Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

308 marlin express

tone59
can anyone tell me from thier experience how the 308 marlin express leverevolution amo performs compared to the standard 308?marlin claims thiers to have better ballistics but the numbers do not seem to back that up. so far the only choice of amo i have found that can be used in the gun(marlin express leverevolution)is hornady 160gr or rem 150gr. can someone tell me if there are others available and which is best for long range(over 300yards)in thier rifle?savage170...able amo sells remington 150gr in this caliber.
0

Comments

2 comments

Date Votes
  • savage170
    As far as I know only Hornady loads for it. I think it is closer to .300 savage then .308 the deer will never know the 200 fps difference
    0
  • nononsense
    tone59,

    As you point out, Hornady and Remington both have loads for the .308 Marlin Express since Remington 'owns' Marlin through the Freedom Group.

    Better Ballistics

    Dealing with ballistic comparisons these days is difficult at best because of the significant number of variations available which can stilt the results. Here is the set of graphs from the Marlin website:

    http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/308MarlinExpress/default.asp

    The Leverevolution bullets have gone through a couple of required changes since their first release. The current design and loads only claim:

    "The .308 Marlin Express was designed to produce performance similar to the .308 Winchester."

    Since the cartridge cases are similar in capacity, when similar weight (style, design, BC) bullets are loaded, they should perform similarly when fired from similar barrel lengths. You won't notice any real world differences between the two. Advertisers love to make a case for 50-100 FPS but the reality is that it won't be substantial except under extreme circumstances.

    When we tested the 160 gr. FTX bullets in this cartridge, we found that the BC released by Hornady was slightly inflated. This is not an unusual action since most bullet makers inflate the BC in an attempt to make their bullets sound better than the competition. But when used in the field for deer hunting, the bullet performed as expected and we harvested some nice bucks. Our shots did not stretch the limits of the cartridge claims as they were well under 300 yards.

    Please be aware that just because a cartridge has the capability, it is not a license to apply it. Most of the members agree that hunters/shooters need lots of practice before attempting shots on game at distances over 100 yards. In this instance a top quality scope is also a necessity along with the practice of proper field positions for longer range shots. Standing on your hind legs for shots at 400 yards is not acceptable.

    Best.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity