Lindcott Armory Rifle · SAAMI
.308 Marlin Express
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.
- Caliber
- 0.308″ · 7.823 mm
- Introduced
- 2007
- Case
- Rebated
- Parent
- .307 Winchester
- Primary use
- hunting_medium_game, hunting_large_game
- Status
- Discontinued
- Introduced
- 2007
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Hornady / Marlin
- Manufacturer
- Hornady
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Discontinued
- Availability
- Rare
- Case capacity
- 46 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:12
- Primer
- Large Rifle
- Case type
- Rebated
- Max pressure
- 47,500 psi
- Eff. range
- 300 yd
- Recoil
- 12–16 ft·lb
Ballistics
- By real loads
- 2,550–2,725 fps · 22 loads
- Parent case
- .307 Winchester
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input (no published BC for this cartridge yet).
Performance
Buy links open .308 Marlin Express ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
CIP TDCC · approximate| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 7.82 | 0.308 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 8.74 | 0.344 | ~ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 11.53 | 0.454 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 20° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 11.94 | 0.470 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 12.85 | 0.506 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.60 | 0.063 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 7.61 | 0.300 | ≈ |
| Case length | 48.51 | 1.910 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 66.04 | 2.600 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .308 Marlin Express is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 22 active loads across 15 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 22 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSM | Trophy Gold | 150 | SP | 2,725 | 2,473 | — |
| Black Hills | Standard | 150 | SP | 2,725 | 2,473 | — |
| Nosler | Trophy Grade | 150 | AccuBond | 2,725 | 2,473 | — |
| PPU | Standard | 150 | SP | 2,725 | 2,473 | — |
| Hornady | LEVERevolution MonoFlex | 160 | MonoFlex | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Hornady | LEVERevolution FTX | 160 | FTX | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Federal | Power-Shok FTX | 160 | Hornady FTX | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Norma | Classic | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Kynoch | Classic | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Armscor | Standard | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| PPU | Standard | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Buffalo Arms | Custom | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| RWS | Classic | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Sellier & Bellot | SP | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
| Wolf | FMJ | 160 | Flex Tip | 2,660 | 2,513 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Suitable powders
3 reloading powders listed for .308 Marlin Express, fastest to slowest. Cross-reference in the finder →
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Lineage
Connected reference
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 Remington and subsequent business disruptions limited the cartridges market life.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .308 Marlin Express use?
- .308 Marlin Express typically uses a 1:12 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .308 Marlin Express?
- .308 Marlin Express uses a 0.308″ (7.823 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .308 Marlin Express still in production?
- .308 Marlin Express is discontinued; typical availability is rare.
- What is .308 Marlin Express used for?
- .308 Marlin Express is primarily used for hunting_medium_game, hunting_large_game.
- What is .308 Marlin Express based on?
- .308 Marlin Express is derived from the .307 Winchester case.
- What are the best powders for .308 Marlin Express?
- Reloading powders commonly listed for .308 Marlin Express include Leverevolution, IMR 3031, H380.
Sources & provenance
- StandardSAAMI — ANSI/SAAMI Z299 — Cartridge & Chamber Drawingsarchived
- StandardC.I.P. — C.I.P. TDCC — Tables of Dimensions of Cartridges and Chambers
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 22 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →