I don't believe Marlin has been "ruined" though their quality surely isn't what it used to be. I think they have come back from the initial takeover mess and the rifles they are now making, though nowhere near the craftsmanship and detail of the past years, are pretty fair rifles for the money. Sadly I can't say the same for Remington rifles. Even while being owned by the same parent company, Marlin stepped away from Remington in in their quality control department. Of course comparing my old .30-30 made back in the 50's and one of my .444's made around 2010 or so brings a small tear to the eye if one looks deep at the attention to detail Marlin used to put into each rifle.