I have several Marlins and they seem to be a little handier than the Winchesters. That being said the one I'm talking about is the Mountie. All of them shoot great. My Model 39 rifle is an older one made in the early 50's before microgroove came along. That Marlin came from the factory drilled and tapped on the barrel for a side mount. I know, people don't like that mounting system any more but it allows me to install a receiver sight and use it at the same time. It shoots better than I need most of the time and functions well. I kind of like the crunch crunch sound when you work the action, kind of like cocking an old model Ruger Blackhawk. My 1894 22 Magnum will shoot 1 inch groups with select ammo. Over the last few years my only problem is I haven't been able to select the ammo. That is looking up.
I have shot many of the Winchesters. They feel like a model 94 30/30 if that appeals to you, the Marlin 30/30's are more common around here and that has probably influenced me too. Never heard a complaint on a Winchester about function or accuracy and would buy one if they were priced close to the Marlins. Around there they aren't.
The Model 39 was a dream gun when I was growing up and the Winchesters were not even a gleam in an engineers eye. I add a bunch of points for nostalgia and go with the Marlins.
