I've seen just ONE comment about my looking down the barrel, but I still want to comment on that. I didn't feel good about doing it in a video, even though it was perfectly safe, the exact same thing we all do when we're cleaning a rifle like this. Regarding my looking down the barrel in this video, I'd checked to make sure the firearm was safe and the action was open. With the action open, this is at least as as safe as picking up a cardboard roll from a roll of paper towels and looking down through it. ONLY if the action is open, of course. My immediate concern was to make sure there had NOT been a squib load (see our video on that), which would have made it very dangerous to proceed. I was quite sure there had NOT been a squib load, but just wanted to make certain. I'm too young to "get blowed up." :-) Also, when cleaning the barrel, this is exactly what one does. You make sure the action is open while you run patches or a Bore Snake down the barrel. Then you look down the barrel to make sure it's clean. Nothing unsafe at all. The "unsafe" move would have been to not check for an obstruction in the bore. If looking down the barrel of a lever gun with the action open is unsafe, then all guns are way too dangerous for any of us to own.

@enricomandragona163

4 ай бұрын

Keep doing what you do!! No need to apologize!! We all know your the real deal and know what you are doing!!

@user-td4wl8by8d

4 ай бұрын

Duplicating my response to this because I think the video link I included made my comment hidden. "Thank you for addressing that. To be clear, there's no question about YOUR safety intelligence, but for the uninitiated they might think it's a good idea to do something stupid like this guy: [search "NEVER look down the barrel of a gun!" for a 12 year old video of a guy wearing a yellow vest shooting outside] Keep doing what you do, boss!"

@nastysoda9212

4 ай бұрын

Only people that use no logic and blindly follow rules would have had an issue with it. Similar to how they forced covid "vaccines" on people regardless of their medical history or if they already contracted covid and fought it off naturally.

@SalazarsBoxing

4 ай бұрын

I’ve looked into hundreds of paper towel rolls when I play pirates with my grandkids, I haven’t been hurt yet!!! As far as your video goes,I seen you look into the receiver first.All though in real time it may have only seemed like a fraction of a second,That’s all it takes to look. Myself,I don’t like looking down the barrel regardless of all safety checks.Its to taboo.The only time that weird feeling goes away for me is if the barrel is off the gun.

@enricomandragona163

4 ай бұрын

@@SalazarsBoxing So if you're cleaning a firearm you don't look inside the barrel to see if it's clean!! 🤷

Um we do need u Hickok, KZread wouldn't be the same without Hickok45❤

The action is smooth for a factory gun for sure

I'm so glad to see you still making these videos and educating us on guns

You know, I just realized that I’ve been following you more than ten years! You don’t get old and I anticipate each video you make. Your opinions have guided me to and away from gun selections! I love lever guns and 83 and being a non-hunter now, it may still be time to save for a new rifle! Thanks for all you do! Bob Jenkins

@briansearles4473

28 күн бұрын

It's been 10 years for me too. Time flies when you are having fun.

I’ve shot .44 Mags from handguns but never realized how fast they are. Watching you shoot those plates way down range and hearing how quick the rounds hit gives me even more respect for the .44 Mag cartridge.

@maxvaughn9792

4 ай бұрын

They’re a lot faster out of a rifle. Longer barrel would increase the speed by 3-600 fps

@mediocreman2

3 ай бұрын

Still pretty slow, but good for a caliber also used in pistols.

@nsob8897

3 ай бұрын

Yup, I got a 6 inch 44 last year and started hand loading for it straight away...mostly because ammo on shelves is ridiculous right near the price tag region. Anyway, yeah I loaded up some "just for fun rounds" and got some pretty fast bullets smokin out of the ol 6 inch. Even the 240s were reading idiotic velocities on the chronograph. It may have been bad readings but some were close to 1500 fps. No, I didn't overload them. I went up to the max load in the manual and no further. Yes I also started out lower than that to make sure I'd still have all 10 fingers at the end of the day. I might be stupid but I'm not nine fingers stupid.

@Wildwestwrangler

3 ай бұрын

​@@maxvaughn9792yep. It all depends on the powder, crimp and seating depth as to how much velocity you gain, but you're right about it being substantial!!!

@Wildwestwrangler

3 ай бұрын

​@@nsob88971500fos is normal with a 240gr. That's still a standard pressure load. Underwood loads their 44 mag xtp's at 1500fps. They claim that's out of a 7.5 inch, but it's pushing right at that speed out of my Smith and Wesson 629 classic deluxe 44 mag with a 6.5 inch barrel.

