.308 Marlin Express

.308 Marlin Express
Type Rifle
Place of origin USA
Production history
Designer Marlin / Hornady
Manufacturer Hornady
Produced 2007
Specifications
Parent case .307 Winchester
Case type Semi-rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter .308 in (7.8 mm)
Neck diameter .344 in (8.7 mm)
Shoulder diameter .454 in (11.5 mm)
Base diameter .470 in (11.9 mm)
Rim diameter .508 in (12.9 mm)
Rim thickness .063 in (1.6 mm)
Case length 1.910 in (48.5 mm)
Overall length 2.600 in (66.0 mm)
Primer type Win. Large Rifle
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy
140 gr (9 g) MonoFlex Tip (Hornady Expanding) 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) 2,437 ft·lbf (3,304 J)
160 gr (10 g) FTX (Hornady Flex Tip Expanding) 2,660 ft/s (810 m/s) 2,513 ft·lbf (3,407 J)
Test barrel length: 24 inch
Source(s): 308 Marlin Express LEVERevolution at Hornady web site

The .308 Marlin Express is a cartridge developed in 2007 by Marlin Firearms and Hornady. It is based on the .307 Winchester with a goal to duplicate .308 Winchester performance. The cartridge uses a slightly shorter, semi-rimmed case similar to that of the .220 Swift to function in lever action rifles. As introduced in Hornady's LEVERevolution line of cartridges, it is the highest velocity production cartridge designed for lever action rifles with tubular magazines. It is chambered in Marlin's Model 308MX and 308MXLR rifles using the Marlin Model 336 action.[1]

Comparison

The .308 Marlin Express was designed to produce performance similar to the .308 Winchester. This would give lever-action hunters improved performance over their .30-30 Winchester rounds. The table below shows how the rounds compare. Note that reloading data for 160-grain (10 g) bullets for some of the cartridges is not available. Extensive loading data for the .308 Marlin Express is available at (Hornady Website Link). This round was designed with an elastomer tip, so that the .308 designed would be safe for the tubular magazine of lever action rifles. This softer tip eliminates the hazards of stacking pointed rounds end to end in a tubular magazine.

.308 Marlin Express comparison
Cartridge Mass Muzzle velocity Muzzle energy
.308 Marlin Express 160 grains (10 g) 2,660 ft/s (810 m/s) 2,513 ft·lbf (3,407 N·m) [2]
.30-30 Winchester 160 grains (10 g) 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) 1,880 ft·lbf (2,550 N·m) [3]
.307 Winchester 150 grains (9.7 g) 2,693 ft/s (821 m/s) 2,416 ft·lbf (3,276 N·m) [4]
.307 Winchester 160 grains (10 g) 2,675 ft/s (815 m/s) 2,540 ft·lbf (3,440 N·m) [5]
.307 Winchester 170 grains (11 g) 2,570 ft/s (780 m/s) 2,494 ft·lbf (3,381 N·m) [4]
.308 Winchester 150 grains (9.7 g) 2,809 ft/s (856 m/s) 2,629 ft·lbf (3,564 N·m) [6]
.308 Winchester 160 grains (10 g) 2,770 ft/s (840 m/s) 2,720 ft·lbf (3,690 N·m) [7]
.308 Winchester 168 grains (10.9 g) 2,712 ft/s (827 m/s) 2,744 ft·lbf (3,720 N·m) [6]
.300 Savage 150 grains (9.7 g) 2,765 ft/s (843 m/s) 2,547 ft·lbf (3,453 N·m) [8]
.300 Savage 160 grains (10 g) 2,505 ft/s (764 m/s) 2,230 ft·lbf (3,020 N·m) [9]
.300 Savage 170 grains (11 g) 2,676 ft/s (816 m/s) 2,624 ft·lbf (3,558 N·m) [8]

Ammunition availability

As of 2010, Hornady and Remington remain the only two manufacturers of loaded ammunition in .308 Marlin Express.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 308 Marlin Express at Marlin web site
  2. ↑ 308 Marlin Express LEVERevolution at Hornady web site
  3. ↑ the .30-30 Winchester by Chuck Hawks
  4. 1 2 .307 Winchester reload data by Accurate Powder
  5. ↑ Accuload III Reloading Software - .307 Winchester with 160 gr (10 g) bullet, 44.4 grains (2.88 g) Varget, 20-inch (510 mm) barrel - AEM Enterprises
  6. 1 2 .308 Winchester reload data by Accurate
  7. ↑ Accuload III Reloading Software - .308 Winchester with 160 gr (10 g) bullet, 45.9 grains (2.97 g) Reloder 15, 20-inch (510 mm) barrel - AEM Enterprises
  8. 1 2 .300 Savage reload data by Accurate Powder
  9. ↑ Accuload III Reloading Software - .300 Savage with 160 gr (10 g) bullet, 39.1 grains (2.53 g) Varget, 20-inch (510 mm) barrel - AEM Enterprises

External links


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