I have Savage, Winchesters, and Henrys. The Savage (even at 100 years old) is the nicest of the bunch. Winchesters hold their value more, because of name recognition, but Henry makes some very nice rifles. I'd even go so far as to say that the Henry actions are smoother. I've had friends who hunted with Marlins, and it looks like Ruger intends to put quality back into that brand. All of these rifles are fun to shoot and will perform well. If you find one you like out of these 4 brands, I don't think you will regret it.