Just blows my mind how the man can pick up any firearm and shoot it expertly from day freaking one.

@larrywhittaker9901

3 ай бұрын

Natural shooter....practice makes perfect as they say...PERFECT PLAYGROUND ❤❤

@uttaradit2

2 ай бұрын

called practice

@user-by6ri3cu4y

2 ай бұрын

It is called "editing"

@semiccap

Ай бұрын

​@user-by6ri3cu4y Actually it's called preparation. Sensibly, you can expect him to practice ahead of time for familiarity.

Learning never exhausts the mind. An honor to be in your classroom "hickok45".

@OdadingIron

4 ай бұрын

Learning something that i dont like is exhausting

I don't have a S&W 1854. I do have a Winchester Model 94 30.30 saddle ring, manufactured in 1922. Mint condition, original bluing and not a scratch on it. Beautiful gun! Thanks for the .44 mag review, I'm actually interested in purchasing one now. I have 2 Colt Anaconda .44 mags and love them, just thinking a .44 mag rifle would be a great add to my collection.

Oh wow! you didn't complain about the recoil of the 44 magnum! good man Hickok45 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

@user-by6ri3cu4y

2 ай бұрын

He is really big guy.

I hear the 1854 won't feed 44 Special. I also heard a S&W rep at the SHOT show call the 1854 44 mag a “throw back to our heritage”. I’m a 10mm guy since about 1990. Super excited with the S&W M&P 10… bought two. Both jammed regularly, (failure to feed), The magazine fell out the bottom while shooting in both, and on one the supplied plastic optics plate cracked, the screws sheered, and my RMR flew backwards over my head. I sent them back to S&W twice. Failure to feeds continued after receiving them back each time. Called a third time and was transferred to a girl who sounded quite young. She interrupted me, talked over me, and told me that my request that S&W exchange my pistols wasn’t going to happen since the issues were fixable. And she said that I “should shoot better quality ammo”. I guess higher quality than the Federal, Fiocci, Mag Tech, Sig, and Hornady that I had written them about failing, and that I spent a fortune on testing their guns. I filed a BBB complaint but through mediation had no confidence in S&W’s offer to “service my guns”, (for the third time). I wonder if engineering a defective product and then having an arrogant and entitled sounding young lady dismiss your victims is also a throwback to S&W’s heritage; or perhaps rather, they are turning over in their graves.

@hickok45

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, it's doesn't seem to like .44 Special, which does not surprise me. Lots of .44 Magnum and .357 lever guns do not feed the shorter cartridges very well (.38 Special or .44 Special).

@shawnsadventures2852

4 ай бұрын

I had same problems with s&w 45 shield .. Sold it at a loss.. Will never buy there guns again didn't do any good to send it back customer service sucks..

@johnnyk5

4 ай бұрын

@@hickok45 That's fascinating. 38 Special is both shorter in OAL and case length than 357 Magnum; however, 44 Special (nominally) has a *longer* OAL (by 5 thou), though shorter case than 44 Magnum.

@HighlandViking

4 ай бұрын

I love their revolvers, not a fan of any of their other products though. Sorry about the mess you went through.

@Hollerboy931

4 ай бұрын

I’ve never handled a S&W that failed me but speaking of them my favorite recent from them is the 2.0 metal shoots great I just wish they would use aluminum RMR plates instead of plastic and I don’t like how the plate slightly hangs past the slide on each slide.

Just picked one of these up for 1100 after watching this vid! Fun gun to shoot! Thanks Hickok45!!

J.P. Sauer & Sohns" made my old 1960s and 1970s Colt, S&W and Weatherby hunting rifles. Henry is making revolvers now.

When I first seen this rifle advertised I wanted it yesterday.As I get older I’ve learned patience.I own enough S&W’s to know this rifle will be what I call the base model.Give it time and there will be 2.0 and I’d kick myself to have wasted money on the base model. I’d rather have the one with the walnut stock and grip but to pay almost 3x’s the amount is absurd.There are other levers that look almost identical so I’m on the fence with this one,not to mention some of the reviews from other gun channels is making it easier for me to just wait on this one.

On the surface, it looks like Smith & Wesson used some of the best design features from the Marlin 1894 and Henry Big Boy X models. This might be my favorite looking modern lever gun on the market. It adds just a touch of tactical while retaining the classic look. And I don't even mind that it doesn't like .44 special loads, as I would never use those in a situation where it would matter.

Love your reviews, Hickok!

Saw S&W and got excited! I'm hoping you grab the model 350 revolver and compare it to their calibers! Thanks Hickok for all the reviews, I've made several purchases due to your opinions!

