Smith & Wesson 1854: New Gun, Old School

“1854” refers to not the yr the gun was initially launched (as is the case with a lot of Winchester’s lever weapons), however to the yr Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson launched a unique lever-action firearm, the Volcanic. The corporate says the Mannequin 1854 is the fruits of that storied gunmaking heritage, and I used to be stoked to see one other American firm providing considered one of America’s most well-known merchandise.

Nonetheless, coming into a brand new firearm class after 170 years is the final word take a look at of that adage about outdated canines and new tips. The 1854 must compete with Ruger-made Marlins, Henrys, and Winchesters, all of which take pleasure in devoted followings of lever gun aficionados. Solely time will inform if the 1854 can break into this market, however in my expertise with the rifle, it has a shot.

The Mannequin 1854 is a side-loading lever motion that options an exterior hammer, cross-bolt security, and medium-loop lever. Unfired cartridges may be unloaded by eradicating the tubular journal, and the rifle may be had in 44 Magnum, 357 Magnum, 45 Colt, and 45-70 Govt.

The Conventional Walnut 1854 is fitted with a walnut inventory whereas the Stealth Hunter 1854 is a kind of blacked-out tactical conditions you’ve heard a lot about. The unique Mannequin 1854 combines these two aesthetics by mating a stainless-steel barrel and receiver with black polymer furnishings. All three fashions mix the old fashioned with the brand new by that includes threaded barrels, ghost ring rear sights, and picatinny rails.

High to backside: Authentic, Conventional Walnut, and Stealth Hunter

I used the unique 1854 throughout the course of my testing, because of our buddies over at Scheels. Listed here are a few of its options and specs.

11/16-24 Threaded Barrel
Accepts mounts appropriate with Marlin® 1894 gap patterns
Black artificial inventory with textured grip panels
M-LOK® artificial forend with textured grip panels
Gold bead entrance sight
XS Sights ghost ring rear sight
1:20″ RH Twist 8-Groove Rifling
Giant loop working lever
Solid 416 SS Receiver
19.25″ 410 SS Barrel
9-round capability
6.8 kilos
Accessible in 44 Magnum, 357 Magnum, 45 Colt, and 45-70 Govt.
MSRP: $1279-$1499

The furnishings set that comes with this mannequin of the 1854 is loaded with options however retains a tasteful, low-profile aesthetic.

First, the texturing is sort of a much less aggressive skateboard tape. It’s tough sufficient to offer you a agency buy on the rifle however not so tough that it takes off a layer of pores and skin.

The inventory contains a wholesome recoil pad to soak up the .44 Magnum, and the forend has M-LOK slots on the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. That may not communicate to many northern hunters, however right here within the South, it’s good to have the ability to affix an enormous inexperienced flashlight for hog looking. I’ve seen lever gun hunters use duct tape to connect a flashlight to their rifles, however the 1854 gives a extra elegant and safe answer.

I used to be additionally happy to see that the 1854 can settle for forends, shares, and picatinny rails that use a Marlin Mannequin 1894 sample. All Mannequin 1854’s include a picatinny rail, but when for no matter cause you lose or harm it, you’ll seemingly be capable of discover a new one at your native gun retailer. And, if you wish to swap out the polymer inventory and forend with one thing extra conventional, you are able to do that by discovering furnishings that matches an 1894. Good on Smith & Wesson for giving clients available aftermarket choices relatively than making an attempt to fleece them for more cash.

My solely gripe is with the entrance sling stud. It really works high quality with most swivel sling attachments, however good luck attaching a bipod. The mechanism on the MDT looking bipod I exploit has no hope of slotting into the recessed stud, and regardless that this Caldwell bipod can connect, it’s unstable as a result of the stud is on the very entrance of the forend. The bipod has nothing to brace in opposition to ahead of the stud, and so it could swing backwards and forwards.

The most effective answer can be to make use of a bipod with M-LOK attachments or set up a rail to a kind of M-LOK slots. However if you happen to don’t have a bipod that attaches to a rail or M-LOK, you’ll must get one if you wish to use it with the 1854.

Shifting from how the gun seems to how the gun shoots, I used to be amused to see that Smith had legally claimed “Smith & Wesson Clean™” and added it to each 1854 product description.

An organization doesn’t trademark a catchphrase except they’re assured it precisely describes their product (or, no less than, they shouldn’t). Smith & Wesson calls the smoothness of the 1854 the rifle’s “standout function,” and in a sure sense, they’ve put their cash the place their mouth is.

Drawback is, “clean” is subjective. A rusted motion is clearly rougher than a brand new one, however there’s no goal commonplace that describes the way it feels to run the lever. You would possibly decide up an 1854 and be blown away by the motion whereas another fella would possibly shrug and shake his head. Nonetheless, for what my opinion is price, I’d put the 1854’s nearer to “child’s backside” than “sandpaper” on the smoothness chart.

In truth, I’ve a tough time considering again to a smoother side-loading lever gun straight from the field. It’s positively slicker than this Marlin 336 I reviewed final yr, although the motion itself resembles a 336. The 1854 isn’t as clean as Henry’s Lever Motion Supreme, however Henry’s gun doesn’t need to work a lifter (the half that lifts a cartridge from the journal). The 1854 should first increase a cartridge from the tubular journal after which load it into the chamber, which introduces extra alternatives for friction. So, whereas it will not be absolutely the smoothest lever gun in the marketplace, it’s positively close to the highest of the checklist for equally designed rifles.

