OK Coleman, I'll try to be as honest as possible on my assessment.
I won't be guilty of telling you it is the best rifle ever, but, It appears to be a really nice rifle, in spite of the low price.
Marlin might not be stretching things when they call it the best in it's class ?
The only real fault I find with mine, is the blind magazine. However, the one I have strips cartridges from the magazine, and into the breach so straight, that even after about 18 times through the action, the ammo still looks real presentable, unlike the battered tip, scratched up messes I have pitched after season, with two other blind magazine rifles I have owned in the past. I don't know if I just ended up with one that feeds well by luck of the draw, or whether other guys will have had the same or different feeding experience with theirs ?
After floating the barrel, mine will shoot within an inch and a quarter, and hold point of aim through 5 shot strings (the 3 times I shot 5 shot groups, anyway).
The trigger is decent enough, and fully adjustable. Out of the box, mine broke cleanly and consistently at 3 pounds, with no discernible creep, so I left it alone.
The safety is user friendly, and located in the right place.
The bolt opporates as smoothly as any rifle I have, in fact, so smoothly, that when I was a poster on a drive our group had, I was forced to shoot a doe and button buck they chased by me, and everyone thought another poster with a Remington auto had been the one that shot.
The rifle is light and handles well.
I'm real happy with it, and while I bought it for wet days, it may well see a lot of use when the sun shines, too ?