I think it looks quite good. Nothing like the beautiful, classic blued steel and wallnut wood lever actions we're used to but still...

@larrywhittaker9901

3 ай бұрын

I like the ss look...kind of sexy ❤ Different is all

Just brought one home.😃 Greetings to all from Kentucky. Thx, 45!😃

Mine doesn’t have feed problems but my Ruger Marlin 1895 does and I think it’s because the 45-70 round is so big it crowds the feed ramp so a screw driver is a must have

9:03 Ouch! Guess that Cowboy ain't gonna take a ride anytime soon...😅

I've recently swithced back to Smith and Wesson firearms after years of carrying an HK. And honestly I think I'm gonna get that lever gun as a birthday present to myself eventually. Especially since its a legal cartridge to use here in Illinois for deer season

I've been in the market for a modern styled lever gun in 44 Mag, and when I learned of Smith releasing this one I was fairly surprised and excited. Hopefully Smith will make plenty of them, as the going rate online seems to be $1500 to $2000 for an actual in-stock example. That's too rich for my blood considering the MSRP, and I hope the prices drop to a more reasonable amount as Smith actually gets them to sellers.

@cryingcat687

4 ай бұрын

get a henry big boy. I've got the X model in 44 mag and it rocks. I've also seen the all-weather and case-hardened in 357 and 44 and they shoot great as well

@enricomandragona163

4 ай бұрын

Don't waste your money this early in S & W's entry in Lever gun's!! Their reputation isn't what it used to be!! Buy a Marlin or a Henry made in America!! and much better customer service!!

@ryancornelius1007

4 ай бұрын

@@enricomandragona163i agree with that, seeing some of the issues with there pistols lately thats a great point.

@enricomandragona163

4 ай бұрын

@@ryancornelius1007 Thanks

@callawayken650

3 ай бұрын

Check out PSA today for a new low price. 3-20-2024

had a look at one of these at Cabelas today. Defiantly a contender for my first lever gun. big fan of the all weather look.

Thanks for your knowledge and the post love the history of the guns 😊😊😊

Just wanted to say hi from the UK. I'm relatively new to shooting and as I'm sure you're aware, the rules over here are very different from you'll be used to. I've learned a good deal and I get to see firearms that I will never have access to myself. Keep up the good work.

@larrywhittaker9901

3 ай бұрын

Get yours RIGHTS BACK...THAT STINKS. DENUTTED BY BS 🙄🤮

23:00 In the UK, most counties ask that if you are shooting over 22LR it would be nice to use a suppressor (you don't need special license for one) because it cuts down on noise and Police reports from nervous people.

Cool. Thanks Hickok.

Im glad the videos are still being made, i one thing i haven't seen lately is the federal primium ammo on the videos

@peternorton5648

4 ай бұрын

I believe they parted ways as a sponsor awhile back

@nickkeresey2777

4 ай бұрын

@@peternorton5648 I thought it was cool they had federal premium

Apparently this is, after all, an excellent lever action!

Awesome video nice rifle thanks for sharing Hickok45

I love it. I want one. Thanks for the video.

Got mine and I Love it Really nice in 44 special 👊🏻

Nice S&W but I will stick with Winchester. Thanks!

@Mark-qq7io

4 ай бұрын

Especially for$3500

@enricomandragona163

4 ай бұрын

​@@Mark-qq7io What!!

@Mopartoolman

4 ай бұрын

And I thought $1,100 was high for my new Ruger-made Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag!!.....@@Mark-qq7io

@tr0lltheweak

4 ай бұрын

This one is 1000, the premium version is 3k

@Tyrant96

4 ай бұрын

​@@tr0lltheweakthat sounds crazy...that's like the price of a lil hooptie car...wild

Dang that round gets there quick!

45 always on point

THX HICKOK!!!

Luv this 1854 '' Another Great Video 💯💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

I envy the range you have set up on your property. I live in the 'burbs and have to go to a local range... Gonna get a nice chunk of land one day so I can walk out my door and ring some steel. Keep up the great work.

What a great shot!

Dang I love the sound of that 44 cartridge!

0:58 best Hickcock45 quote ever 🤣

Old head 45 your a legend…👀 tuning in..

I'll get the new Ruger/Marlin 44 thanks....

@thomasfox8027

4 ай бұрын

Own one in 45-70 (Ruger/Marlin), and lemme tell ya, you will not be disappointed. Beautiful, beautiful firearm.

Excellent!

