Free: Contests & Raffles.
Our Team Said: The Marlin XL7 wasn’t particularly wonderful at anything, but it wasn’t horribly bad at anything, either. It has a better than average price-point, a better-than-average trigger, and a better-than-average recoil pad. The rest of the rifle fared average in performance, or below average. It was less than average in the accuracy department, and it suffered by comparison with the Savage 111FCNS, with the noisy safety and floppy bolt being particular areas The Savage had better, deeper, higher polished bluing than did the Marlin, with a larger bolt handle that was so well-finished, it made the Marlin’s bolt look like a rough casting. Where the walnut Marlin’s trigger-guard was just plastic, the Savage displayed metal. we didn’t like. All in, it all coalesced to form a slightly-below-average 30-06 Springfield bolt action. Despite the promising trigger and recoil pad, it is an immensely forgettable rifle and deserves a C-. We wouldn’t buy one.