I've had mine since 1971. It handles well, and the balance is superb.
I just wish it was as reliable as my other .22s. It's not. Mine is the older 22" barrel/full length magazine (18 round capacity). I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten thru a full magazine without it choking and puking on me. It does okay with only 15 rounds in the magazine, which is plenty enough, really.
Since getting into good bolt guns, though, I've been shooting them side by side, and the old Marlin just doesn't shoot very well. At least, mine does not. I'm lucky to get a two-inch group at 50 yards with it, while my boltguns are usually better than 3/4" with any ammo. It just doesn't shoot very well.
When I was a kid, I didn't know the difference, and neither did the rabbits, squirrels, coons, etc. that I killed with it. It must have been a truckload or two. Mine even has a very light trigger, though it's creepy and mushy. It is the only .22 rifle I own that favors CCI Standard Velocity, even my boltguns dislike it, but the Marlin gobbles them up. When I got it on my birthday in '71, it had a sticker on the stock admonishing me to use only high velocity ammo, so if you use the ammo recommended, it doesn't shoot well. Oh well.
