Thoughts on 308 Marlin Express or 338 Marlin Express

Anybody have any experience with either of these calibers. I am wanting a new "toy" and these have caught my attention. Love lever actions and these two calibers seem to really be an upgrade on what was out there. Thanks for you help.

Bump

Great rifles in calibers that are intended to expand their marketing in an already saturated caliber groups. If you handload and control your own desitiny for ammunition they are probably OK. Get out away from the big city in a hunting situation needing shells, you will find factory ammo for these to be non exisitent.

I have owned one (308) and shot a 300+ pound boar. One Shot.
Three deer , One big Buck, all one shot. Set with a Nikon BM 3x9 groups avg. 1 1/2"
I sold the rifle to a friend. He took the rifle on a hog hunt I took him on this weekend. He shot a 150+ and there was some solid damage on the sow. The rifle is quick, accurate and balances well. I travel all over Texas for work. If you can find a walmart, Academy or normal gunshott. The shells will be there.

Get one and be amazed at what range of hunting you can get done with this workhorse round.

I have one.

I shot one.

And almost severed a head.



get one....

The 308mx ain't much different from a 30-30, I believe its the same projectile moving about 260fps slower?

They are both very good calibers but like I said, one manufacturer and prices vary. I kept my 450 marlin but I don't shoot it much.

I don't have a clue why my reply in the #2 spot got deleted as I had nothing bad to say?

The custom 308mx rifle I posted is a great price, just trying to help out a fellow Texan

If this is wrong to post a link to GB item and the reason my post got deleted, I'm sorry, I didn't know.

I am not trying to change the subject, maybe expand on it though. I have heard of handloaders making a 30-30 round with pointed tip and using them in there lever actions as a single shot rifle. NOT feeding them into the tube. Can this be done with the Marlin 308 lever? Or is it a completely different size round as factory 308 ammo?

I have the 308MX, the blue and brown rifle, and it is an outstanding rifle. I have two close friends, one with the 338MXLR and the other with the 338MX, and they are both smitten with the rifle despite dozens of others. In either rifle, the "MX" is the traditional look of blued steel and walnut wood, and the "MXLR" is the rifle with the stainless steel and laminated wood stock.

The 308 Marlin Express, the cartridge, features a unique bullet that was designed for the 308MX and 308MLXR and applied to the 30-30 Win. This FTX bullet is now available as a component from Hornady (#30395). I have close friends that have taken all the hoofed North American game animals except the Desert Bighorn (but all the other sheep). Call it a 308 Win but the one advantage it has over that cartridge is that it has one bullet specifically designed for the velocity range. Poor choices can be made with the 308 Win because bullets constructed for it are designed for a velocity range that would run between the performance of the 300 Savage up through the 300 Mags (compromise). That's quite a velocity range. In fact, a great bullet for the 308 Win would be the Hornady 160-grain FTX designed for the 308ME!

My buds with the 338ME are experiencing the same results mentioned above on hoofed animals. The complete lineup of game hasn't been taken but give it a couple of more years. Their experience to date has been the same, a bullet designed for a specific set of velocity values can not be beaten. Hornady and Marlin have been at this a long time.

As far as ammo goes, you can walk into Academy and find the ammo on the shelf. I'm a reloader but buy ammo occasionally and I would personally not buy it in lots of less than 100 (5 boxes). That way you have control by having the same manufacture run and end the availability issue. I live on a ranch in hunting country, I can buy the ammo within 10 miles. Start looking for any of the new Short Magnums and you will need to drive at least 35 miles. Availability is not an issue or any different from any other popular cartridge! Hornady seems to be helping with that as most of the ammo restocking shelves seems to be their brown and gold boxes in all calibers. When Academy started selling the 308 Marlin Express rifles several years ago, they didn't sell the ammo yet. The first time a 338 Marlin Express in the lineup, I looked and they had the ammo on the shelf. They don't always have the rifle locally and I assume they are simply selling them.

As first brass was tough to find of the 308MX as I'm sure the 338MX is. Marlin sent me a large box of once-fired brass to get started testing. This was when the rifle was new so Lee Precision had to cut me dies for the rifle. These tools and components are readily available now. The cartridge is reloader friendly. The one bullet I like is the Hornady 170-grain Flat Point. Despite it being designed, for several decades I chose to hunt South Texas whitetails with this bullet because it is devastating to soft skinned animals. I've used it in the 300 Savage, 308 Win, and now the 308ME (as well as the 30-30). You are pushing it beyond what the 30-30 is capable of doing and reaching out with it's killing authority.

Between the two cartridges, the 308ME or the 338ME, the choice is simply a personal one here in Texas. If the game just whitetails, mule deer and antelope, I would shoot the 308ME. If I where to include the larger exotics found in the state or be thinking of elk on public land out west, I would go with the 338ME. My friends have taken a number of elk and moose with the 308ME.

Right on Ranch Dog. Based on the performance of 30-30 Powermax, that would be my choice hands down in 308win.

I'm probably going to kick myself for passing on the 308mx as it becomes more popular. Its like a 30-30 on steroids. I just don't care for the price of 308mx ammo right now.

I bought mine through Academy when they first came out for $499. What are they selling for now?

