Marlin is now owned by Remington (Freedom Arms Group) since 2007. Before that, Marlin was bought by H&R 1870 in 2000. There have been complaints about quality after production was resumed at the Remington owned facility in Ilion, NY. Don't know as I've not shot one of the new ones.
I've never been a huge fan of the micro groove rifling, introduced in 1953, but in my 22 rimfire Model 39 (mfg 1972) it works very well with great accuracy and has provided me with numerous small game dinners.
Before Remington bought Marlin, they seemed to be returning to cut rifled barrels, at least in their cowboy action shooting versions of the 1894 (pistol calibres) and the 38/55 and 45/70 versions of the Model 1895 (Model 336 with a different name). That's all immaterial if you only shoot jacketed bullets, but for cast bullet shooters it is a factor to consider.
Anyone know what rifling the Remington produced Marlins are using?
At any rate, I really like Marlins and find mine to be great shooting lever guns.
This Marlin 1893 has been in the family for four generations now and still holds almost 2 MOA with good cast bullets.
While a good bit newer, these Marlins are also favorite shooters, mostly with cast bullets.
By the way, Good advice on not drilling and tapping a collectable Marlin. On the other hand, many older Marlins were drilled and tapped at the New Haven factory for Marlin's peep sight that was available as an option. Two tapped screw holes on top of the receiver towards the back indicate such a gun.