Marlin 1895SS -- One of a kind

By Kevin Lee McIver

Anyone familiar with great sporting weapons knows of the superior firearms produced by the Marlin Fire Arms Company. The name in itself speaks of accuracy, quality, and of legends.

Many manufacturers have come and gone over the years, but Marlin is one of the few great American companies continuing to provide sportsman with time-tested firearms.

Over 25 years ago I bought my first Marlin rifle, a single-shot .22 bolt action. Since then, I have owned many Marlin rifles in a variety of calibers: .22LR, .22WMR, .30-30, .35 Remington and .45/70. Each and everyone has steadfastly stood by my side and never failed me throughout the most trying of field conditions.

I have used these great American rifles in hunting many types of game, from squirrels in Northern Ohio, to whitetail bucks in Southern Georgia. I have used factory ammunition and I have used handloads. I have caked them in mud, dunked them in streams, buried them in snow, and even dropped one out of a tree stand.

In all cases, after running a patch through the barrel, they continued to fire without hesitation or malfunction. And even when lost from a tree stand, the remarkable safety system kept the rifle from discharging accidentally. Bar none, these are truly great weapons.

This brings me to my favorite Marlin rifle -- the 1895SS. This finely-crafted lever-action is the workhorse among lever-actions and is chambered for the brush-busting .45/70. I can think of no cartridge more worthy of this gun than the historic .45/70 Government. Indeed, they are a most capable duo -- capable of besting any big game animal in the Americas.

The .45/70 lost favor with American shooters for many decades until a few years back. Some said it wasn't on par with the big magnum calibers. Many shooters overlooked the time-tested virtues of the .45/70 -- but not Marlin, whom continued to produce the 1895 in this most worthy caliber.

Then about two years ago the .45/70 was resurrected -- cowboy shooting -- hunters -- trappers -- everyone wanted one. Difficult to find at any gun show nowadays. Many companies began to reproduce .45/70 rifles to cash-in on the resurrection. Shooters need not look elsewhere for a fast-handling, lightweight big-bore because it has always been around -- the Marlin 1895SS.

On first look, the 1895SS might appear mild-mannered like other lever-actions chambered for the .30-30 -- a respected round which has taken many a deer; but that's only until you pull a .45/70 out of the box -- and you see you have a wolf amongst the sheep. You might even think the .45/70 is too much to handle -- but fear not, for the 1895 easily absorbs the recoil.

There are many fine single-shot rifles on the market, but few lever-actions. I use to have a reproduction Sharps chambered in .45/70 and it is an excellent weapon, but there's nothing better than a lever-action for quick, successive shots in the field. Repeaters won the west, and they continue to serve today even among semi-automatics.

American Black Walnut forms the stock and forearm of this firearm. Well-fitted and ornate, it has a smooth finish which is reassuring in all types of weather.

The sights are the Marlin standard that we are familiar with -- hooded ramp front and adjustable rear -- which easily align on any target.

Weighing in at just over 7 pounds, the 1985 feels perfectly balanced -- a commonality with many historic firearms not found amongst today's synthetic stocks.

The .45/70 is a lot of cartridge to chamber, fire and eject -- but the 1895 handles it well, effortlessly. The action is smooth, straight out of the box -- this is not the case for other weapons I have test fired.

Shooting this rifle is a thrill. At 100 yards, 1- to 2-inch groups are easily attained. As is expected, it is loud and will draw attention at the range, but others will come over to admire the big gun which shoots the .45/70 Government.

Tapped for scope mounts, the 1895 provides an excellent platform for mounting optics. Combined with side-ejection, spent rounds do not damage nor nick attached scopes. My 1895 sports a 6x Bushnell sighted in at 100 yards -- dead on. And it has taken its fair share of whitetails out to 175 yards.

Overall, I must give the Marlin 1895SS an "A+" on the performance scale. It is a great weapon worthy of the Marlin name -- and a weapon to pass on to your children one day.

If you're looking for a rifle-caliber combination that can take down any big-game animal in North America, look no more -- the Marlin 1895SS chambered in .45/70 is the answer. Accurate, fast-shooting and reliable, this weapon is at home busting through brush or shooting over fence rows. It is the weapon from which legends are born.