Description
The Smith Wesson 1854 45 Colt Walnut is the traditional walnut version of the 1854, chambered in 45 Colt with a black Armornite finish over textured walnut furniture. It is the configuration for buyers who want a lever gun to look like a lever gun while keeping the modern features that make the design worth choosing.
Smith Wesson 1854 45 Colt Walnut Walnut and Armornite
The furniture is textured walnut rather than the smooth polished wood of a traditional lever gun. Texturing the grip areas is a small change with a real effect: wood is slick when wet, and a checkered or textured panel keeps the hand located in rain or with gloves on. It keeps the classic look while addressing the one practical drawback wood has always had.
The metal wears Armornite, a nitride treatment that hardens the surface rather than sitting on top as a coating. It is markedly more resistant to rust and wear than traditional bluing, so this rifle can be carried in weather in a way a genuinely blued gun from an earlier era could not.
45 Colt, Barrel and Magazine
The 19.25 inch barrel is threaded 11/16×24 at the muzzle. 45 Colt suits a suppressor unusually well, because the cartridge fires a large, heavy bullet that is already subsonic in most loadings, so no subsonic specific ammunition is needed to keep it quiet.
The magazine tube holds nine rounds and is removable, which is the meaningful departure from traditional lever design. Unloading a conventional lever gun means cycling every live round through the action one at a time; here the tube comes out with the cartridges still inside. Sights are XS, with an adjustable ghost ring rear and gold bead front, a Picatinny rail is fitted for optics, and the single stage trigger adjusts to roughly four pounds six ounces.
Ammunition Notes
A word on 45 Colt loading levels, because the range is wider than for most cartridges. Standard pressure ammunition is loaded conservatively so it remains safe in the original 1873 revolvers still in circulation, and it is mild to shoot. Separately, some manufacturers offer heavy loads intended only for modern strong actions such as Ruger revolvers and lever guns. The two categories are not interchangeable, and heavy loads should never be fired in a vintage revolver.
The tube magazine also calls for flat or round nosed bullets rather than pointed ones, since cartridges sit nose to primer in the tube. Virtually all 45 Colt ammunition is already flat nosed, so this seldom restricts anything in practice.
Specifications
- Model: 1854 Traditional Walnut
- Manufacturer part number: 13811
- Caliber: 45 Colt
- Capacity: 9 round removable tube magazine
- Barrel: 19.25 in.
- Muzzle threads: 11/16×24
- Finish: Black Armornite
- Stock: Textured walnut
- Sights: XS adjustable ghost ring rear, gold bead front
- Optics: Picatinny rail
- Trigger: Single stage, adjustable to approximately 4 lbs 6 oz
- UPC: 022188898576
Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson 1854 45 Colt Walnut
45 Colt in a rifle is a quietly excellent pairing. The cartridge dates to 1873 and remains a big, heavy, slow bullet, but from a 19 inch barrel with modern loads it becomes genuinely capable inside a hundred yards while staying pleasant to shoot. Recoil is a firm push rather than a sharp crack.
Choosing walnut over synthetic is not only about looks. Wood is warmer to hold in cold weather than polymer and deadens vibration differently, which is why plenty of hunters still prefer it despite the maintenance.
Who Should Buy It
The Smith Wesson 1854 45 Colt Walnut suits the hunter who wants a handy woods rifle with traditional lines, the shooter who already owns a 45 Colt revolver and likes sharing ammunition, and the suppressor owner looking for a naturally subsonic cartridge.
Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.
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