Both the 94 and Marlin are good. Personally tho, I would have to take a Winchester over a Marlin. The Winchester just fits me better and has a better "feel" to it thatn the Marlin for me. I also dont like the heft of a Marlin. To me, the 94 is very special and a very good gun. Some ppl want to bash it cause its not a 338 mag or one of them magnum rnds. They all think they need an elephant gun to do a job.......lol Well, I love my 30-30, aka Thutty-Thutty, aka Treinte-Treinte, etc. My favorite rifle of all time.