You are comparing two nice rifles. I have them both and here are my thoughts.
Personally I prefer my 1886. But if I want to hunt with a scoped rifle then I like the Marlin better. Both rifles shoot well if you take your time and find the right load. Personally I shoot my own cast bullets, and get more than enough accuracy to get the job done.
The only thing I do not like on the Marlin is the open bolt. I do not like the look of the right side of the receiver because the bolt is exposed. There is not a thing wrong with that, I just do not like the aesthetics of that part of the Marlin. I wish Marlin would go back to the "bolt cover". Just like my old 336 has. But other than that I really like the looks and feel of the Marlin cowboy model, and I really like that octagon barrel. Those barrels are really sharp IMO.
But if I could only have one then it would be my 1886. The rifle is a bit heavy(no doubt), but it handles and carries fantastically.
IMO it really comes down to whether you want to hunt with a scope or not. I believe the Marlin is set up better for scoped hunting, and the Winchester is set up better for open sighted hunting. Tom.
