I personally feel that out of the box the marlin is the better gun for the money. However the ruger can't be beat for aftermarket parts if you want to modify one. There is no limit to what you can do to one.

I have seen the same thing with the 17HMR. The Marlin and savage guns for a couple of hundred bucks tend to have a better track record than the ruger bolt action that costs nearly twice as much. It is a nicer built and feeling rifle, but seems to be hit and miss on accuracy for some reason.

Paul