Breaking: Smith & Wesson Now Makes Lever Action Rifles

On Monday, Smith & Wesson came off the bench that they have been sitting on for 170 years and introduced a lever action rifle.

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Michael Crites

Licensed Concealed Carry Holder

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Updated

Jan 2024

On Monday, Smith & Wesson came off the bench that they have been sitting on for 170 years and introduced a lever action rifle. The new Model 1854– so named after the patent the company’s founders filed that year for what became the Volcanic series of lever guns— is a stainless “big loop” rifle that favors the Marlin 1895 Stainless Big Loop by a good bit.

The differences between the two is that the S&W model has a synthetic stock with Magpul M-LOK slots, a removable magazine tube, a shorter optics top rail, and is chambered in .44 Magnum rather than .45-70 like the Marlin.

The new Smith & Wesson 1854 has a 19.12-inch threaded barrel and a 9+1 shot magazine. The ask is expected to be $1,200.

Speaking of Marlin, Ruger has rebooted them with just a single model in late 2021 (ironically, the M1895 SBL) and now has 10 lever guns in production with two more coming later this year. Rossi is also beefing up their own offerings with the Rio Bravo Tactical along with the new R95 Triple Black and Laminate models, all making their first public appearances at SHOT Show this week.

It seems like lever guns are the new hotness.