I was going to get a Ruger 10/22 as many will recommend, but recently the Marlin 60 has been more attractive to me. It's generally much cheaper, by about $100, has comparable if not better accuracy, and seems to be very reliable. Like any gun, keep it clean.
The 14 round tube magazine is fine by me. Swapping out two 10/22 clips would give you 20 rounds (plus those cost about $25 a piece) so you still get good ammo capacity in the Marlin.
Cabela's (and others, I'm sure) also sell a speedloader that has 6 cylinders that you load then can reload your Marlin with. So load the Marlin by hand, carry the reloader, and you can shoot 7 full mags in a reasonably short amount of time - for 98 rounds of fun.