Either a low-power variable optic or a red-dot sight is an ideal choice for this handgun caliber-chambered lever action. (Matt Foster photo)
September 26, 2025
By Matt Foster
For those looking for the tl;dr summary, Smith & Wesson hit an absolute home run with their Model 1854 Traditional Walnut lever-action rifle. Truly, the legacy brand did a fantastic job with both the design and production of this gun. It looks great, cycles and shoots well, is comfortable to handle and has some updated features over traditional lever-actions that are greatly appreciated. Stick with me for a few minutes and I’ll give you a quick yet complete rundown on this new Smith & Wesson lever-action rifle.
LOOK AND FEEL The S&W Model 1854 Traditional Walnut Lever-Action Rifle isn’t a reproduction or reintroduction of any previous model of Smith & Wesson firearm. It’s a new design, named after the period Smith & Wesson patented the Volcanic cartridge for the Volcanic lever-action rifle and pistol. It’s an interesting story. Look it up and give it a read.
Overall, there are no surprises here. The 1854 is a traditional looking lever-action , tube magazine-fed, hammer-fired rifle. The firing mechanism includes a half-cock and cross-bolt safety. It is worth taking some time to get used to working the cross-bolt safety. It “got” me a time or two while giving the rifle a workout on some steel targets. Our test sample, chambered in .44 Magnum, weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces, which isn’t surprising given there’s more metal in these guns than the typical bolt action. In the case of the Model 1854, the metal includes of a slab-side, stainless steel receiver with S&W’s proprietary Armornite finish. This is a durable nitride finish rather than a spray-on coating. It looks great and is quite durable. The receiver has a solid top with side-ejection, making it easy to mount optics. This makes it superior to lever actions that are top-ejecting. Fight me if you want, it’s just a fact. The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts and comes with a full-length Picatinny rail and an excellent XS Sights ghost ring rear sight inset at rear of the scope rail.
The 19.25-inch barrel has a heavy profile for a .44 Mag. that adds to the rifle’s heft. It is also Armornite-finished stainless steel and features an extremely robust gold bead front sight. The muzzle is threaded, which is great, because non-threaded muzzles are uncivilized. Let’s not do that anymore.
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The lever loop is large, but it’s commensurate with the size of the rifle. It’s wide enough to be comfortable, yet not so wide that you feel like your hand is getting a running start when working the action.
As you might expect given the name of the rifle, the buttstock and forearm are made of walnut. Both have laser “checkering” that isn’t really checkering; rather, it’s more of a laser-carved texture. Regardless, it’s attractive and provides some needed grip on the otherwise smoothly finished wood. Overall, the stocks look great, are easy to hold and provide a nice, warm feel compared to synthetics or composites. The forearm is held in place by a steel cap with an integral sling swivel stud. The buttstock has a corresponding sling swivel stud and a nice rubber recoil pad.
The straight, flat-faced trigger is an interesting touch on this rifle. It’s in keeping with the 1854 having classic styling but also contemporary features and flair. I like it. The trigger pull averaged about 4 pounds 7 ounces and it broke cleanly with almost no creep.
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RANGE TIME The S&W 1854 Traditional Walnut looks great and has some impressive features. To find out if it cycled and shot just as well, I mounted a Leupold VX-3HD 2.5–8x32 mm scope onto the factory base. I wouldn’t normally use a scope in this magnification range on a .44 Mag., but I wanted to test the accuracy, not how well I could see. For the same reason, I didn’t test accuracy with open sights. Ammunition consisted of Hornady Handgun Hunter, Fiocchi Defense Dynamics and Federal Premium HammerDown. All accuracy testing was done at 100 yards, with a Silencer Central Banish 46 threaded onto the muzzle. I also did some shooting with the iron sights to see how they worked for target acquisition and ease of use, hammering an MGM Targets Auto Popper, which was ridiculously fun with this rifle.
Fortunately, the S&W 1854 does shoot as good as it looks. Groups ranged in size from just over 3 inches to .9 inch, averaging about 1.7 inch at 100 yards. Given this is probably as far as most would hunt with a .44 Mag., that is more than acceptable accuracy. Loading through the side gate was easy, with no pinching of fingers or cartridges hanging up. The action cycles quite smoothly, easily keeping the rifle mostly on target while levering the next round into battery.
Photo courtesy of Smith and Wesson If you haven’t shot the .44 Magnum out of a rifle, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. It is soft-shooting, easy-handling and just plain fun. Because of the Model 1854’s weight, the recoil is minimal, yet you’re still slinging 200 to 300 grains of game-getting goodness downrange with increased velocities over what you’d get out of a handgun.
Another great thing about the rifle is it’s ready to hunt right out of the box. Zero the iron sights with your favorite load and you’re ready to go. If you want to use an optic, the factory-installed rail makes it simple. Good options for this rifle include a low-power variable optic like a Leupold VX-5HD 1-5x24 or a red dot sight like the Aimpoint Micro or ACRO. I would use these optics with QD rings or mounts so I could switch to iron sights if needed or just for fun.
One thing to note: Lever actions can be difficult to clean with a rod from the breech because of the required disassembly (don’t use a cleaning rod from the muzzle if you don’t have to). A good Bore Snake or Otis-style cleaning setup will make this maintenance much easier.
As a former director of marketing at Marlin Firearms, I am an admitted lever-action snob. So, when I first heard about the 1854, I did not expect to be impressed. However, Smith & Wesson did this one right. Developing a new firearm is no small feat, particularly when it’s an action the company has never made before. Smith & Wesson’s approach of offering a classic rifle with modernized features plays well. Other models are available that tilt more toward the modern if that’s your thing. Either way, the Smith & Wesson 1854 platform, available in various revolver and lever-action cartridges from .357 Magnum to .45-70 Govt., is a win for the company, hunters and lever-action fans alike.
SPECIFICATIONS: Smith & Wesson Model 1854 Traditional Walnut Type: Lever-action centerfire rifle Caliber: .44 Rem. Mag. Barrel: 19.25 in.; threaded; 1:20-in. twist Trigger: Flat-faced; 4 lb. 7 oz. (tested) Safety: Cross-bolt Magazine: Tubular; 9+1 capacity Sights: XS Sights ghost ring (rear); gold bead (front); Picatinny rail Stock: Walnut Metal Finish: Armonite nitride Overall Length: 36 in. Weight: 6 lb. 14 oz. MSRP: $1,399 ACCURACY RESULTS: Smith & Wesson Model 1854 Traditional Walnut Hornady Handgun Hunter Bullet Weight: 200 gr. (MonoFlex) Muzzle Velocity: 1,660 fps Average Group: 1.708 in. Fiocchi Defense Dynamics Bullet Weight: 240 gr.(jacketed soft point) Muzzle Velocity: 1,346 fps Smallest Group: 1.714 in. Federal Premium HammerDown Bullet Weight: 270 gr. (bonded soft point) Muzzle Velocity: 1,679 fps Smallest Group: 1.818 in. Muzzle velocity is the average of 10 consecutive shots as measured by a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph. Accuracy is the average of five consecutive three-shot groups fired from a rest at 100 yards.
This article was featured in the September 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
