The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms - 1350 to 1700
- Road to American Liberty - 1700 to 1780
- A Prospering New Republic - 1780 to 1860
- A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865
- The American West - 1850 to 1900
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present
- For the Fun of It
- Modern Firearms - 1950 to Present
- Hollywood Guns
Winchester Model 54 Bolt Action Rifle
The Model 54 was Winchester's first civilian model bolt-action rifle to use high velocity ammunition.
Winchester (U.S.) Model 54 Bolt-Action Box-Magazine Rifle (repeater/ breech-loading/ smokeless powder/ cartridge ammunition) After World War I reached its end, U.S. industry continued to grow. The Model 54 was Winchester's first bolt-action civilian rifle desinged for heavy, high-velocity ammunition. It proved popular for sporting use and for target shooting.
The boom years of the 20s in Canada and the United States led to national maturation and to hunting of larger game such as elk and grizzly bears on the American continent, and lions and elephants in Africa. Writers such as Ernest Hemingway popularized the romance of big-game hunting, and improved means of transportation made it possible. Most of America was enjoying a post-war boom. Happy days were here again. The Model 54 helped to keep these days happy for hunters of large game. --Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION; #125