I'd say take any of them on an individual basis and don't pay too much attention to the internet.
I have an early 1895 GBL, that had to be near the tail end of Marlin production, but it does have a JM proof mark. The proof mark itself is screwed up, although legible.
The wood/metal fit is nothing to write home about. The bore was rough as a cob, I firelapped it and that cleaned it up. Before firelapping it would throw 405gr cast sideways at 100 yards due to crazy leading, and I was only pushing them around 1300 fps.
Long way of saying, Marlin or Remlin may be awesome right out of the box....or not.
