I bought a Marlin 1895 (plain jane, blued) for $460.00 (out the door) at Carter's Country early last year...
Even though the factory ammo (Remington, Winchester and Hornaday) in 300, 405 and 325 gr. were a bit expensive...I've saved every case, and intend to reload them in the future...I think it'll be a good economical trade off...
I have only modified the sights with some Williams "Firesights" which are superior for those not wanting to "scope" their rifle out just yet...
Other than that I have been extremely happy with the accuracy out to 150 yards...I know that sounds very short, but hey, it'll get hits that I believe will put just about anything down on the spot...Recoil is noticable
, but manageble...Don't sweat it...It'll work when you need it to...I would recommend using the Hornaday "Leverevolution" at 325 gr's. for any practical usage, outside of any range time or practice...Last time I saw, those were going for about $29 for 20 rounds...The other makers were selling at about $31-$35 for 20 rounds...
And for my off-topic, sidebar comment...
Be aware I did see some of these Marlin lever actions on the new AWB bill that is on deck and ready to go in congress...For some reason someone thinks these are "assault" weapons...Go figure...
And now I return you to your regularly scheduled program...