edmo01 - my mother and I own 3 Marlins between us. Two are .22LR and one .22 Mag.
I have also been looking for over 2 years for the Marlin 1894, without
"affordable" success. There have been used guns going for over $1200, about 2X the MSRP!!
I settled on wanting the Marlin over the Winchester, the Rossi clone of the Winchester, the Henry, and the Uberti for several reasons. Of the five, only the Marlin is a "side-eject". This would make it difficult to mount a scope on the other four. Also, the bright brass on the Henry and its "belly- loading" tube magazine (like a .22 tube magazine) make it less desirable for hunting or SD/HD due to shine and slow reloads.
The Marlin also has a relatively flat, padded heel on the stock. The other three have an unpadded, curved heel that does NOT fit my shoulder. The
"points" of the heel poke into my shoulder and would make this mild recoil uncomfortable.
With its side loading gate, the Marlin is easy to "top off", the side eject keeps dirt & rain from getting into the inner workings, and the padded stock makes for more comfortable shooting.
Price-wise, the Rossi may be the lowest with the Marlin and Henry being comparably priced. Both the Uberti and the Winchester are, IMO, over-priced.
Good luck!
p.s. At least three different dealers have "advised" me that the newly made 1894s are being nicknamed "Remlins" as they are being made by Remington and the quality is lacking. Most notably, they have been having feeding problems.
FYI