Smith and Wesson is now offering the 1854 level action in .45-70. This marks the first offering in a rifle caliber for the model. I don't know why but it seems that .45-70 is a very popular caliber for lever actions. I had heard that Marlin's best seller is the 1895. Anyway, I like this S&W option as its wood stocked, blued steel and with a 20 inch threaded barrel. I'm interested in seeing a .30-30 in that same setup but I think there is now a place for something amazing.
.45-70's overall length is around 2.5 inches and has a rim diameter of .608 inch. 500 S&W Magnum is 2.3 inches long and has a rim diameter of .556 inch. Simply put, 500 Mag is just a bit shorter than .45-70 which means that 500 Mag fits in the action of the rifle caliber versions of the 1854. The only downside is that 500 Mag has a massively higher chamber pressure and probably a higher bolt thrust compared to .45-70. The 1854 action might just not be robust enough to handle the mighty magnum.
I have no idea if S&W is moving toward either of the 500 and 460 magnums but it's starting to look like my dream of a Marlin 336 Classic with a threaded barrel will be made by Smith and Wesson.
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