I thought that some others may find the following excert from another website regarding this new rifle.
"Now I can talk freely about the new 308 Marlin Express.
The news release is now out on the joint venture of Marlin and Hornady's newest cartridge, the 308 MARLIN EXPRESS.
Ater reading a number of recent posts that hit the 'net today, I'll try to give you all some more facts.
The 308 Marlin Express is NOT interchangeable with the current (Nato) .308........The marlin 308 Express is an entirely NEW case and chamber design......However, The New 308 Marlin Express will slightly surpass the older, (never released in a Marlin), 307 performance.
The Billistics are similar to the current Nato 308, a 160 Gr. projectile @ approx 2650-2700 FPS...... The operating pressure will be in the range of 46,000-47,000 PSI, thanks to the technology and hard work from the guys at Hornady.....Someone stated they expect the performance to fall short......I DON'T THINK THAT WILL BE THE CASE!...The final loading is still being fine tuned by the technicians at Hornady, velocity and accuracy is VERY incouraging.
Answers to few questions I read in prior posts:
Will other (hand loaded) ammo be usable?.........Yes, the bore size is the same as the Marlin 30-30........1:10 ballard cut rifling, so other RN or FN bullets are handloadable. The larger case capacity of the 308 will benefit the handloader also.
Will other ammo manufacturers pick the 308 Marlin Express in their product line?
I expect that will happen, in time,......thats always been the case.
Can older Marlin 30-30's be safely rechambered to this new round?.....NO!..... the receiver will be manufactured to tighter tolerances, using a Vee thread as the union between the barrel and the receiver, similar to the 450 Marlin.
Can standard pointed bullets be used in the 308 Marlin rifle? NO....There is NO safe way to use standard, metal pointed projectiles in a tubular magazine.
Will a 35 or some other bore size follow?..............NO........this is a NEW Marlin caliber in itself.
The Marlin Rifles:
The Marlin 308 Express will come in two flavors.
The 308MXLR will be an XLR Stainless Steel style rifle with a 24" barrel, pistol grip Grey/Black laminated stocks, with forarm cap and sling studs,and standard Marlin rubber non-vented rifle pad.
The 308MX will be a blued rifle with a 22" barrel, Walnut pistol grip stocks, with the Marlin rubber non-vented rifle pad and sling studs.
The Magazine Tubes on both rifles will be the 2/3's style, holding, 5 rounds. The mag tubes are standard style NOT sprial or helical.
Barrel Contour : Currently, the barrel contour will be that of the 30-30 and 30-30 XLR.....However testing is scheduled for other, heavier barrel contours, to optimize down range accuracy. Barrel contour will be decided prior to the first production run.
Production schedule: Marlin is scheduling the first production for these new rifles for Jan/Feb/ March........I don't remember the specific production release dates, but will note them tomorrow and post them this weekend.
This new caliber is going to be a long range heavy hitter for a 30 caliber lever gun.......One of the gun writers shot and killed an antelope at a measured 361 yards with this rifle.
If you want to see the cartridge itself,I suggest you log in to Hornady's web site to view it. I have the file on my computer, but it will take me too much time to convert it , reload it and post it......Sorry, I work on a computer most of the day, I DON'T WANT TO WORK MORE AT NIGHT....
I'm excited about the new 308 Marlin Express........If any of you have other questions, forward them to me, and I'll try to answer them quickly for you.
I am very interested in it myself. i'm a lever gun fanatic but I want 500+ yard range reliability which marlin just dont offer me. i've been considering the BLR myself.
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And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth GENESIS 1:28
I sawthe writeup on this new round and really doubt it will go anywhere. Might as well buy a BLR in .308 or get a nice old 88 or 99. Other than devoted Marlin fans I don't see much of a market.
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I don't like people who don't like dogs !
I sawthe writeup on this new round and really doubt it will go anywhere. Might as well buy a BLR in .308 or get a nice old 88 or 99. Other than devoted Marlin fans I don't see much of a market.
I sawthe writeup on this new round and really doubt it will go anywhere. Might as well buy a BLR in .308 or get a nice old 88 or 99. Other than devoted Marlin fans I don't see much of a market.
I couldn't agree more.
I'm not so sure. Aesthetics play a part in gun purchases, and compared toMarlins, those old 88's, 99's and even the BLRs are hideous.
I agree with you ipsc-this new cartridge is the buzz on the lever sites. Marlin has a fantastic following guys. I do not know the exact number, and I could be wrong, but I would bet there are more levers sold than bolts. And I can assure you there are more levers out there than bolts. Alot of people have been waiting for a true 300-400 yard lever cartridge in a Marlin. And now they have it. I know Browning has one, and I believe you will see a new Brownchester real soon from ***an, and I have heard possibly SC. But I am sure you will have a hard time getting one of these Marlin's for a few years to come.
Chantecler I agree with you in one way, it is nothing that your 308 will not do. Where I disagree is in the characteristics of the firearm itself. I believe the lever carries, points, and handles better than a bolt. Most people went to a bolt because theywere more accurateout to 350 yards. And let us be honest-most people can not even shoot that far. Now with a lever that will hold its snuff at that distance, without falling out of the sky-it will be a winner.I own quit a few lever's and I can assure you that I will buy one. Tom.
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West by God Virginia.
We need to stop using these terms today, "Sniper Rifle", "Tactical", "Assault Weapon".
Marlin 308 Express
