Well I've owned this rifle a while now and I'm pleasantly surprised. I own and have owned several Marlins over the years and have a number of the new Ruger Marlins including the new 18-in sbl in both 45-70 and 44 Mag trapper but I really wanted to get the new Marlin Trapper in 45-70 which I've been waiting for some time. I've been quite disgusted by the ridiculous prices being asked for currently in the country so I decided to try out one of these Rossi's which is basically just an exact knockoff of the old original Marlin. It only cost $1,500 bucks brand new and I have to say I'm pretty happy with the purchase. I was a little nervous trying out a Brazilian gun since I had a pretty bad experience with buying a Italian made Chiappa 44 mag takedown. The little Chiappa was incredibly accurate but in less than a month start having all kinds of other issues and I doubt I'll ever buy another one. This Rossi could not be more opposite. The fit and finish is as good or better as any of the new Ruger Marlins. It Cycles smoother than most Marlins I've ever owned and is even just a little slightly better than the new Ruger made one I have. It has an unusual 1:12 rifling which is actually supposed to be better as opposed to the generic 1:20 typically used and so far I find it amazingly accurate with heavy or light loads. It has an AR-15 extractor which is an improvement on Marlin. Another noticeable little plus over even the new Ruger Marlins is that the loading gate came with zero burr or sharpness which even my new ruger built ones had a issue with. It also has a threaded barrel for a muzzle brake, that to me is handy as well and it does not detract from the vintage look. Despite the short barrel it's quite stable shooting and the pad is more than sufficient. The only thing I didn't like about it was the Buckhorn site which I've never liked. I originally shot it with it and there's no issues its quite accurate at least to 50. I have since remedied that with a Skinner picatinny rail and peep sight. It's pretty much an exact knockoff of the old Marlins and most original or aftermarket Marlin accessories fit it. Basically I'm so happy with this little carbine I'm not going to bother getting the new Ruger Marlin one
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