stainless steel, and the polymer stock version leaves the receiver in bare stainless while the walnut and “stealth hunter” coat the receiver in black finish.
*You still load through the loading gate, this just allows faster unloading than cycling the action 9 or 10 times.
Reviews have all been very positive, praising the crisp trigger, the handling, the smooth action, and those features listed above.
I opted for the .44 magnum chambering with the traditional walnut stock. It arrived last week. I thought about the other chambering, but the .44 magnum has the most options for ammo, has the most power, and I can run .44 special if I need to reduce the recoil. The .45-70 had not been announced when I ordered this one, and I am not sure I would trade the ammo capacity for the increased power of the .45-70.
I added a leather sling from Teton leather: https://www.tetonleather.com/store/p92/Tetonsling.html#/
I added a Leupold Delta Point Pro Red Dot. The ghost ring was nice, but I wanted to see how a traditional rifle felt with a modern sighting system.
https://www.leupold.com/deltapoint-pro-red-dot
So, how does it shoot?
In a word - great!. The trigger is crisp, and relatively light, for a rifle. Very nice. The action is smooth, through, admittedly, I have very little experience with lever action rifles - I own three, but don’t shoot them much. This is at least as smooth as the Henrys that I have picked up and tried in various settings.
The recoil is considerable. Makes sense if you think about it - the 19 1/4” barrel imparts a lot more velocity to the .44 magnum projectile over that from a revolver. A 240 grain SJHP moving at close to 2,000 fps is going to make for some decent recoil, as well as excellent terminal effectiveness. But the rubber pad mitigates the feel, so it’s pleasant to shoot.
I have a Ruger .44 Carbine - Ruger’s first rifle - and that carbine, which weighs only 5 lbs and has a steel butt plate, is pretty harsh to shoot. 2lbs and rubber pad make a big difference.
Accuracy has yet to be determined. I sighted in the red dot, at 25 yards on an indoor range, and got three shots in an inch, but I did most of my shooting off hand - so many hits were much farther out than an inch. Could be me. It’s not the trigger, that’s quite nice, and I look forward to getting it to an outdoor range where I can bench it and see.
Because the .44 Magnum is of limited use beyond 100 yards (the big bullet slows considerably, and the modest velocity means there is significant bullet drop) I am would like to sight it in for 50 yards, and then see what that gets me for 100 yard drop. It’s great to be able to shoot both eyes open and with a crisp dot, and I don’t have any intention of shooting this long range.
As an aside, if I lived in a state that didn’t allow a semi-auto rifle, or limited the capacity of the same, then, honestly, this would make a great self/home defense gun. I would choose the .357 for that duty, both for faster follow up and for slightly greater capacity. The .357 allows you to shoot .38 special, as well.
I really like this rifle - it’s the first time in over 150 years that Smith & Wesson have built a lever action, and they really did a great job with this rifle - crisp trigger, good handling, nicely made, good magazine capacity, some nice features. It needs nothing right out of the box.
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