I bought mine last spring, and have yet to find any thing to complain about. The action is slick as a Ferarri, and the stupid wide front sight is now nicely tapered, thanks to five minutes with a file. That was the only thing I didn't like about it. And like your friend's gun, the wood on mine is gorgeous!
Half the price of a Marlin, but more than half the gun. The aluminum receiver doesn't bother me on a rimfire, if the bluing fades i'll just touch it up. My guns get used, not spoiled.
PJ

"Now is the time that men work quietly in the fields, and women weep softly in the kitchen; the Legislature's in session and no man's property is safe." Daniel Webster