WINCHESTER MODEL 54 CARBINE HELP|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

Hi Roger-

Not 100% sure of the question, as stainless barrels were never standard on the M54 carbines/short rifles.  But… The M54 with 20-inch barrel came in two “flavors”. 

First was the one they actually called a “Carbine”.  Uncheckered finger groove stock, no swivels, no receiver sight option, barrels almost always made of Nickel Steel with “pinned” front sight. Different from the M54 1st Standard rifle with the checkered Schnabel fore end stock.   Like this (clip from 1929 catalog):

The second 20-inch barrel version was the “NRA Standard Rifle with 20-inch barrel”.  The NRA standard rifles came in about the same time (c. 1932) as the CMS barrels with their integral forged ramp (like the early M70s).  Same checkered NRA style stock as the 24-inch/26-inch Standard rifles.  Like this (clip from 1936 catalog):

Does this answer the question?

Lou

True!!!

In 1929 it was an $8.00 extra cost option in the catalog…  It just wasn’t standard, even on the M54 220 SWIFT.  Most of the 1935-1937 Swift barrels were CMS, even on first year M70s…

Here a M54 Carbine (30 WCF) with Stainless barrel…

Here’s a 1937 220 SWIFT M70 Standard rifle with a CMS barrel (’37 barrel date)…

Cheers,

Lou

Hi Roger-

Look at this clip from the 1936 Winchester catalog…  

The way I understand it (possibly wrong) is that the “Carbine” (the 20-inch barrel with finger groove stock) was introduced around 1927-ish (I’m not looking it up, just from recollection).  At the time, the standard M54 barrels were Nickel Steel and had the “pinned” front sight.  Winchester Proof Steel (CMS) barrels, the ones with the forged front ramp, happened in 1932.  This was roughly the same time that the NRA style stock was introduced in both 24-inch and 20-inch rifles, the former being called the “Model 54 Bolt Action Repeating Rifle” and the latter the “Model 54 Rifle with 20-inch Carbine barrel”… 

But… The change in barrel steel and the change in stock style were independent.  They just happened around the same time… So you can find NRA stocked Standard rifles with Nickel steel barrels and Carbines/1st Standard rifles with ramped CMS barrels.  

So referring to the catalog above, the NRA Standard rifle with 20-inch Carbine Barrel (mostly ramped CMS barrels) was CLEARLY a different product than the “Carbine” (mostly pinned Nickel Steel barrels).  But what do you make of the 1936 catalog?  Under the Standard rifle, they list the “Carbine” and just below it list the “M54 with 20-inch barrel”…  Hmmmm… My GUESS is that the “Carbine” still used the finger groove stock, but given the available calibers (some of which were not available before 1935) they MUST have had ramped CMS barrels…  I suppose they were just using up leftover finger groove stocks???

Very confusing… Do you have pics/serial number of a specific gun???

Lou

Roger I to am confused by your  term improved carbine , carbine first cataloged in 1927 , stainless barrels were available as an option in 1926 and were a special order item. I believe during this time period carbines could be had with a rifle stock if ordered . Have seen 3 20  inch  barreled rifles. During the transition period to n.r.a. stocks both  sight types will be found.Winchester used in stock barrels until the end of production for the 54 and some model 70 barrels were originally manufactured for the 54 . The biggest thing is Winchester  and would do what ever was ordered and during the depression sales were slow.