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.308 marlin express
- Thread starter Hog head
- Start date
Roadkill2228
New member
Being loaded in a gun with a tubular magazine, your options are very very limited. Only hornady had spitzer bullets safe to load in a tube mag. And those bullets are indeed a cool bit of technology and an awesome idea by hornady, it's still only a small handful of available components. If you want .308 winchester performance from a lever gun, I think you'd have a much more versatile weapon, with cheap, widely available ammo by getting a lever gun that does NOT have a tubular magazine, chambered in .308 winchester. Two examples are the browning blr or, my personal favourite, an old Savage 99 if you can find one.
savagecornmuffin
New member
If you're already reloading, you can use any regular softpoint jacketed bullet. Just clip or file the the lead tip off. File is easier. I do this for my 30-30 loads 130 grain JSP bullets. I haven't had an issue. Just make sure your bullet end is nice and flat and covers about 80% of the primer. It only takes a second and its easier to do after you seat the bullets. This has had no affect on accuracy for me. I also load my 30-30 to 45k. I get real real close to 307 win/308 ME power. I'm happy enough to have quelled my need for a 308 ME or chambering to 307. I found all that info in an article on the webz somewheres. It works though.
YMMV. Load at your on risk.
YMMV. Load at your on risk.
A> There's been questions regarding quality control of Marlins since their acquisition by Remington a few years ago. Supposedly, that is being addressed and also supposedly the quality has improved of late. This affects most if not all .308MX's. Not saying that all of them are flaky -- there just seems to be a higher than "normal" incidence of lemons. Just make sure that you check out -- first hand -- a recent manufacture Marlin for quality before buying it.
B> Last I checked, there is 1 manufacturer of factory ammo, that being Hornady. Likewise, Hornady is the only manufacturer of component bullets for reloading, although conventional round or flat nosed bullets can be used. Likewise, conventional spitzer or spire point bullets can be used by either limiting the rifle to 2 rounds (1 in the chamber, 1 in the tube) or by snipping off the lead tips as was previously pointed out. I'd suggest stocking up on brass/factory ammo while it is available, since it makes me very nervous when such a critical component is only available by way of a single vendor.
C> Performance is similar to a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. Not quite as warm as .308 Win, but close enough.
D> If you happen to be a reloader, there is another option that you might want to consider: Get a similar rifle in .30-30 and have it rechambered in .30-30 AI. This has 1 disadvantage in that there is no factory .30-30 AI ammo available at all. Nada. But it is capable of shooting conventional .30-30 factory ammo and in the process you get .30-30 AI brass. Performance is close to .300 Savage. No shortage of reloading components.
E> If you want .300 Savage or .308 Win performance in a lever action without being single sourced on ammo you can always just go with a vertical feed rifle (such as a Savage 99, available used) that is chambered in .300 Savage or .308 Win.
If you really want to learn more about the .308MX, you might want to check out the dedicated sub-forum about them at the Marlin Owners forum: http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/
B> Last I checked, there is 1 manufacturer of factory ammo, that being Hornady. Likewise, Hornady is the only manufacturer of component bullets for reloading, although conventional round or flat nosed bullets can be used. Likewise, conventional spitzer or spire point bullets can be used by either limiting the rifle to 2 rounds (1 in the chamber, 1 in the tube) or by snipping off the lead tips as was previously pointed out. I'd suggest stocking up on brass/factory ammo while it is available, since it makes me very nervous when such a critical component is only available by way of a single vendor.
C> Performance is similar to a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. Not quite as warm as .308 Win, but close enough.
D> If you happen to be a reloader, there is another option that you might want to consider: Get a similar rifle in .30-30 and have it rechambered in .30-30 AI. This has 1 disadvantage in that there is no factory .30-30 AI ammo available at all. Nada. But it is capable of shooting conventional .30-30 factory ammo and in the process you get .30-30 AI brass. Performance is close to .300 Savage. No shortage of reloading components.
E> If you want .300 Savage or .308 Win performance in a lever action without being single sourced on ammo you can always just go with a vertical feed rifle (such as a Savage 99, available used) that is chambered in .300 Savage or .308 Win.
If you really want to learn more about the .308MX, you might want to check out the dedicated sub-forum about them at the Marlin Owners forum: http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/
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That's how "iffy" availability works. You might run into some at a gunshop somewhere, but right now Midway USA has none and no brass. That's short term iffy. Long term iffy is it's only chambered in one rifle from one manufacturer. If Marlin changes their mind about it, how long will the ammo makers keep it around?
"Long term iffy is it's only chambered in one rifle from one manufacturer. If Marlin changes their mind about it, how long will the ammo makers keep it around?"
