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From the backwoods of Hazard Kentucky
From the backwoods of Hazard Kentucky
Extreme Sports Team
Page One
The .308 Marlin Express
BY: Lyndon Combs
Purchased at J.T.'s Gun&Pawn
The innovations that Hornady, and Marlin have brought to the world of Lever action rifles has been a big step in a revolution in the way people think of traditional lever guns. Once defined by many as having too short of an effective range, and no real bullet choices many considered them to be old fashioned.
These hunters turned to bolt guns in new hot rod hyped cartridges, and many of those are great guns, but as Hornady has proved, and many of us die hard lever addicts already knew there was more to these guns then just close quarters deer hunting, and that they are still a viable multiple use hunting rifle. Hornady, and Marlin have matched modern technology to an American classic picking up a ball that the industry had dropped long ago.
The ball began to be bounced when someone at Hornady had enough sense to look at a cartridge that for over a hundred years has been a good selling cartridge the .30-30 Winchester, and think outside the box a little to bring forward an innovative new idea, or as I think of it they took the cartridge step forward, and allowed the cartridge to evolve. This was a bullet with a pointed tip projectile that was safe for a tubular magazine, they call it a Flex-Tip bullet.
This indeed started a revolution with other calibers added to the line, and rifles designed to allow for optimum use of the new bullet design. This then lead to the rifle in the picture above. Hornady, and Marlin introduced a new cartridge that uses the new bullet design, and to take the Marlin lever actions into a whole new market. A market that had been held by bolt action rifles.
I am lucky enough to have one of these new .308 Marlin Express lever actions the a version called the MX. This is the blued, walnut stock model as you see in the picture. I like the looks better than the stainless steel with laminated stock version, plus seeing that they are selling so well I am lucky I was able to get it. J.T.'s gun and Pawn got one in my hands, as always they are willing to go that extra step to help out. Searching until they found just what I was wanting.
I have shot about 20 rounds through the gun so far, and I am impressed with it's performance. It shoots close to the company hype. The Hornady box stats are 2660 fps. velocity@ muzzle , 2513 ft. lbs. energy @ muzzle from a 24" barrel. Factory Trajectory sets that bullet hitting 3.0" @ 100 yards, 1.7" @ 200 yards, and 0.0 @ 250 yards. Now the rifle I have is equipped with a 22" barrel, but the drop in stats is not that bad, and not worth any worry when point ability is factored in with the shorter barrel. My Chrony readings are 2470 fps. velocity @ 1 yard from muzzle, 2168 ft. lbs. energy @ 1 yard from muzzle. Out of the box no adjustments the rifle was hitting 3.0" @ 100 yards, and grouping well within an inch. Now that is with iron sights, and bad eyes. When a scope is added that group will close in a great deal. Well that is my prediction anyway.
The gun is at first tests a real shooter, the action is like any Marlin, and the recoil is more than a .30-30 would give you, but not much. So far the only problem I am having is when shooting from a rest the action will open, and another round comes out of the magazine. I feel that this is not a defect in the gun, but simply the cartridge retaining spring which protrudes from the bottom of the receiver coming into contact with the rest. It does not happen when shooting off a rest. Simply watching how I place the gun on the rest clears the problem up.
I have made one alteration to the gun I did a Ludwig replacement on it to get rid of the cross bolt safety. This will be explained better later in this issue.
The popularity of this rifle seems to have started a new line in cartridges, and rifles from these companies just after getting this gun I learned that they are introducing another new cartridge the .338 Marlin Express in these rifles, and I am thinking that it will be as near perfect as the legendary Winchester model 71, just with some cost cutting details.
I will be doing more with this rifle, and I will follow up this article in next months issue. Until then if your in J.T.'s let them know where you heard about them,check out the Hornady ammunition, and if you talk to Hornady, or Marlin let them know as well.
The .308 Marlin Express
BY: Lyndon Combs
Purchased at J.T.'s Gun&Pawn
The innovations that Hornady, and Marlin have brought to the world of Lever action rifles has been a big step in a revolution in the way people think of traditional lever guns. Once defined by many as having too short of an effective range, and no real bullet choices many considered them to be old fashioned.
These hunters turned to bolt guns in new hot rod hyped cartridges, and many of those are great guns, but as Hornady has proved, and many of us die hard lever addicts already knew there was more to these guns then just close quarters deer hunting, and that they are still a viable multiple use hunting rifle. Hornady, and Marlin have matched modern technology to an American classic picking up a ball that the industry had dropped long ago.
The ball began to be bounced when someone at Hornady had enough sense to look at a cartridge that for over a hundred years has been a good selling cartridge the .30-30 Winchester, and think outside the box a little to bring forward an innovative new idea, or as I think of it they took the cartridge step forward, and allowed the cartridge to evolve. This was a bullet with a pointed tip projectile that was safe for a tubular magazine, they call it a Flex-Tip bullet.
This indeed started a revolution with other calibers added to the line, and rifles designed to allow for optimum use of the new bullet design. This then lead to the rifle in the picture above. Hornady, and Marlin introduced a new cartridge that uses the new bullet design, and to take the Marlin lever actions into a whole new market. A market that had been held by bolt action rifles.
I am lucky enough to have one of these new .308 Marlin Express lever actions the a version called the MX. This is the blued, walnut stock model as you see in the picture. I like the looks better than the stainless steel with laminated stock version, plus seeing that they are selling so well I am lucky I was able to get it. J.T.'s gun and Pawn got one in my hands, as always they are willing to go that extra step to help out. Searching until they found just what I was wanting.
I have shot about 20 rounds through the gun so far, and I am impressed with it's performance. It shoots close to the company hype. The Hornady box stats are 2660 fps. velocity@ muzzle , 2513 ft. lbs. energy @ muzzle from a 24" barrel. Factory Trajectory sets that bullet hitting 3.0" @ 100 yards, 1.7" @ 200 yards, and 0.0 @ 250 yards. Now the rifle I have is equipped with a 22" barrel, but the drop in stats is not that bad, and not worth any worry when point ability is factored in with the shorter barrel. My Chrony readings are 2470 fps. velocity @ 1 yard from muzzle, 2168 ft. lbs. energy @ 1 yard from muzzle. Out of the box no adjustments the rifle was hitting 3.0" @ 100 yards, and grouping well within an inch. Now that is with iron sights, and bad eyes. When a scope is added that group will close in a great deal. Well that is my prediction anyway.
The gun is at first tests a real shooter, the action is like any Marlin, and the recoil is more than a .30-30 would give you, but not much. So far the only problem I am having is when shooting from a rest the action will open, and another round comes out of the magazine. I feel that this is not a defect in the gun, but simply the cartridge retaining spring which protrudes from the bottom of the receiver coming into contact with the rest. It does not happen when shooting off a rest. Simply watching how I place the gun on the rest clears the problem up.
I have made one alteration to the gun I did a Ludwig replacement on it to get rid of the cross bolt safety. This will be explained better later in this issue.
The popularity of this rifle seems to have started a new line in cartridges, and rifles from these companies just after getting this gun I learned that they are introducing another new cartridge the .338 Marlin Express in these rifles, and I am thinking that it will be as near perfect as the legendary Winchester model 71, just with some cost cutting details.
I will be doing more with this rifle, and I will follow up this article in next months issue. Until then if your in J.T.'s let them know where you heard about them,check out the Hornady ammunition, and if you talk to Hornady, or Marlin let them know as well.
