There's always Henry, as well. My dad has been wanting a .22 lever for a while now, and I was thinking of getting him one for Christmas. Me, I would probably go with the Henry.
But I can't say enough good things about the Marlins, though they might be unnecessary for your needs. Heard good things about the Pumas, and those would probably be best to save you some cash, and will more than hold up to any use he'll put it through.