The V2 has a Spanish-made Bergara barrel that really enhances accuracy, with all four members of the test team shooting consistent groupings of less than 2 inches.
It is an inexpensive gun, and there is not an original idea in it, but oh boy is it a good gun. If the Marlin designers are not original thinkers, they are definitely sound thinkers.
Forget the eye-popping accuracy and strange-looking spiral-flute barrels. What gets the Mark VII on this list is the fact that it represents the way rifles will be made in the future.