The Winchester Model 54 is a

bolt-action Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). Most bolt-action ...

rifle manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The 54 was the first successful production run civilian centerfire bolt action for Winchester; it was essentially a less-ornate derivative of the limited-production Model 51 "Imperial." Using a Mauser 98Field and Stream, "The 50 Best Guns Ever Made"
/ref>-type action, the Model 54 was produced until 1936 when, with some modifications, it was reintroducedThe History of Winchester Firearms 1866–1992, Henshaw, Kuhloff, Barnes, and Hall, p.85
/ref> as the

Winchester Model 70 The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has s ...

. The Model 54 had a relatively heavy two stage trigger pull, which was greatly improved in the Model 70. Standard chamberings included the .22 Hornet,

.220 Swift The .220 Swift (5.56×56mmSR) is a semi-rimmed rifle cartridge developed by Winchester and introduced in 1935 for small game and varmint hunting. It was the first factory-loaded rifle cartridge with a muzzle velocity of over , just under ...

.250-3000 Savage The .250-3000 Savage (also known as the .250 Savage) is a rifle cartridge created by Charles Newton in 1915. It was designed to be used in the Savage Model 99 hammerless lever action rifle. The name comes from its original manufacturer, Savage ...

.257 Roberts The .257 Roberts, also known as .257 Bob, is a medium-powered .25 caliber rifle cartridge. It has been described as the best compromise between the low recoil and flat trajectory of smaller calibers such as the 5 mm (.22") and 6 mm (.24"), and ...

.270 Winchester The .270 Winchester is a rifle cartridge developed by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1923 and unveiled in 1925 as a chambering for their bolt-action Model 54The Complete Reloading Manual for the .270 Winchester, Loadbooks USA, Inc., 2004 ...

30-30 Winchester The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire cartridge was first marketed in 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle..30-06 Springfield The .30-06 Springfield cartridge (pronounced "thirty- aught-six" ), 7.62×63mm in metric notation, and called the .30 Gov't '06 by Winchester, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and later standardized; it remained in military use ...

, 7x57mm Mauser, 7.65x53mm Argentine, and 9x57mm Mauser. Special order chamberings were made in

.25-35 Winchester The .25-35 Winchester Center Fire was introduced in 1895 by Winchester for the Winchester Model 1894. Together with the .30-30 Winchester, it was one of the earliest smokeless cartridges designed in North America for a sporting rifle. Savage ado ...

.32 Winchester Special The .32 Winchester Special (or .32 WS) is a rimmed cartridge created in October 1901 for use in the Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifle. It is similar in name but unrelated to the .32-20 Winchester cartridge (which is also known as .32 WCF). ...

.35 Whelen The .35 Whelen is a powerful medium-bore rifle cartridge that does not require a magnum action or a magnum bolt-face. The parent of this cartridge is the .30-06 Springfield, which is necked-up to accept a bullet diameter of . This cartridge is m ...

, and 38-55 Winchester.Long live the Model 54 Winchester
/ref>
/ref> Introduced prior to the popularity of

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a '' reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate ...

s, it was intended for use with open or aperture sights, and the bolt throw makes the addition of a scope difficult.

References

* Bolt Action Rifles, De Haas and Zwoll, p. 57

External links

Exploded view
{{Winchester_Cartridges_Firearms Bolt-action rifles of the United States Winchester Repeating Arms Company firearms

See also

References

External links