I also just opened up some mail from the Quality Deer Management Association which announces a raffle they are having. They are going to give a rifle away everyday from November 13, through December 2. Here is the lineup

3 Kimber
3 Marlin (one 308MXLR and two 338MXs)
4 Remington
3 Ruger
5 Weatherby
2 Winchester

This is one indicator of the company these rifles keep, they are quality firearms.

Yeah, I just found out from my ammo place Lever-E 308mx is $22 a box -vs- their $24 for the 30-30 and he said the 308marlin Express is here to stay. hell, I've been getting 35rem lever-E for $20 a box.

I'm probably buying said custom 18 1/2" stainless XLR model and converting it to straight stock using my stainless 30-30 SDT parts.

I guess if I want to plink, thats what a win 9422 is for.

Hey guys, Thanks for all the information! I knew some fellow THF guys would know the facts. Please keep the thought and opinions coming. I'm liking what I'm hearing on these two calibers though.

Eric

The 308ME is only 100 fps slower and 100 less ft/lbs. than a win 308. Only thing that sucks for now is you can only buy FTX bullets for the 30-30 to reload with. You can't use them for 308ME.

Speaking of reloading if you get on something like marlinowners.com you'll see multitudes of threads about how handloaders can't duplicate stock lever evolution so what's the point? I shoot submoa with factory ammo.

I shoot cast bullets from mine. It does great!

I'm opting out of the 308mx. It won't do anything my 35 or 30-30 won't do, and much less than a 308win will do.

I say much less because the 308win performs very well out of a short barrel where the propelent in the Lever-E 308mx loses more velocity.

And, they make the almighty Win Powermax in 308win.

Loco,

You're 35 Rem will fall into the ground long before that 308 ME does. I like my Marlin over a bolt gun because I already have a bolt in 30-06 and it's lighter than a 308 bolt would be. I can give up 100 or so fps.

Do you guys think for the price difference, its worth the extra money for the MXLR versus the MX? More curious if the MXLR is inherently more accurate because of the longer barrel. Personally like the look of the MX better. Also my comfort zone is only out to about 200 yards, is MX just as accurate out to that distance.

Thanks for your thoughts.

"You're 35 Rem will fall into the ground long before that 308 ME does"

I can only assume you mean become extinct? I'm sure many thought that for many years. Its still around.

I can't really speak for the 308 or 338 but I can tell you without a shadow of doubt in my civilian life and twenty plus years military service, every other caliber leveraction or bolt action that was shorter, was far more accurate.

Every XLR I've cut down increased in accuracy.

The 308win don't suffer much velocity loss -vs- I believe the Hornady 308mx lever-E is a slower burning powder so loss is more.

No, I meant literally fall as it flies through the air.

And cutting down a rifle might help accuracy as you say, but its worse in the long run for velocity.

Oh, I just got it, you are talking about ballistically. I don't shoot nuthin over 200 yards so it will work fine within that range.

When I want a real challenge, I shoot plastic army men at 25 yards with a bb gun.

I agree with you on velocity but some calibers are better suited for short barrels and a 308win is one of them.


Heres what I've found for my 35 Remington Leverevolution with an adjusted muzzle velocity of 2150fps with my 18 1/2" barrel. 170 yard zero nets me these figures which I've checked over and over again.

Exactly + 6/16" @25yds

Exactly + 1 11/16" @50yds

High MPBR is + 2 3/4" @100yds

Low MPBR is - 2 14/16" @200yds

If I went with a 3" MPBR (180yd zero), I could stretch her to a 250 yard back bone hold-on, but why?

I think it just comes down to a matter of personal taste. I prefer the look of blued steel vs SS and walnut vs the laminated stocks. SS does stain and corrode if it is not wiped down, it won't do it as fast as a blued gun but it will do it. With all the SS rifles out on the market, I've seen some crappy looking rifles that will never be able to be sold because shooters thought they could ignore the elements.

I don't think there is much loss in performance with the 20" of the MX vs. the MXLR. I think the MX is balanced better with the shorter barrel.

.308 will pretty much kill anything walking around in the woods ( even bigfoot if you see one).

I want a 308 express, I've always turned down lever guns because most of the ones I come across are 30-30's, and I hate that round.

But I like the 308 express, seems like a bad azz little round.

Better go with the 308mx, animals are getting immune to 30-30 and 35.

I tell you what is the truth, a 30-30 Powermax round has more knockdown than a 308mx to 200 yards despite the paper ballistics.

Ain't nuthin wrong with any 308mx or 338mx

I hope not. The Marlin's chambered in 35 Rem are about as perfect as a Texas deer rifle could be. I own two and they are a pleasure to hunt with and shoot. I enjoy reloading the cartridge and prefer it to the 30-30 Win.

Ranch Dog,

Nobody understands magic, they are simply amazed.

I've got nothing left to prove and I don't want to end up like either one of those "Oklahoma deer hunters" on the other threads. A 35, a scope, Blaze orange, and under 200 yards for me thanks.

I don't even shoot big bucks, only the genetically inferior ones...Y'all are welcome.

X2

As much free hunting as I do, I have no problem going to someones lease and culling a buck nobody wants to "waste" a tag on. I love taking head shots anyway =)