.308 Marlin Express
Firearm cartridge
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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.[2][3]
| .308 Marlin Express | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.308 Winchester (left), with .308 Marlin Express (center), and .338 Marlin Express (right) | ||||||||||||
| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | USA | |||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||
| Designer | Marlin / Hornady | |||||||||||
| Designed | 2007 | |||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Hornady | |||||||||||
| Produced | 2007âpresent | |||||||||||
| 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 | Large rifle | |||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 47,500 psi (328 MPa) | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Test barrel length: 24 inch Sources: 308 Marlin Express LEVERevolution at Hornady web site and C.I.P Data [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. 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.
| Cartridge | Mass | Muzzle velocity | Muzzle energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| .308 Marlin Express | 160 grains (10 g) | 2,660 ft/s (810 m/s) | 2,513 ftâ lbf (3,407 Nâ m) [4] |
| .30-30 Winchester | 160 grains (10 g) | 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) | 1,880 ftâ lbf (2,550 Nâ m) [5] |
| .307 Winchester | 150 grains (9.7 g) | 2,693 ft/s (821 m/s) | 2,416 ftâ lbf (3,276 Nâ m) [6] |
| .307 Winchester | 160 grains (10 g) | 2,675 ft/s (815 m/s) | 2,540 ftâ lbf (3,440 Nâ m) [7] |
| .307 Winchester | 170 grains (11 g) | 2,570 ft/s (780 m/s) | 2,494 ftâ lbf (3,381 Nâ m) [6] |
| .308 Winchester | 150 grains (9.7 g) | 2,809 ft/s (856 m/s) | 2,629 ftâ lbf (3,564 Nâ m) [8] |
| .308 Winchester | 160 grains (10 g) | 2,770 ft/s (840 m/s) | 2,720 ftâ lbf (3,690 Nâ m) [9] |
| .308 Winchester | 168 grains (10.9 g) | 2,712 ft/s (827 m/s) | 2,744 ftâ lbf (3,720 Nâ m) [8] |
| .300 Savage | 150 grains (9.7 g) | 2,765 ft/s (843 m/s) | 2,547 ftâ lbf (3,453 Nâ m) [10] |
| .300 Savage | 160 grains (10 g) | 2,505 ft/s (764 m/s) | 2,230 ftâ lbf (3,020 Nâ m) [11] |
| .300 Savage | 170 grains (11 g) | 2,676 ft/s (816 m/s) | 2,624 ftâ lbf (3,558 Nâ m) [10] |
Ammunition availability
As of 2010, Hornady and Remington remain the only two manufacturers of loaded ammunition in .308 Marlin Express.