That cowboy gong had some tone hang time with that round. Lol. I really enjoy your videos.

hickok45 you are a great shooter

Lever-action rifles are my favorite guns.

I was disappointed with the Underwood 10 mm ammunition. It was one of the best companies for real 10 mm performance. It is now watered down to .40 S&W!

I'm guessing this rifle will appeal more to residents of Alaska, especially when they bring it out in 45/70. It seems like it will be pretty much weatherproof. I had an old Marlin M-1894 in 44 mag the one without any checkering. A real joy to own and shoot. Most fun was loading 250 grain lead semi-wadcutters loaded to about 900 fps for my handguns. Out of the rifle barrel it chronographed at about 1,250 fps and was very accurate for tin can shooting. One other thing, you could save wear and tear on your thumb when loading if you would push the first round in only about to the rim and stop. From that point on push the rounds into the magazine tube with the next round. It's a lot easier that way.

The real lever action gun 👏

I do appreciate the love of lever guns, although I can't find a 30-30 to save my life. Palmetto state armory got one in stock from marlin but they racked up the price to $2200 which is $700 over msrp. I just wanted one to get into hunting but I'm not paying over $1500 for a factory lever gun.

lever actions are so timeless, atleast for civilian use

Thanks for the review. Think I’ll hold out for a Marlin 1894 .357.

Big fan of Smith and Wesson being from MA and even more now that i live in NH and have freedom. Live Free Or Die

An appropriate size o-ring placed around the red line on safety will prevent it from being accidentally applied. Clay

I just bought one and love it. It’s a piece of artwork you could hang it on the wall and never shoot it. It’s a beautiful, beautiful gun. The stainless in the composite black go together, so well it’s a piece of artwork. I also have the Henry’s composite 44 magnum and I paid 500 more for that gun. It’s beautiful also.

We love you hickok!

Very nice Rifle ❤ thank you for this Video, greetings from Germany.

I experienced a similar mystery malfunction with my .45-70 Henry! The first time I took it to the range, the first tube of rounds fed fine, but on the second tube a round locked up the action with the lever extended. Luckily I had a screwdriver, removed the lever and cleared the jam, and since then it's functioned fine. Seems to be something about these Marlin receiver clones.

gotta love de Hick! got that cowbow right in the treasure.

I REEEEEEAAALLLLLY Like that one!!! thanks for the sho n tell session!!

Hi mr Hickok.. nice rifle. I really like a 44 mag revolver and lever gun combo. I have a brass henry big boy 20" octagon barrel. She is already 14 years old. I really like this rifle. I do not baby and have been shooting full house reload hard cast lead bullets. I have taken several deer. And groundhogs with this rifle. I have a 1-5 Leopold scope on henry mounts. It is extremely accurate. . God bless😊

It is a heart breaking thing to scratch up an nice looking rifle while out hunting. This one you don't need to worry about. As specially if you are teaching a new hunter. I want .45 70, good for bear defense and big game. In Montana I do a lot of spot and stock hunting in the mountains and always have a pack waist support that inevitably scratches up the stock with the rifle slung. This one no worries.

Good health and long life to you, thanks for the video =)😊

Hello Hickok45. Very nice lever gun 44 magnum 💥💥 💥💥💥

On the Specials not working well in Magnum lever guns is coal, in my Marlin if I load the Soecial case with a long cast bullet like the Lyman 429421 or a short bullet like the Lee 205 gr loaded out to get the right coal to function in my rifle then they work fine. Just can't recall the length I think it was like 1.580. any less and I get jams. The short cartridges as they feed there is room enough in the action between the mag tube and were the cartridge hits the cartridge lifter that two cartridges can enter this space enough so the lifter can't stop the second cartridge from entering this space. So as you work the action the lifter can't lift a cartridge up to allow the bolt to push the carrtridge into the chamber. If you hand load you can experement with coal to determine just how long you cartridge needs to be to feed. Once you find this you can them measure store bought Specials to see if they are long enough. Or just load Special level loads in Magnum cases. I guess if you really wanted to getting a second lifter and modifying it to better feed Special with a shorter coal could be done. I have thought of this but modify the lifter to functio withe 44 American cartridges. The 44 American is a bit shorter than the 44 Russian the Special was made from. The 44 Russian was the 44 American but with a longer case to provide more room for black power to give higher velocity. The 44 Special got the same treatment as the Russian, made longer to give more powder capacity. Then came to 44 Mag a bit longer still. There are other cartridges that were even longer but not used in leveguns, the 44 Maximum as used in revolvers for target shooting. For lever guns the 444 was bulit but it wasnt just a very long 44 Mag the 444 uses a tapered case so the rim and body size is bigger. I guess I've rambled on long enough.

