Shot one last weekend at a writer's conference. Nicely proportioned, smooth functioning (for an inexpensive push cartridge system), good trigger. Recoil is heavy because the rifle is light but not upleasant. LOP is probably around 13.5 inches. Stock design handles recoil well. Trigger is very good. Safety switch is glove and finger friendly. The bead blast finish will probably be prone to rusting in harsh weather so it will have to be monitored. For the asking price I thought it was a very good choice for an entry level and bang-around rifle. It runs in quality with the Wal-Mart Remington 700's, 770 Remington, the 200 Stevens, and the ATR100 Mossberg. All four of these models are really quite accurate.. .. and the Marlin is no exception. The problem I have with all of these models is I don't know how well any of them would stand up to hard use over a long period of time. So many rifles in the states are shot less than 10 times a year and sit in the closet the rest of the time. For that, any of them would be fine.