Howdy, Space Cowboy! XS Sights Wants To Trick Out Your S&W 1854

Lever-action rifles ain’t what they used to be. We’ve gone from the days when grandpa’s wood-and-steel Henry/Marlin/Savage was as good as it got. Now we have a lot of competition in the lever rifle scene, and the theme of the year is Space Cowboy, with add-ons and accessories that meld the world of tactical rifles with the Wild West. And that’s where XS Sights comes in with their new forend for the S&W 1854, offering M-LOK slots all around.

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Add whatever you want?

Your traditional lever-action rifle had a hardwood forend, and that was it. The new offering from XS Sights is made of aluminum, with no less than 28 M-LOK slots machined into the housing.

In other words, if you can dream it up, you can attach it to this rifle. A foregrip? Sacrilege on a traditional lever, easy on this gun. A weapon-mounted light? Easy. A carrier for extra rounds? A sling? Let your imagination go wild.

The foregrip has nine M-LOK slots on each side, 10 down the middle. It is designed for the .44 Magnum version of the S&W 1854, with a 19.25-inch barrel. It’s intended to have that slim-in-the-hands feel that so many shooters like with a traditional lever-action rifle, but of course, you can add grip panels if you want more meat in the forend to grab on to. It has more coverage than Smith & Wesson’s stock handguard, and attaches via three separate points to make sure it’s rock-solid (a problem that many lever-gun shooters are finding when they add on accessories like this).

"We designed this handguard with real shooters in mind,” said Jeff King, the bigwig in charge of marketing at XS Sights. “It balances modern accessory options with a sleek, more natural fit that feels right in the hands. Whether you’re new to lever guns or have been running them for decades, our handguard gives you the option to customize the platform how you want.”

Let’s be honest: If you’ve been running lever guns for decades, this is gonna feel different. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and this handguard will greatly expand the capability of your rifle, especially if you’re investigating things that go bump in the night. Find more details at XSSights.com, where you’ll note a $210.38 MSRP.