The blade on the XS front is wide enough to drive on and stays bright until there's not enough light to shoot. Plus, you can always put it in your hat with a flashlight for a quick "tune up."

Then things became curiouser and curiouser. At almost the same time, Cor-Bon and Garret threw legalistic caution to the winds and introduced very hot .45-70 loads with ample warnings on the packages (Note bene: Firing these loads in a Trapdoor or early-20th century lever gun may result in you being listed on Findadeath.com, in the Darwin Awards or both).

Marlin's Tony Aeschliman credits these über-scorchers with the phenomenal success of the 1895s, of which over half are now sold in .45-70. "When the Hammerheads and the Cor-Bon loads souped up the performance, sales really took off, and it's still one of our leading performers."

According to Aeschliman, who has been the public face of Marlin for almost 30 years, Hornady wanted to create a sort of +P+ .45-70 but wanted a case redux to keep someone's Trapdoor from opening up like a can of beans. They put a high, thin belt on the case so that, even when placed in a worn chamber, it won't allow the bolt to close.

The 1895M Guide Gun has a good drop to the stock, which makes it ideal for quick off-hand shots. It is also short, meaning that the weight is well back. Combining these positive attributes with the .450 "Help, I pulled the trigger and I can't get up!" Marlin cartridge results in punishing recoil, the kind you don't care about--or even feel--when Ursus reallyfargging-closus is suddenly in your lap but that leads to very short range sessions.

This makes the .45-70 a bit more appealing to the average sportsman. For the range, you can get some Cowboy Action loads that are quite mild or load up to hotter performance to rival the .450.

(Right) Don't be scared of ghosts. The big ring works with your eye and lets you see movement around the target, even at close range. (Left) Here's the gist: Your eye senses the ghost ring more than sees it. It's fast but provides excellent sight radius.

For the stats-mongers among us, the .450 Marlin launches a 325-grain Hornady SST at 2,225 fps, (about 1,950 out of the 18.5-inch Guide Gun), which generates 3,260 ft-lbs of energy. This is well over 50 percent more energy than a traditional smokeless load for the .45-70 and about two-thirds of a .458 Win. Mag.

The 1895 is available in a number of barrel lengths, materials and calibers, many with different names. Marlin's lever guns come with a massive separate action lock and a hammer extension for use with traditional scopes. Mark Galla said, "We won't even consider buying something if it isn't stainless, and a synthetic stock is even better." His top hand, Marlin Benedict, agreed: "There's too much to do to be worrying about getting the salt spray off your rifles," adding, "I sure wish they'd come out with a .450 in stainless."

Although an aftermarket synthetic stock is available, Marlin likes to do things itself. Molds are prohibitively expensive, and there are no current plans to produce one. "Stainless and synthetic go together like blackbear and salmon," Aeschliman told me, adding that Marlin has always prided itself in responding to customer requests (hint, hint).