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Winchester Super Grade on guns International for sale did thy mark a S stamp on it like the 70s and was the bolt scribed with the serial number on the 54s like the model 70.
Roger, The bolt was indeed scribed with the receiver Serial Number. I don’t own a Model 54 Super Grade. So, I am not sure about the S mark that is stamped on the Model 70. The Model 54 Super Grade was introduced in 1934. That stated the Serial number should be in the 40,000 range, and above. They stopped production on The Model 54 in 1937. With the exception of making a few more in .22 Hornet. This means that they only made Model 54 Super Grades for a short period of time. From what I can tell is that the sights were also the same as the Standard rifle.
Hi Roger, Here is a photo of markings on two M54 bolts.
If my recollection is correct, the “S” stamp on the underside of the Super Grade M70’s receiver was something that came later in production. Not 100% sure on that.
November 5, 2014
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Hi Roger-
That rifle looks correct to me…
Winchester did not mark M54 Super Grade recoil lugs with the “backwards S” stamp nor did they mark the barrels with the word “SUPER”. The front sight on these was a Lyman 31W gold bead, not a Redfield full gold as on the M70. FWIW… M70 Super Grades were not regularly stamped on the recoil lug or barrel either until 1955.
I think that the “backward S” on the post-1955 SG receiver was to denote hand lapped action rails, as the receivers were stamped before the action was even blued, let alone mated to the engine turned bolt/extractor/collar components. The post-1955 “SUPER” stamp denoted a rust blued barrel, after Winchester went back to rust blue on Super Grades. It is my impression (not fact) that the recoil lug stamp on later M70 Super Grades is less consistently present than the “SUPER” stamp on the barrel.
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Roger, I do have a non Super Grade Model 54 that is marked with the Serial Number on the bolt. I have seen a very early Model 54 that was not marked with the serial number, and the inspection stamp was located where the serial number would have been. That was the only exception that I have seen. 1ned1 you are correct in that this was a later feature, the S marked Super Grade on the Model 70. I would think that the Model 54 Super Grade is not marked with a S, but I am not 100% sure of it. Roger, may I suggest that you try to find David Bichrich’s Model 54 book. There is a lot of good information on the Model 54 in that book.
I agree with Louis that the Super Grade Model 54 that you have questions on does look good. Now, the Standard grade the same seller has listed does have some concerns.
November 5, 2014
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Hi Bob-
Just out of curiosity, what are the “concerns” with the M54 Standard Rifle you mention above? I have two of these and I didn’t see the problem with this one in my quick look… Maybe the 12S blank instead of a Lyman 6W on a 1st Standard Rifle with Lyman 48W???
Thanks!!!
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Louis, There are a lot of them. First a 1928 rifle should have a blued bolt body, not a polished one. It is too early to have a gas port drilled in the receiver. The NRA stock was also adopted later, and the ramped front site was not offered until later. Was it sent back to Winchester for these upgrades? Or did someone piece it together. I am not sure.
While on the subject of M54’s, did others see the Snipers Match that sold at Rock Island Saturday? They had it listed as a target rifle.
Roger, Winchester started drilling the receiver for a gas port on the Model 54 in 1934. 1ned1 I don’t look at RIA, but what you posted it looks like a pretty nice rifle. What did it sell for?
Bo Rich said
Roger, Winchester started drilling the receiver for a gas port on the Model 54 in 1934. 1ned1 I don’t look at RIA, but what you posted it looks like a pretty nice rifle. What did it sell for?
Bo,
It sold for $3525, including the buyer’s premium. I wrestled with what the hammer price might be.
Apparently the consignor and RIA didn’t know exactly what it was. Although it was not a high condition piece, I think someone got an interesting, rare rifle at what could be considered a reasonable price these days.
Ned
Ned, I agree with you that someone got a very nice rifle for a decent price. The funny thing is that there is not a lot of information out there on the Model 54. That is with the exception of David Bichrest excellent book. Most combine it with the Model 70 thinking that if it is rare in a Model 70 it must be the same as in a Model 54. A example would be that a 9X57 M/M was a regular cataloged chambering for the Model 54. This of course was not true with the Model 70. A .250-3000 Savage is a lot more common in a Model 54, the either the .220 Swift or the .257 Roberts. I could go on with the different styles, but that’s for another day.
November 5, 2014
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Hi Bob-
Good points about the GI Standard Rifle!!! 
I only looked it over quickly and didn’t pay attention to the serial number. Now it’s been taken down, sold or removed… So I can’t seem to go back and I didn’t save photos.
