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First, the bad: I purchased this rifle in 2011, to put away for when my then young son would be ready to start shooting. Well, this last July, he achieved the 3 mile run that we had agreed was his requirement to begin shooting his Marlin 60 .22, about 3 years ahead of when I'd expected him to. It was a terrific incentive for him, and he worked hard for it.

Having worked his rear off to earn the right to shoot his rifle, you can probably imagine our disappointment when, as we unboxed the rifle together for the first time at the rifle range, we discovered that the inner magazine tube was either bent inside the main tube, poorly installed, or wedged in so tight, etc., that it could not be budged out, even by clamping it with a vise-grip, twisting, pulling, etc. The rifle was a complete NO-GO. The situation sucked.

Now for the good. We called Marlin the following Monday, explained the situation, got a UPS number, shipped it to them, and received it back, all within about ten calendar days. No hassle, no charge, no questions asked. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. THANKS, Marlin!

Long story short, we've put a little over two bricks through it since then.
A) Not a single malfunction, except for a dud round or two (two strikes w/ firing pin - no fire)
B) The rifle runs like a champ, and is (fairly) easy for a young boy to run, except....
C) The bolt release is pretty stiff, and pretty thin (read, blade-like) so it's tough for him, but it's not at all an issue for a bigger kid or adult
D) The rifle is accurate as heck, wth Federal and Winchester Wildcat ammo. What does accurate as heck mean, in this case? A child, with a little coaching at first, can hit a pie-plate sized bull at 25 yds all day long, and at 50 yds about half the time. And that's with a length of pull that's too long for him, yet. I can hit the nails in the target frame at 7 yards. Pretty much every shot. Plenty accurate for squirrels, rabbits, or whatever else have you.
E) It came dirty as heck from the factory, but it's VERY easy to disassemble, clean, and reassemble.
F) The tubular magazine pretty much means that it's not going to get lost. That's the main reason I chose this rifle over the more expensive competitor with the detachable mag.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a .22 for yourself and your family, I am VERY happy with this one. I bought the Stainless/Synthetic one for my 3-year old. When he runs his 3-mile, I'll be writing a review on that one. At this point, I give this rifle a solid 5.

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