New Smith & Wesson Lever Action Rifle

[Woodsloafer]

Interesting they decided to introduce this but not sure it's any better or much different than any others. Looks a lot like a copy of a Marlin, right down to the safety.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/1854

An Official Journal Of The NRA | First Look: Smith & Wesson Model 1854 Lever Action Rifles

The new 1854 Series is a return to Smith & Wesson’s lever action roots.

www.shootingillustrated.com

 

[Agnotology]

why such a big hoop?


Also they probably have the tooling on hand and with the price of lever guns it would be stupid to not get into that market. The Springfield plant has a lot of real estate they can make "not scary featured" guns on.

 

[murf4321]

Gloves

 

[Zappa]

I don't like the cross-bolt safety, that's what ruined the late production Winchester 94's.
However, people have been asking for lever guns chambered in .460 and .500 S&W magnum for a long time, maybe they'll finally get them.

 

[Sparkey]

IMHO lever guns shouldn’t have safeties

 

[In God We Trust]

I don't like the cross-bolt safety, that's what ruined the late production Winchester 94's.
However, people have been asking for lever guns chambered in .460 and .500 S&W magnum for a long time, maybe they'll finally get them.

I thought Henry made one in .500 Mag?

 

[whacko]

IMHO lever guns shouldn’t have safeties

It's basically the same concept as a single action revolver. Hammer down equals safe. Yes you have to have your head in the game when loading one but ffs it's not rocket science. When I load my hernry to go hunting I always stop.....point it safe direction.....then lower the hammer.

Safeties on lever guns is for pussies. Lol

 

[whacko]

I thought Henry made one in .500 Mag?

Not yet

 

[grey]

It's basically the same concept as a single action revolver. Hammer down equals safe. Yes you have to have your head in the game when loading one but ffs it's not rocket science. When I load my hernry to go hunting I always stop.....point it safe direction.....then lower the hammer.

Safeties on lever guns is for pussies. Lol

Half cocked I thought.
A stainless lever in .460 sounds interesting

 

[whacko]

Half cocked I thought.
A stainless lever in .460 sounds interesting

There is no half cock on my Henry 357 or .410. They have transfer bars.

There is also no half cock on my ruger blackhawk. It has a transfer bar.

 

[The Anchor]

Hopefully someone starts another thread today on it….

 

[Broc]

I don't like the cross-bolt safety, that's what ruined the late production Winchester 94's.
However, people have been asking for lever guns chambered in .460 and .500 S&W magnum for a long time, maybe they'll finally get them.

460 is such an awesome round.

I think with PA jumping in the lever action world, people will have a lot of options now from Ruger, Henry, Winchester, S&W, PA, Uberti - although Uberti is a different audience, one thar cares about the finer things in life.

Winchester and Henry are offering some different stuff, there are only so many straight walled lever actions you can offer.

So I am hoping this will put some pressure on the market and force then to innovate. I think it would make sense for SW, or someone else, to offer a 460 and 500 after they release some in the classic cartridges.

I would love to see Magnum Research offer lever actions to match their BFR. They would probably cost around $2K, but they would be quality guns.

 

[gerrycaruso]

Big Horn Armory makes lever actions in both 460 and 500. That new S&W looks pretty nice but I don't care for the big lever and the wood stock model is way more than I'd pay.

 

[Broc]

Big Horn Armory makes lever actions in both 460 and 500. That new S&W looks pretty nice but I don't care for the big lever and the wood stock model is way more than I'd pay.

Big Horn is on a different level, that is why I didn't mention them.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

Half cocked I thought.
A stainless lever in .460 sounds interesting

There is no half cock on my Henry 357 or .410. They have transfer bars.

There is also no half cock on my ruger blackhawk. It has a transfer bar.

My Marlin 336 has half-cock. No safety. Was manufactured in the 60's.

 

[gerrycaruso]

Yes, I just looked up Big Horn Armory and they are outrageously expensive. I would think that anyone willing to spend over 3 grand on a wood stock S&W should speak with Turnbull Restorations. They don't just restore old guns. They also sell new ones that look like brand new 19th century rifles.

 

[straightshooterjake]

I like lever actions, and I am very interested to see an expert analysis of the internals of this rifle. Some sources have said that it is essentially a Marlin type action. I would like to know exact details.

Is the action exactly like a Marlin? Is it so similar that it is parts interchangeable? Are there any important differences or improvements? How tolerant is it of varying overall cartridge lengths? How reliable with .44 special? Most importantly, why would you choose this rifle over another rifle?

I expect all of these question will be answered at length as full reviews become available. But so far, I have not seen info on any of these important details. I am hoping that these answers will be linked here as they become available.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

Yes, I just looked up Big Horn Armory and they are outrageously expensive. I would think that anyone willing to spend over 3 grand on a wood stock S&W should speak with Turnbull Restorations. They don't just restore old guns. They also sell new ones that look like brand new 19th century rifles.

JINKIES! For 3k i would buy an old 336 or 1894 and restore it.

So upon investing gunbroker, rusty old Marlins are selling for $600 and up. ZOINKS!

 

[sshamrock]

There are other calibers in the pipeline for this. Hopefully within the next month or 2