Says Paulsen, "Now and then, with great rarity, there came a blending of steel and wood and brass and a man's knowledge into one rifle, when it all came together just .. . exactly .. . right and a weapon of such beauty and accuracy was born that it might be actually worshipped." Such a blending occurs at the hands of middle-aged Cornish McManus, who after many years of working for another man, has established his own gun shop and has begun to prosper.

Paulsen notes, "The truth is that Cornish was an artist, pure and simple; he was that perfect blending of artistic thinking and force of hand that it took to make a sweet rifle." A "sweet rifle" is one that shoots with extraordinary accuracy. In making his special rifle, McManus has some good luck, but mostly he makes good decisions based on his years of...