pharaoh2

Man, I fell sorry for the Winchesters. So I'll vote one for them. (I do like the Marlins though) I've owned both a pre-64 Winchester, and a new (at the time) Marlin 30as. The marlin did operate smoother, and was nice with the scope, but I found myself shooting without the scope most of the time. The Winchester is lighter, more slender, and I think more attractive. You shouldn't worry about reciever strength, your buying a 30-30. Both guns will hold up to anything safe to fire out of either. On note: I do wish Winchester would offer a half pistol grip on a 20" barreled model. They do a $3000 custom shop that is gorgeous, but not one I could afford or take hunting. If you need strickly a hunting gun, consider the marlin 336a or Winchester ranger. They are both around the same money, use I believe beechwood for the stocks, and can be knocked all to crap without worry on damaging the nice wood. Either way, buy whichever one fits you best, and comes to your shoulder and lines up right for you. Good luck.