I just plain love the ole 30-30 cartridge no matter what rifle you own. Being a southpaw led me to the lever or pump actions early on in my life. I have 30-30's in several older style Winchesters (standard & trapper model but neither the newer angle eject), two Marlins, a Savage pump they only made for 10 years, and even two barrels of different lengths for my T/C contender. I always seem to hunt where my shots are 100 yards or less so that ole 30-30 cartridge does me just fine. They don't make my old Savage pump anymore so basically your choices are between the Winchester & Marlin. Either rifle can be scoped whether it is the older top eject or newer side eject Winchester as they have made some type of scope mount for either of them. However, it is easier to scope a Marlin and their bases are available just about everywhere. As someone said earlier, the Winchester is lighter so if weight is a concern, consider the Winchester. I prefer a slightly heavier rifle so I have used my Marlins more before I came across that old Savage pump at a local gun show years ago. But I guess you can't go wrong with either the Marlin or Winchester so it'll just come down to your particular taste.