Have never owned either brand so any input would be appreciated.
Marlin micro groove barrels shoot good. Not familiar with savage.
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
I have a Marlin 882, with the magazine. Since it kinda sharp-edged and sticks out, it does affect how you carry it. Mine is adequately accurate - an inch and a half at best - at 100 yards. (At least it likes the 40 gr Win HPs better than the more expensive stuff.) I think the heavy-barreled Savages tend to be mroe consistently accurate.
My Win 9422M outshoots most, though.
CAl Hunter..
Marlin has offered a shorter 5 shot mag that fits flush with the bottom for about 3 years now..
They really improve the looks and handling of the magnum rimfire Marlins.
Thanks - I'll have to check that out and see where I can get one! Walmart often has the longer mags but I haven't seen any of the 5-shot versions. The mag latch on mine would still stiock out about 1/4 inch, though.
Most of the Marlin magazine .22 rifles come with both a 7 and 4 shot magazine. The stainless rifles come equipped with nickel-plated magazines. Replacements/spares are available online from many sources or from Marlin. The 4-shot barely protrudes from my 882ss and is what I prefer using with this rifle whether carried in the field or shooting from the bench. I use it primarily for varmint control, and the wmr is effective enough that large magazine capacities are not necessary.
Jim
Agreed that the 4-shot magazines make the Marlin 22 MRFs much more friendly to carry then the 7-shot magazines.
Jeff
Looks like a nice rifle.
Terry
I have an old Marlin 25M which was the cheap version of their 22 Mag bolt action with a junk stock on it..
bought it for $99.00 new at Holiday Village in Minnesota...
ordered a laminate stock from Marlin for $54.00...
thing has been a tack driver since day one..
It has even dispatched a couple of deer who were clipped by cars, with head shots from distances of 75 to 125 yds.. and dropped them like a sack of potatoes..
been a super reliable performer..