Which gun laid down the Design Groundwork for the 1911 or Smith&Wesson? Winchester Model 70's and Remington 870's were famous in the early century, here are five models that paved the way for more famous descendants to gain dominance. The Winchester Model 54. Introduced in 1925 and wasn't produced until 1936, the Winchester 54 was itself a derivation of the limited-production Winchester Model 51 "Imperial." The Winchester 54 combined elements of the famous 98 Mauser and 1903 Springfield designs. These features were well-received, and the Model 54 became Winchester’s first commercially viable bolt-action rifle design, with just over 50,000 being...