Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70 – Superb Lever Action Rifle

Description

The Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70 is a modern lever gun built around one of the oldest and most respected American cartridges. It pairs a forged 416 stainless receiver and a black synthetic stock with a large loop lever, a threaded 20 inch barrel and XS ghost ring sights, in a package that handles like a traditional lever action and takes modern accessories.

Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70 Why 45-70 Government

Forty five seventy has been in continuous production since 1873, and it is still one of the most effective close-range cartridges available. A heavy .458 inch bullet at moderate velocity delivers enormous energy on large animals, and in a lever gun it is the classic North American brush and bear cartridge.

It is also the most flexible cartridge of its class for handloaders and load selectors. Cowboy loads are gentle enough for all-day plinking; heavy modern loads intended for strong actions are among the most powerful things you can fire from a shoulder-fired rifle short of a magnum. Match the load to the rifle and the job, and never fire ammunition loaded beyond what the rifle is rated for.

The honest caveat is recoil. Full-power 45-70 in a rifle this size pushes hard, and it is not a cartridge for a shooter who has not built up to it. Practice with lighter loads and save the heavy ones for the field.

What Makes This a Modern Lever Gun

The receiver is forged 416 stainless steel, which is stronger and more corrosion resistant than the carbon steel a traditional lever gun uses. Paired with a black synthetic stock, that makes the Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70 a rifle you can carry through weather without worrying about it.

The large loop lever gives more surface area to cycle the action with or without gloves, which matters in cold weather and matters more if you are wearing heavy gloves in a treestand. The action itself is smooth, and a flat trigger with a crisp break gives consistent finger placement.

The 20 inch barrel is threaded with a protector fitted, so a muzzle brake or suppressor mounts directly. Adjustable XS ghost ring sights with a gold bead front give a fast, rugged sight picture, and the receiver carries a Picatinny-style rail for a scope or red dot. M-LOK slots on the forend take a sling mount, light or bipod.

Setting Up the Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70

The XS ghost ring sights are good enough that many owners never mount an optic. A large aperture rear and a gold bead front is one of the fastest iron sight combinations ever devised, and it works in the low light of dawn and dusk when a lot of hunting actually happens. If you do want glass, the Picatinny rail takes a low power variable or a red dot without a gunsmith.

A red dot is arguably the better match for this rifle. Forty five seventy is a two hundred yard cartridge at the outside and most shots are much closer, which is exactly the envelope where a dot is fastest. It also removes the eye relief problem that scopes create on a heavy-recoiling rifle.

M-LOK slots on the forend take a sling mount directly, and a sling is not optional on a hunting rifle. Set the attachment points where they suit your build rather than accepting whatever a factory decided.

Handling and Maintenance

Lever actions load through a side gate and are cycled by hand, which means they are indifferent to ammunition pressure in a way a semi-automatic is not. Light cowboy loads and heavy hunting loads cycle equally well, which is part of why the platform suits a cartridge with such a wide loading range.

Keep the magazine tube and the action clean. Lever guns collect debris in the tube and around the loading gate more readily than a box magazine rifle, and a piece of grit in the wrong place can tie up the action at exactly the wrong moment.

Stainless is corrosion resistant rather than corrosion proof. A wipe with an oiled cloth after a wet day in the field is still worth the thirty seconds, particularly around the lever pivot and the loading gate where moisture collects.

Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70 Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 14204
• UPC: 022188900668
• Caliber: 45-70 Government
• Capacity: 6+1 rounds
• Barrel: 20 inches, threaded with thread protector
• Receiver: forged 416 stainless steel
• Stock: black synthetic with textured grip panels
• Sights: adjustable XS ghost ring rear, gold bead front
• Trigger: flat with crisp break
• Safety: cross-bolt manual safety
• Lever: large loop
• Mounting: Picatinny-style top rail, M-LOK slots on forend

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70

A lever action carries and points better in thick country than almost anything else. It is short, fast to shoulder, and works from either shoulder, which is why lever guns never went away despite a century of alternatives.

The threaded muzzle is more useful than it first appears. A brake makes full-power 45-70 considerably more pleasant to practice with, and 45-70 is one of the more rewarding cartridges to suppress because heavy subsonic loads are readily available. Suppressors require a federal tax stamp and a wait.

Straight-wall cartridge regulations in several states make 45-70 legal for deer hunting where bottleneck rifle cartridges are not. That is a genuine practical advantage for hunters in the Midwest, and worth checking against your own state rules.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson 1854 Large Loop 45-70 suits hunters and shooters who want a weatherproof, accessory-friendly lever gun in a serious cartridge: brush and timber hunters, straight-wall states deer hunters, guides and anyone wanting a stainless rifle that takes an optic and a suppressor.

Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.

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