The NRA style stock appeared in 1931, which I think was introduced about the same time they started polishing the bolt body. The CMS barrel, with integral front ramp, appeared in 1932. The speedlock first appeared on the “new” 22 HORNET in 1932, and the gas porting appeared around S/N 38,000 in 1932. This according to Rule, Bichrest, and the WACA serial number lookup. I have limited knowledge of M54s…
Winchester did offer to retrofit 1st Standard rifles with the gas porting system, and I could imagine that they would have polished the bolt at that time since the bolt, not just the receiver, also had to be annealed, drilled, and re-hardened (or replaced). OTOH… A 28000 serial number receiver would have been made in 1929, which coincidentally, was the year the Stock Market Crashed and the year before WRACo. went into receivership. So I could easily imagine that a 1929 receiver didn’t get used until circa 1932…
Did you happen to notice whether the right side of the barrel was stamped “PATENTED” or “PATENTS APPLIED FOR”? Or whether the barrel date was shown? The latter stamp was only used in 1932, so would help date the barrel. I’ve even seen a half dozen M70s with 20″ or 24″ long barrels dated ’32 and marked “Patents Applied For”. All but one was in 250-3000 SAV.
Interesting…
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Louis, Like you I am more of a Model 70 man. But hanging around with Wayne Miller, and talking to David Bichrest you can’t help but learn about the Model 54! I was surprised that the seller of the Model 54 did not show the bottom of the barrel along with the pictures of the rifle. Usually he does, and I was hoping to see that. I did not look to see if it was PATENTED, or PATENTS APPLIED. Sorry about that I just noticed the wrong barrel on the rifle. I got the 1934 date on the drilling of the receiver on the Model 54 from David’s book. On page 48 it states Receiver Gas Ported Circa: 1934-1936. I am lucky in that I own one of the Limited Editions 1 through 54 of that book. Anyways, was that gun made up later. I am not so sure of that. Winchester did make 3,000 Model 54s in 1930, and 4,000 in 1931. I have a Standard Model 54 S/N 29288A that was made in 1930 right after the stock market crash, and it has all the early features. Such as a Nickel Steel barrel, no gas port on the receiver Standard first style stock with the Schnabel foreend. For your information the barrel states PATENTS APPLIED. Since you are interested in this feature I checked my other Model 54s. Serial number 47927A. A .22 Hornet has PATENTS APPLIED. Serial number 48164A another .22 Hornet has PATENTED on the barrel. Serial number 49622A a .220 Swift also has PATENTED on the barrel. All these rifles are Standard grade guns. Take care Louis. I hope this helps.
November 5, 2014
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Thanks, Bob!!!
I only have (3) M54s presently, two 1st Standard rifles and a Carbine (not Short Rifle), and there’s an NRA Standard rifle in 22 HORNET here that belongs to another WACA member. So I haven’t got much to go on…
I pulled the dates mentioned above from the M54 Chronology of Changes in Rule’s book (pp 23-24 in case anybody wants to look) and failed to cross check with David’s. I was also fortunate to get one of the 100 signed copies of David’s book from Wayne, and turned around and bought two more copies from David directly (one was for my Brother)…
This is the right side barrel marking I was asking about. I wish I’d gone back and looked at that GI gun last night when I saw your reply, ’cause now it seems to be gone… This is a 250-3000 SAV barrel and dated ’32.
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Louis, My Model 70 .250-3000 Sav. Has a 1933 barrel. The barrel is marked PATENTED. So, I believe your .250-3000 Sav. Has a very unique marking.
November 5, 2014
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Hi Bob-
It’s an oddball, but not one-of-a-kind… Glad you noticed it’s a M70 not a M54 (from the recoil lug not being drilled for an action screw)!!! It’s on a M70 carbine my Dad bought four decades ago…
In the survey, I have a half dozen or so M70s recorded with ’32 barrel dates that are marked “PATENTS APPLIED FOR”. Some 20-inch barrels, some 24-inch barrels. All but one is a 250-3000 SAV. The other is a 270 WCF…
What’s the S/N on your ’33 dated 250-3000 (if you don’t mind)??? In the survey to date, 250-3000 Savages with those “PATENTS APPLIED FOR” barrels appear as late as 1946… Fourteen years after the barrels were made!!! If it were a one-off I’d be suspicious, but there are enough of them in the survey now that I think that it just took Winchester a LONG time to use up those early 250-3000 SAV barrels… The “VP” stamp on a CMS barrel is also an oddity, but not unknown either…
Thanks for the Help!!!
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
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