The Winchester Model 54 Was the first bolt-action rifle made by Winchester for the civilian market. This rifle used a Mauser-like type of action with a claw extractor. A very solid gun and was the predecessor to the Model 70. The trigger pull was in 2-stages and was not favored by the target shooter. Many of these early guns have had the trigger replaced, particularly with the more sensitive Timmy trigger. After introduction of telescopic scopes for rifles, many of the Model 54 receivers were drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Shooters also often found it difficult to mount scope with the way the bolt arm was lifted when extracting spent cartridges.
The standard chambering of the Model 54 were for the common calibers of the day, including the 30-30 Winchester (30WCF) and 30-06 Springfield, the 270, 220 Swift, 250-300, .22 Hornet, .257 Roberts, and Mauser 7X57, 9X57, and 7.65X57 Argentine. Special order calibers like the .25-35 WCF, .32 WS and .35 Whelen could be ordered from the Winchester factory.
