Best I can figure it was ‘GREAT-granfathered in” ;)
Octagon into round barrel, lever action cowboy gun....and Ammo about 100 bucks a box...when you can find some boutique place to make it.
Used to sit on the mantle...and then one day I was out in the desert and a bunch of robed and bearded men took it from me. They threatened to behead my family if I ever went to the police and reported the theft.
Naturally after 9/11 and knowing it’s rraaaacistttt! to cast accusations on these holy men, I remained silent all these years, mourning it’s loss...
LOVE old lever guns...
Had an old Marlin 1895G in .45-70 years ago. Shortened barrel, nasty little piece of hardware. Guy I bought it from hunted bear with it (it was a “Bear Hunting Gun” after all).
It let you know you were alive when you threw it up to your shoulder and touched one off, man...I became “the human recoil pad”. My buddies and I would shoot a box or two, and then stand around laughing and whining like Frenchmen for an hour with big red welts on the shoulders... We’d shoot it, then laugh like hell.
Sold it...sigh...she was a sweetie though. Ammo was 25 bucks a box back then for it. Probably totally ridiculous now.
Funny, when you think about it...some of the best times I’ve had in my life have been on the range, in tactical matches, three-gun matches, long-range shooting competitions, etc. Guns and gunnies everywhere.
And nobody - NOBODY - ever got killed there, ever.