I love lever action rifles.

I think Smith and Wesson needs to make 500 smith,460 leverguns that are affordable for the masses,would love to own a big horn armory 460 or 500 just a bit out of my reach financially speaking.

Thanks for the video

Seemed to run 44 mag and 44 special just fine as long as you didn't roll the rifle sideways to look in the chamber when cycling a round.

The aftermarket M-Lok tactical fore-ends and skeletonized stocks will look amazing on this rifle.

Don’t know if it’s been said in the comments yet but they make ammo for lever guns.. there’s a video with a lady that works for smith and Wesson and she was running 44 special.. different ammo maybe? Love the video and thanks for the content….😊

Hello again, sir! I am an avid fan. I heard you say in another video that you are retired from teaching. I am a retired high school English teacher, 30 years. Loved it! What teaching career did you retire from? Your excellent teaching continues, of course, in these informative, honest, engaging, “no drama” videos.

@rdbjr52

3 ай бұрын

If I remember correctly, been watching Hickok over ten years now, he also was an English teacher.

@erichall7253

3 ай бұрын

@@rdbjr52 Whoa! Amazing. No wonder I like him. Thank you for the info.

Youre Great. Thank You!!

That action sounds so tight. It looks pretty from here.

@triedproven9908

4 ай бұрын

Sounds like it's juggling the extractor.

I'm that guy that likes wood also! Just a nice look a little heavier but I don't mind! Just old school guns especially lever guns the older ones are really sharp but harder to find in decent shape!

Hickok turning into the jay leno of guns with that jacket

I have a Marlin in 444 Marlin. I have managed to jam it a couple of times by working the lever too slow. When it happens the only way to clear it is to remove the lever screw and lever. Maybe that is what go you.

badass gun

Walked into my local FFL the other day and low and behold that had one of these along with a Marlin 1894 classic sitting on the shelf. I say low and behold because lever guns dont stay on the shelf long around here. So I bought both of them. Im going to see if this S&W lever tickles my fancy at all. I really dont like the looks of it, but hoping down the line Ill be able to change that assuming I keep the thing. We will see how it performs . I do think S&W came in a little hot on the price with this one at 1279, but it struck my curiosity so Im going to give it a go.

Profe' Hickoc 🔥👏

I just noticed the Ballistol's straw is pointed directly into Hickock45's coffee mug.

@renehernandez9207

4 ай бұрын

That’s not Ballistol,it’s whiskey!!!!!

@gluemola

4 ай бұрын

Ballistol, lubricates your firearm and your throat.

@Whiskey_.430

4 ай бұрын

It’s important to stay regular as you age. Lubricity.

@leewilkinson6372

4 ай бұрын

Lubes the joints from the inside.....

Love this gun

Rail on the lever gun looks wrong to me. Same with the mix of stainless and black but otherwise seems ok. Lever guns are underrated vs auto everything same as pump rifles. I have an old pump in .44-40 that is slick fast and really fun to use.

Long Live Hickok45

Thanks for this Hickok! Love Lever guns......this one looks Tactical!! Nice rifle!! 👍

Hickok is the Man when it comes to gun knowledge..

My word !! Sweet Smith!!

Smooth lever firearm except from magazine to breech

Nice, the magnums are faster but sometimes I order the special in Restaurant's

I was thinking of getting a Henry 44mag. But, I might wait.

Zen and the art of sniping. All we need is a silencer and telescope.

I'll be honest, I can't tell if I'm detecting a bit of sarcasm in your voice or not, but I could certainly understand it. 👍

“Never want ‘click’ when you expect a ‘bang’”! New T-Shirt?

I own several firearms, mostly handguns, and I don't have a lever-action rifle yet. I was thinking about getting this for my first lever-action. It seems good for the money...

Nice!

Given these crazy times, although a lever gun traditionalist myself, I think a case can be made for what S&W has done here. If you happen to live in one of the restricted states a fast-handling lever gun with an optic and flashlight might suffice nicely. Granted it will never be an AR or AK etc. but you could do worse. Now about that Glock coach gun...

I'm already sold on this gun, price is a steap 1200 but i like the hunting possibilities

@imhigh0013

4 ай бұрын

It's NOT the value on the rifle; it's the loss of value in the dollar. Therefore, good acquisition.

$1250 MSRP, kinda steep especially for that plastic molded furniture. Can get the marlin for less and much higher quality.