Marlin's brute now fires Hornady's LeveRevolution spitzers, giving it another 100 yards or so of effective trajectory. It is seen here with XS ghost-ring sights, Murray Leather sling and pouch and a set of fab Steiner Peregrines.

"What ranges am I looking at?" I asked Mark Galla, of Alaska Peak & Seas.

"Forty to 100 yards," the gruff outfitter answered over the phone. "What kind of gun are you bringing?"

"A Marlin Guide Gun in .450 Marlin," I replied. It was a month before the hunt, and I was making that oh-so-important telephonic reconnaissance.

"Good. Some folks come up here and don't realize that our black bears run 300 to 500 pounds. You've got to have a big gun and still almost always need a second shot."

And so started the adventure that was to pit a proven-tough carbine, a revolutionary cartridge and a plump editor against the wilderness of Prince of Wales Island and a large, tough old bear.

Marlin builds a wide variety of heavy 1895s to meet customer demand. They have different names, lengths and calibers but are all Marlin tough. For now, this stainless Guide Gun is available only in the popular .45-70.

Marlin Firearms started off after the Civil War (OK, Great Secession) building ladies' carry guns. By the turn of the century it was a top-quality designer and manufacturer of rugged lever-action working rifles and was renowned for high-quality rimfires.

Following the First World War, American hunters realized that the flat-nosed bullets required by lever-action, tubular-magazine rifles--the quintessentially American rifles that had swept the plains--placed those rifles and their cartridges into a permanent second-class ballistic ghetto. Mauser-based, box- and rotary-magazined bolt rifles could use the new and efficient spitzer bullets. This situation continued right up until August of 2005.

In a bid to erase this 85-plus-year disparity, Marlin's long-time industry buddy, Hornady, put its talented crew to work to build a tube-capable spitzer. That's right, a pointed bullet in a tube magazine--no go boom, neither.

RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPERS

"Dave Emary is the genius that is Hornady," said Gary Paul Johnston. "He's a wizard, all right," adds fellow Hornady staffer Neil Davies. Besides designing .450 Marlin in the first place, Emary also has TAP, Black TAP, .17 HMR, .204 and now LeveRevolution to his credit. The retired Air Force aeronautical engineer and former rocket scientist (literally) was hired by Steve Hornady about a decade ago and has been allowed to realize his potential many times over. Gathering his crew of chemical, mechanical and ballistic gurus, Emary resolved to find a way to put spitzer bullets into tubular magazines. The last time this was done successfully was with the hyper-tapered 8mm Lebel, which still required a safety groove in the base of the casing. The goal was to allow tubular-magazined lever guns to compete ballistically with box-magazine bolts and semiautos. You just can't do that with a flat-nosed bullet. Why bother? Because lever guns offer distinct advantages in speed and handling. Hornady's LeverRevolution uses a polymer-elastomer with a memory to replace that little red plastic tip on the SST bullet. Emary's crew tested it to the ridiculous--stacking a tube full of .45-70s and dropping it from 30 feet onto concrete numerous times. No problem. Then they fired full-proof loads, and the little red bumpers wouldn't even scuff the primer. The bumper is supposed to outlast the metal magazine spring, but research on long-term storage is, well...long term. Also, Emary took it down to minus 40 degrees and up to 130, and it continues to be elastic. The practical result is that your handy .30-30 just went from being a 150-yard cartridge to Bambi-capable at 250-yards (still going 1,721 fps!). The .45-70's nine-foot drop (when sighted at 100 yards) at 300 yards is reduced to a manageable 25 inches. Hornady the company is truly a reflection of Steve Hornady the man--professional, innovative and competitive but with a friendly face and a wickedly fun sense of humor. The company, founded by his late father, retains a strong sense of team spirit and has established alliances with able partners including Marlin. The two teamed up for the .450 Marlin and have worked together again to create a performance renaissance for the uniquely American lever-action, tubular-magazine rifle.

It was up to me to take the two to Alaska and prove the concept in the field. New technology mixed with traditional firearms usually makes folks uneasy, but in this case it may actually renew appreciation for the fast handling and easy carry of tube-magazined, lever-action firearms.

For three generations Marlin has been owned and ably guided by the highly respected Kenna family. The current generation possesses a deeply ingrained sense of stewardship and so has supported the management's continuing efforts to pursue performance improvements while meeting the high consumer expectations of Marlin's customers.

Today's lever marketplace is loosely divided between pistol-caliber Cowboy guns and working traditionals in .30-30 or larger. Everybody and their brother is building Cowboy guns, but the working market is pretty much divided between Marlin and Winchester. The difference is that Winchester continues to produce known designs with peripheral modifications for a conservative buyership while Marlin considers its existing lineup as a staple while continuing to pursue bold innovations.

In the case of the highly successful Guide Gun, Marlin realized that if its overbuilt Model 336 receiver could handle the stout .444 Marlin (introduced in 1964), it could be modified to handle the brutish .45-70.