In what many gun buyers have called the “year of the lever gun” Smith & Wesson leads the pack with its Model 1854. In 2024, the company best known for heirloom-quality double-action revolvers and cutting-edge polymer-frame semi-automatic pistols and ARs under the Military & Police (M&P) banner is now in the lever-gun business. Its new rifle harkens back to the Volcanic lever-action handgun and rifle of founders Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson 170 years ago. Two versions of the new 1854 are available: a Limited Edition model with a polished black PVD finish and high-grade walnut furniture; and our test unit that combines a synthetic buttstock and fore-end with matte-finished stainless steel metalwork.
The 1854 is built with a forged steel receiver and chambered in .44 Remington Magnum. The action runs impeccably smoothly. With a nod to the future, its round-body bolt’s dimensions are designed to handle anticipated future chamberings like .45 Colt, .357 Magnum and .30-30 Winchester and, in a larger version, .45-70 Government and perhaps even .460 S&W Magnum and .500 S&W Magnum.
To feed the rifle Smith & Wesson used a polished side-gate mechanism and a tubular magazine. Both have their advantages. Loading the firearm through the side gate is effortless. Loading or unloading it through the tube certainly beats cycling every round through the action. Instead of a “tube within a tube” the company used a single sleeve that slides through the fore-end. It’s simple, effective, and allows for an unobstructed view to ensure the firearm is unloaded, as well as a reduced chance of a round hanging up somewhere between the magazine and chamber.
The barrel is 19.25-inches long and threaded 11/16x24 TPI to accept a brake or suppressor. It’s of a medium profile and button rifled, with a 1:20-inch twist. The tubular magazine that rides below the barrel offers nine-plus-one capacity in .44 Mag., and is removable from the gun for safe unloading.
The factory-installed sights—an XS rear aperture that teams with a gold front bead— are fabulous, and exactly what’s needed on a lever-action rifle. Additionally, a Picatinny rail is mounted atop the receiver, and it stands ready to accept rings and a riflescope of your choice. If you keep to optics with a small objective lens mounted in low rings you should be able to maintain a comfortable cheek weld. Overall, the Picatinny rail and the iron sights present plenty of sighting options, and make the run ready to run right out of the box.
The safety system includes a two-position cross-bolt safety and a half-cock. Hunters can use the cross-bolt as a layer of protection as they gently de-cock the rifle. Then they can bring it to half-cock, flip off the cross-bolt and prepare to fire. From here, a hunter merely brings the hammer to full cock before launching the first round. Notably, the 1854 is not built with a transfer bar, so resting the hammer on the firing pin is not a safe option when a round is in the chamber.
The synthetic furniture makes the gun all-weather. On the fore-end—at 3-, 6- and 9-o’clock—three M-LOK slots reinforced with steel stand ready to accept any number of attachments including a fore grip or a light or laser.
Working the oversized loop is fun and fast. Cycling through 10 rounds of .44 Mag. is a blast. The modern trigger shoe is flat and wide, and works well with the large-loop lever. S&W says it incorporates the same detail on the 1854 trigger as it does its revolvers, and after firing dozens of rounds through the rifle we agree. The trigger has ample, unburdened slack, a defined wall and just a bit of creep. Most importantly, it has zero overtravel and breaks just over the five-pound mark.
The 1854 is just 36-inches long, sports a nice, short length of pull of 13.25 inches and weighs 6.8 pounds. With it in hand, a rifleman can expect to climb from the truck and make hits from 40 to 140 yards with little effort. Shooting it is fun, and can send you back to the store for more ammo. Smith & Wesson certainly nailed it. Look for an 1854 in your local gun store with a shelf price of $1,279.
To learn more about it visit smith-wesson.com.
