The checkering/carving on that Marlin is not factory, most assuredly an amateur hand.
Kennedy's checkering book sucks, unfortunately. I am doing the final proofs on a new checkering How-to book called The Final Touch by Joel Schafer contact info is in the latest Am. Rifleman, at tiny blurb on the book review pages (46). Vastly better than Monte's...
Well, that's too bad.
Is there a similar blurb somewhere in American Hunter (that is the NRA publication that I elected)? If not, do you have a source and a price for it?