I have a couple of the discontinued Marlin 982S, the stainless, clip fed, synthetic stock, and sporter weight barrel style. They are great shooters and I like them a lot.
I also have a Savage 93BVSS and a 93BTVSS that are great shooters and a little shorter than the Marlins.
In general, I like both the light and heavy barrel Marlins, but only the heavy barrel Savages. The light barrel Savages are too light and too small for my 5'11" frame.
I have a friend in NH who lives in the woods, he is a disabled Vietnam Vet, and his daily carry weapon is an older Marlin 883SS with a Lyman peep sight. He swears by the tube-fed Marlins, claims that he like the balance with the weight of a full magazine, and that it carries better then the clip-fed guns. It must be a rugged gun, since his is in and out of a truck or tractor or skider probably 10x per day, 365 days per year. Some people don't leave home without their AMEX Cards, but Andy never leaves home without his Marlin and his High Standard Sentinel Mark IV.
Jeff
