That's funny, I was always impressed with Marlins dollar value and I've probably owned 30 of them over the years. I currently have 5 and all have been exceptionally good performers. My 1992 336 in .30-30 will shoot honest MOA 3 shot groups with ammo it likes and has never malfunctioned in 24 years of regular use. My 1990 882 .22 mag. is the most accurate .22 mag. I've ever owned and I've had a dozen from several different manufacturers over the past 40 years, some of which cost more than twice as much as the Marlin. It has never malfunctioned or required repair with thousands of rounds down the pipe. My 1976 989m2 semi auto .22 shoots 5 shot groups under an inch at 50 yards and never jams with good qualty ammo so long as it's kept reasonably clean. I'd hate to try to estimate how many tens of thousands of rounds have gone down it's barrel in 40 years and yet the only part I've ever replaced is the synthetic recoil buffer. But hey, if there's one thing I've learned on the campfire it's that even though I started gunsmithing professionally in 1990 and am still earning a living building guns today there are many here whose opinions are FAR more informed than my own.
