Bought my son a Marlin XL7 in 270win last year. (long action vs the short action of the XS7) Excellent shooter for the price! One of the best recoil pads on the market. Adjustable trigger is every bit as nice as the Savage AccuTrigger. Shoots MOA out of the box with hand loads. Smooth fluted bolt operation. There are a few plastic parts like the trigger guard and magazine follower but that's expected at this price point. Light composite stock handles well. Good balance. Safety is in good position and movable with gloves on. Scope rail is included, and rings are the same as for a Win70.
For the price, I don't think there's a better deal out there for a rifle. We looked at some of the lower end Remingtons and a S&W but we didn't see the offer of fluted bolt and adjustable trigger.
The only thing we don't like is the blind box magazine. But this is certainly not the only rifle on the market with blind box mag.
-Steve
