I try not to get into these type of discussions much cause what I consider "best" for a rimfire rifle is well beyond what most shooters would even consider. But since the OP asked for opinions for the "best" factory .22 lr, I felt I was qualified to offer up an opinion. Take it for what it's worth. I don't usually challenge shooters who make claims but implying a cheap Marlin could keep up with a real quality rimfire was too much for me to ignore.
Rimfire rifles were a passion of mine for about 20 years with 15 of those being in pretty serious benchrest competitions. I know benchrest may not be everybody's cup of tea, but when you are after the ultimate in rimfire accuracy (as I was) that's where it will take you and there is no better way to test the real accuracy potential of a rifle.
