I have 3 1886's, no Marlins. I guess that would explain my preference. One is a Browning-made Montana Centennial, and it is a better quality gun than the later produced Winchesters that they made about 10 years later.

The other 2 are original Winchesters, one of which is stamped "Browning Brothers, Ogden U.T." It even has a single set trigger which is very rare in an 1886.

I haven't found a Marlin in the original configuration that had the chamber tolerances as tight as the Winchesters, this makes it hard and sometimes impossible to shoot with today's loads. I do have a Marlin 1889 in 44-40 and it is one of my favorite rifles to shoot. It doesn't have that chamber problem.

I have seen plenty of original Marlins in excellent shape, their fit and finish is every bit as good as Winchester, but my affinity for these types of rifles is for the originals and I will stick with the 1886's.

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