The takedown course of is easy, and much like that of a Marlin 336.

I additionally had zero reliability points as I put the 1854 via its paces. It by no means didn’t feed or extract, and it went bang each time I pulled the set off. That’s all you possibly can actually ask from a lever gun, and the 1854 delivers it.

When you get a spherical loaded into the chamber, the set off comes into play. All Mannequin 1854’s include a flat-faced set off, which, for my part, is an odd alternative for a lever gun. Some three-gun fashion aggressive shooters choose flat-faced triggers as a result of they are saying they promote sooner taking pictures in a semi-automatic platform. However when you can run a lever gun rapidly, a flat set off is unlikely to enhance your break up instances.

It additionally seems misplaced on the Conventional Walnut mannequin. I don’t thoughts it on the Stealth Hunter and even the unique, nevertheless it stands proud like a sore thumb alongside the attractive walnut furnishings. However that’s simply my opinion.

I really feel simply as ambivalent about how the set off features. For a lever gun, it’s high quality. It has some preliminary pre-travel that makes it really feel like a double-action, however I don’t see something within the advertising and marketing supplies about that being intentional. When you hit the wall, there’s just a little extra motion earlier than the set off breaks round 5 kilos. Once more, it’s a high quality set off for a lever gun, and given just a little apply, it gained’t be the rationale you miss.

With a Sig Sauer WHISKEY6 mounted to the rail, an unloaded Mannequin 1854 clocks in at 8 kilos 6 ounces. I feel that’s the proper weight for a rifle chambered in 44 Magnum. It’s heavy sufficient to soak up recoil and make this gun surprisingly nice to shoot, however not so heavy that you just’d fear about taking it within the subject.

That was precisely my expertise throughout my journeys to the vary. As soon as I accomplished accuracy testing (extra on that beneath), I used to be in a position to rise up from the bench and use the 1854 because it was meant for use. I shot from standing, seated, and different subject positions, and I discovered that the gun was properly balanced and got here naturally to the shoulder. It additionally ran like a prime. That clean motion shines in quick-shooting situations, and I ran via my provide of 44 Magnum extra rapidly than I might have appreciated.

If you happen to choose to go old-school and use irons relatively than a magnified optic, Smith & Wesson has you coated. The rifle comes with an XS Sights ghost ring rear sight paired with a gold bead entrance sight. This isn’t a mix for precision work as a result of the big ghost ring doesn’t provide a sufficiently small level of reference to put the entrance sight in the identical place each time. However for a fast shot on a deer or, God forbid, a charging grizzly, it’s precisely what you need.

If you happen to do wish to use the 1854 for exact taking pictures, make sure you do some accuracy testing to see what bullet it prefers. My testing revealed that this explicit rifle appeared to love bullets on the heavier finish of the 44 Magazine. spectrum. I examined three cartridges, one from Federal and two from Hornady, and was very happy with the outcomes from the 270-grain HammerDown bullets. These rounds averaged about 1.3-inch three-shot teams at 100 yards and produced a number of at or beneath the one-inch mark, together with a clover-pattern 0.4-inch group. That group is admittedly an outlier, nevertheless it signifies that with a number of tweaks on the reloading bench, the 270-grain HammerDown can be a stable performer.

That is the perfect group this rifle produced (disregard the bullet gap on the underside proper; that was shot in one other group on a goal stapled subsequent to this one).

I anticipated this rifle to supply teams within the 1.5-2-inch vary, so I used to be much less impressed with the 240-grain XTP and 225-grain FTX choices from Hornady. I used to be particularly shocked on the 225-grain LeveRevolution rounds as a result of I’ve seen different reviews that declare the Mannequin 1854 shoots these the perfect. With this rifle, that was not the case. The photographs had been so erratic that I gave up making an attempt to shoot particular person teams and simply fired 10 photographs on the center of a paper goal. The “group” measured over 5 inches, and I exploit that time period loosely.

I don’t know why I noticed such a large disparity between the consistency of 1 cartridge/bullet versus one other. It’s not unusual for rifles to choose a specific mixture, however normally the vary isn’t so large.

Nonetheless, I’m assured that you just’ll be capable of discover one thing your 1854 likes. The 44 Magazine was by no means a sniper spherical, so it doesn’t need to compete with a bolt-action chambered in a bottleneck cartridge. It simply needs to be constant sufficient to hit an important space out to about 200 yards, which is properly throughout the wheelhouse of the 1854.

Smith & Wesson didn’t want to return out with a lever gun. I’m not privvy to their financials, however I’m certain they had been doing simply high quality promoting the revolvers, striker-fired handguns, and, extra just lately, AR-15s which have made them a family title. Their determination to leap into the lever-action market speaks to the continued recognition of the platform–and the demand from hunters and sport shooters for a new-school tackle an old-school design.

It’s not good, and it’s actually not alone, however I feel the 1854 meets that want. It gives stable efficiency, slick options, and the cross-compatibility that enables customers to make their gun their very own. Plus, with costs hovering round $1200, it’s not out of attain for many hunters.

On the subject of lever actions, extra choices is rarely a foul factor, particularly when these choices are coming from a good firm like Smith & Wesson. Verify one out the subsequent time you’re at your native gun retailer and also you would possibly simply discover that an outdated canine like S&W can study a number of new tips in spite of everything.