In House Shipping:
Make: Winchester
Model: 54 Super Grade
Serial Number: 49809A
Year of Manufacture: 1936
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield (.30 Gov’t ’06)
Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Internal Box Magazine
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “-WINCHESTER / PROOF STEEL ”, “-MODEL 54-”, “WINCHESTER- / -TRADE MARK-”, and “.30 GOV’T '06-”. The right side of the barrel is marked “MADE IN U.S.A. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / —NEW HAVEN, CONN.—PATENTED—”. The left rear of the barrel and the left front of the receiver are marked with Winchester ovalled “WP” proofs. The left side of the receiver is marked “WINCHESTER / -TRADE MARK-”. The right side of the receiver is marked with the serial number “49809A”. The floor plate is marked “-SUPER GRADE-”.
Barrel Length: 24”, Round
Sights/Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed to a ramped base that’s slotted for a hood (none included). The rear sight dovetail has been filled. The top of the receiver is mounted with a Weaver K 2.5 scope on a Redfield base. The scope features a fine crosshair reticle; the sight picture is fairly clear, though a bit foggy. The glass is free of any notable scratches. The scope rates in Very Good Condition. The left side of the receiver is mounted with a sight base, but the sight itself has been removed to accommodate the scope. The stock has a cutout for the sight.
Stock Configuration and Condition: The stock is one-piece high-grade checkered walnut with an ebony nose cap, a “WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.” hard rubber capped semi-pistol grip, straight comb with cheek piece, sling plates at the front and rear with installed Super Grade sling rings, and a Winchester red rubber buttpad. The stock has some scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The checkering is strong and attractive. There is a small nick on the right side of the wrist that has removed a couple of the checkers. There is a small crack in the top of the wrist. The LOP measures 13 3/4” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttpad. The buttpad has darkened with age, and shows some scattered nicking and overall wear. Overall, the stock is in about Very Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is well-defined. There is some light erosion evenly dispersed throughout the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates at 7/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish is strong and complete throughout save for the bottom metal which has mostly worn to white and taken some light patina. There is finish loss on the muzzle. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The rifle has a three-position safety similar to the M-1903: all the way to the left locks the bolt and disables the trigger; straight up disables the trigger but the bolt is free to move; to the right enables the rifle to be fired. We did not fire this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork, and Accessories: This rifle comes with its attached scope as mentioned above.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 54 was the company's first bolt-action rifle firing high-velocity cartridges capable of taking big game, and for use in so-called big-bore target matches, and laid the groundwork for the famed Model 70. It had a fairly short production run, with about 50,000 made from 1925-1936. The “Super Grade” of the Model 54 rifle was only offered from 1934-1936, and not many were made, as the quality was so fine that most patrons could not afford such a rifle during the depths of the Great Depression. The Super Grade featured a beautiful high-grade checkered walnut stock with an ebony nose cap, a capped semi-pistol grip, and a straight comb with cheek piece.
This Winchester Model 54 Super Grade Rifle was made in 1936 and is in Very Good Condition. It features a 24” barrel, 80% of its original blued finish (the “-SUPER GRADE-” marked floor plate has mostly worn to white), a gorgeous one-piece high-grade checkered walnut stock (there’s a small nick on the right side of the wrist that has removed a couple of the checkers, and there’s a small crack in the top of the wrist) with an ebony nose cap, a “WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.” hard rubber capped semi-pistol grip, straight comb with cheek piece, sling plates at the front and rear with installed Super Grade sling rings, and a Winchester red rubber buttpad, clear markings, solid mechanics, and a bright bore with well-defined rifling and some light erosion evenly dispersed throughout. The top of the receiver is mounted with a Weaver K 2.5 scope on a Redfield base. The scope features a fine crosshair reticle; the sight picture is fairly clear, though a bit foggy. This Model 54 is chambered in .30-06, one of the most popular deer hunting cartridges in America, and with its very high serial number of 49809A, it was among the last few hundred ever made by Winchester.