There’s a certain gravity to a .45-70 cartridge in your hand. Maybe it’s the weight, or the way the brass tapers like a relic from another time. Maybe it’s because you know it’s been thundering through American rifles since 1873—when horses were transportation, and frontiers were still being claimed. The .45-70 isn’t just a cartridge. It’s a legacy. One that refuses to die.
And now, that legacy is feeding something brand new: the S&W Model 1854. A modern lever gun with roots that go back further than most people realize. When I first shot this thing at Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous 25’, I knew I needed to get one in for a closer look—not because I expected it to be perfect, but because I wanted to see if Smith & Wesson understood what a lever gun is supposed to feel like. Turns out, they do.
Legacy Round, Living Power
Let’s back up. The .45-70 was born from war. Introduced by the U.S. Army and produced at Springfield Armory, it was loaded originally as a black powder cartridge: .45 caliber, 70 grains of powder, and a 405-grain lead bullet. It was a big, slow-moving hammer built for stopping fights fast—and it did just that through the Indian Wars and into the late 19th century.
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Eventually, smokeless powder and higher-velocity rounds phased it out of military service. But the cartridge lived on in civilian hands, first with trapdoors, then lever guns like the Marlin 1895. It became the stuff of bear guides and brush hunters. And today, with modern loadings from Remington, Buffalo Bore, and others, .45-70 is every bit as relevant as it ever was.
This cartridge has range, literally and figuratively. From whisper-quiet cowboy action loads to 300-grain screamers that’ll rattle your fillings, .45-70 offers something few other cartridges can…soul. History. And fight-stopping authority in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing.
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S&W: Back to the Beginning
Some folks don’t realize it, but Smith & Wesson’s connection to lever guns goes back further than their first revolver. In the 1850s, Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson co-founded Volcanic Repeating Arms, makers of one of the earliest lever-action firearms. Those early designs weren’t perfect—primitive “rocket ball” ammo made them finicky—but the idea was there. Volcanic eventually became Winchester. And S&W? Well, they made their name in revolvers.
For nearly 170 years, Smith & Wesson stayed out of the lever gun game. That changed in 2024 when they dropped the Model 1854 in .44 Magnum. And now? They’ve gone full-bore with this .45-70 variant. The naming isn’t accidental. “1854” is a nod to their Volcanic origins. It’s a full-circle moment, acknowledgment that the lever gun has always been part of their DNA, even if it took a century and a half to come home.
Model 1854 Feels Right
The sample Model 1854 I have here features classic blued steel and a checkered walnut stock. None of the tacticool furniture or cerakote flash you might expect from a 2024 release. Just wood and steel. The kind of rifle that looks just as good in a saddle scabbard as it does on a gun rack in the cab of a ranch truck.
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The fit and finish? Classic S&W; tight tolerances, clean machining, and thoughtful assembly. The bolt runs smooth. The trigger breaks at a crisp 4 lbs., 12 oz., but feels a little heavier in the middle of the trigger pad, but its good in the field. There’s a detent at the top of the lever that makes lockup feel mechanical and confident. It’s has a cross-bolt style safety tucked behind the trigger guard.
It ships with a hammer extension. The sights, a tall brass bead and ghost ring rear, are affixed with proper fasteners. No need to scrounge parts to make it work. It’s ready.
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The action was slick out of the box, and it was clear this rifle had been test-fired before shipping. I love that. A few case marks on the receiver tell me a real human cycled this thing with real ammo before it left the factory. That’s a feature, not a flaw.
Optic Pairing: Meprolight Delivers
I know there are purists who wouldn’t dream of putting glass on a lever gun. But this isn’t 1895, and I like seeing what I’m shooting at. So I mounted the Meprolight 1-8×28 FFP optic on a Reptilia AUS mount, a combination that brings just the right level of modern utility to this nostalgic platform.
The Mepro is a duty-grade LPVO. It’s rugged, field-tested, and honest. Built around a 34mm tube with a daylight-visible M1 MRAD reticle, a weight of 25.3oz, it offers true 1x clarity (none of that fishbowl nonsense) and holds up under recoil like a champ. At 8x magnification, I can reach out comfortably to 300–400 yards, which is about the edge of where .45-70 makes sense anyway. Beyond that, the ballistic curve is a bit more bowed.
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But inside that range? With this reticle and this rifle? It’s a beast. Whether you’re hunting elk, fending off hogs, or just ringing steel on a hillside, the pairing is dead-on. The Schott glass quality is crisp, and the lit reticle doesn’t get lost, even when the sun’s out and your target’s in the shadows. Oh–and take your pick, red or green just turn the dial.
Big Green: Ammo That Delivers
For testing, I reached out to Remington for a trio of Core-Lokt loads, each showcasing a different flavor of .45-70:
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- 405gr SPCL (standard) – 1296.5 fps
- 405gr SPCL (mid) – 1658.7 fps
- 300gr SJHP (spicey) – 1858.3 fps
The 300 grain semi-jacketed hollow point was the standout for accuracy, turning in a 1.25” group at 100 yards from a bag. But they all shot well. Even the slower 405s hit with authority and consistency. Recoil? Manageable standing, spicy from the bench, but the factory buttpad soaks up enough to keep it fun.
That’s the beauty of .45-70: you can choose your own adventure. Whether you’re loading it quiet or hot, you’re getting performance that feels real. Not theoretical. Not marketed. Just there.
Weight & Worth
As I’ve configured it, this rifle weighs in at 9 lbs., 2.5 oz. Not light, but it carries well. That heft works in your favor when you’re shooting heavier loads. It balances right between the hands, and with the sling swivels in all the right places, it transitions cleanly from carry to ready.
What you’re holding is old-world function, brought to modern standards. This isn’t a rehash of something your grandfather owned, it’s a rebuild. A reimagining. It’s what a lever gun should be in 2025: capable, rugged, and ready to work.
Model 1854 — The Do-All Rifle
That’s really what this article is about. The do-all. I’ve carried bolt guns. ARs. Pistols with braces. But nothing checks as many boxes, across as many environments, as a good lever gun in .45-70.
Need to hunt whitetail in dense timber? Check.
Need to ride patrol on a property line? Check.
Need to keep a rifle handy on a backcountry trip? Check.
Need to grab one gun to solve a whole host of unpredictable problems? This is the one.
S&W offers this Model 1854 in stainless, too, if you’re the type who hunts no matter which way the wind’s blowing. Either way, you’re getting a tool that’s ready for work. The kind of rifle you pass down. The kind of cartridge that never dies.
Last Rack of the Lever
There’s a romance to lever guns, sure. But the 1854 isn’t just nostalgic, it’s useful. It reminds you that you don’t always need 20 rounds and a tactical sling. Sometimes, you just need six well-placed .45-70s and the confidence to use them.
Smith & Wesson could’ve phoned this in. They didn’t. They built something worth owning. Something worth trusting and kept it reasonable (msrp – $1499).
And in a world full of ARs and algorithms, maybe that’s exactly what we need right now—a rifle that feels like it came from somewhere real.
If you’re looking for a lever-action that bridges the past and the present, that lives up to its lineage but isn’t stuck in it—the S&W 1854 in .45-70 might just be your new favorite rifle. It sure as hell is mine.
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