Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Winchester Model 54 30 WCF

Roger Rule's book, "The Rifleman�s Rifle" only shows the 35 Remington being chambered in the M-54 and it was not a standard offering. The others are not shown, but I sure the Winchester Custom Shop would have built one for a paying customer.

A Winchester 54 in .30/30 was the most accurate by God .30/30 I ever owned. I would blush to tell you how small the groups typically were. It was d/t'ed on the barrel for Unertl scope blocks, so I mounted a 10x Unertl and got sub-MOA accuracy with cast lead bullets. It is one of about 5 rifles I horse traded away over the years (out of hundreds)that I truly wish I had back.

I saw a M54 with a M70 bolt in it at a gunshow today.
This is about the fourth one I have encountered like this
over the years.

Jeff, how large was your Dad's collection and what other calibers and models did it include? I've always been fascinated by the pre-'64 Winchesters. How much do you think the collection would be worth today? Inquiring minds have to know! powdr

I am a self made Winchester collector, allbeit a small one. My grandfather left me his Model 12, and that's what got me going. The model 70 is the slickest rifle I own.

My dad likes old war rifles. Not a winny in the bunch.

Wrong, the "Rifleman's Rifle" book lists the 30-30 as an option in the model 54.

I would buy a 54 in 30/30 and I'm not a Winchester bolt fan in the least.

The Model 54 30-30 is a unique Rifle , it uses a different Receiver and Bolt than all the other Cals. . This is because of the 30-30 being a rimmed Case . There was a guy on one of these Forums a couple of months ago that had just been given a Mod. 54 Carbine in 30-30 and didn't know what he had . The only 54 more rare is the 220 Swift ! I noticed the finger grooves in the Stock and asked him what the Barrel length was and he said 19" . Then I had to tell the poor guy that he had hit the Mod. 54 Jackpot . That was the first and only Mod. 54 30-30 Carbine that I have ever seen , and I've been a Gunnut for 50 Years ! I have yet to see one in .35 Rem. and am skeptical as to their existance !

This has inspired me to take the plunge and get a 30/30 barrel threaded for a model 70 action and pick up a Modified bolt for it..

been learning a lot about switch barrel stuff...

Persevere, it took me over 50 years of looking to find my '54 carbine in 30/30..during that search I acquired one in the rifle config. about 5 years earlier, but picked up 30/30s in Savage super sporter model 45,a super sporter model 40,AND a Remington-Lee, all original,,I think the R-L 30/30 is a whole lot rarer than the model 54... Idabull

Aside from being the popular deer hunting cartridge that it is, the .30/30 is a darn fine target cartridge also- especially with cast lead bullets. I'll go so far as to say that if limited to one cartridge for all of my personal experimenting, target shooting, and hunting it would be the .30/30. A finer platform for that round than the M54 was never invented. (Unless of course one has a Winchester High Wall, or a Martini, but I digress.)