Yeah, this. There's another thread here regarding pump action rifles, and that subject was pointed out. Once upon a time Remington made a line of pump action rifles chambered in their own rounds. .25, .30, .32 and .35 Remingtons. Of these pre-WWII rounds, only 1 remains, the .35 Remington and then only because another manufacturer (Marlin) makes lever action rifles chambered in the round.
What you had was a single supplier for the rifles and a single supplier for the ammo/brass. And when the powers that be decide that they need to drop the rifle the single supplier for the ammo/brass will do so as well. Then, the existing base of rifles become obsolete for lack of ammo.
FWIW, I'm afraid that is the eventual fate of the existing supply of Savage 99s in .300 Savage. Nice rifle, decent enough round, but the rifles are no longer in production hence it wouldn't surprise me if the ammo/brass supply were to dry up into nonexistence. I think that the only thing saving them right now is that there are so many of them in circulation that it still makes sense to keep making ammo for them. My suggestion for Savage 99 .300 Savage owners is to stock up on ammo/brass while you can still get it.
Yeah, this. There's another thread here regarding pump action rifles, and that subject was pointed out. Once upon a time Remington made a line of pump action rifles chambered in their own rounds. .25, .30, .32 and .35 Remingtons. Of these pre-WWII rounds, only 1 remains, the .35 Remington and then only because another manufacturer (Marlin) makes lever action rifles chambered in the round.
What you had was a single supplier for the rifles and a single supplier for the ammo/brass. And when the powers that be decide that they need to drop the rifle the single supplier for the ammo/brass will do so as well. Then, the existing base of rifles become obsolete for lack of ammo.
FWIW, I'm afraid that is the eventual fate of the existing supply of Savage 99s in .300 Savage. Nice rifle, decent enough round, but the rifles are no longer in production hence it wouldn't surprise me if the ammo/brass supply were to dry up into nonexistence. I think that the only thing saving them right now is that there are so many of them in circulation that it still makes sense to keep making ammo for them. My suggestion for Savage 99 .300 Savage owners is to stock up on ammo/brass while you can still get it.
FWIW, I'm afraid that is the eventual fate of the existing supply of Savage 99s in .300 Savage. Nice rifle, decent enough round, but the rifles are no longer in production hence it wouldn't surprise me if the ammo/brass supply were to dry up into nonexistence. I think that the only thing saving them right now is that there are so many of them in circulation that it still makes sense to keep making ammo for them. My suggestion for Savage 99 .300 Savage owners is to stock up on ammo/brass while you can still get it.
As you've noted the 300 Savage has enough of an existing base that ammo will still be made for quite some time, at least on a seasonal basis.
Not so for the 308 Marlin. A better analogy for it would be the 307 Winchester. How often do you see ammo for that at your local shop?
Unlicensed Dremel
Moderator
I'm always opposed to rounds that have no raison d'etre other than new marketing hype. The .307 Win already existed. So not a fan of needless complication. Plus the rifle is longer than I believe a levergun should be (but YMMV), and as mentioned, bullet choice limited. If you get it dirt cheap, maybe, but otherwise, meh.
Oh, but is it a good firearm? If it's more than 4 or 5 years old, almost certainly yes, high quality. Just a poor chambering and config... mainly poor chambering.
Oh, but is it a good firearm? If it's more than 4 or 5 years old, almost certainly yes, high quality. Just a poor chambering and config... mainly poor chambering.
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"Not so for the 308 Marlin. A better analogy for it would be the 307 Winchester. How often do you see ammo for that at your local shop? "
Yep. 7-30 Waters also comes to mind. I think that what holds it back is both lack of rifles and the lack of appropriate bullets (round, flat or gummy nosed 7mm bullets) for reloading. Brass can be formed from .30-30 easy enough. It always seemed to me to be a good idea that just never got traction -- too much like the right thing to do.
Yep. 7-30 Waters also comes to mind. I think that what holds it back is both lack of rifles and the lack of appropriate bullets (round, flat or gummy nosed 7mm bullets) for reloading. Brass can be formed from .30-30 easy enough. It always seemed to me to be a good idea that just never got traction -- too much like the right thing to do.
Jack O'Conner
New member
This fairly new cartridge replicates the performance of the mighty 300 Savage. That's saying a lot because the old 300 has slain plenty of game.
Jack
Jack
Very true, Jack, and it did it, or does it, with a case that is only about 1.83" long. Now crowding 100 years old, it was our first short action thirty. The popular bullet for the Savage is 150 grains, but you can handload it with the 160 FTXs that Hornady sells for the Marlin Express. And you can duplicate ME velocity with the 160 in the Savage with LEVERevolution powder.
With its spritzer bullet at good velocity, the ME can give you almost 300-yard point blank range. The .307 made for the Model 94, suffered from flat nose ballistics.
With its spritzer bullet at good velocity, the ME can give you almost 300-yard point blank range. The .307 made for the Model 94, suffered from flat nose ballistics.