The .308 Marlin Express is a rimless-to-rebated-rim cartridge developed by Marlin and Hornady in 2007 to bring modern ballistic performance to lever-action rifles with tubular magazines. Using Hornady FTX (Flex Tip eXpanding) bullets — which allow safe nose-to-primer contact in tubular magazines — it achieves near-.30-06 performance from a Marlin Model 336 platform. The rebated rim allows feeding from standard lever-action extractors while maintaining a modern rimless case body.
Type: Rifle
Introduced: 2007, United States
Parent case: .307 Winchester
Standardization: SAAMI
Bullet diameter: 0.308" (7.82 mm)
Case length: 2.015" (51.18 mm)
Overall length: 2.6" (66.04 mm)
Max pressure: 62,000 PSI
Rim type: Rebated Rim
Primer: Large Rifle
Typical twist rate: 1:12
Muzzle velocity: 2660–2739 fps
Muzzle energy: 2363–2745 ft-lbs
Effective range: 400 yd
Common bullet weights: 150, 160, 165 gr
Primary use: hunting_medium_game, hunting_large_game
Production status: Discontinued
Also known as: 308 ME · .308 ME
History: Developed as part of Marlin and Hornady collaboration that also produced the .338 Marlin Express. The FTX bullet technology was the enabling innovation — traditional soft-point or hollow-point bullets in tubular magazines risk primer detonation under recoil. The .308 ME brought the 336 platform into modern hunting performance territory, approaching .30-06 velocities. Marlins acquisition by…
Notable firearms: Marlin Model 336