The .308 Marlin Express is a rifle cartridge introduced by Marlin Firearms and Hornady in 2007. It was designed to provide ballistics comparable to the venerable .308 Winchester in lever-action rifles with tubular magazines. The cartridge achieves higher velocities using Hornady's LEVERevolution flex-tip (FTX) bullets, which are safe for use in tubular magazines as they won't detonate the primer of the cartridge in front of them.
The .308 Marlin Express typically features a 160-grain FTX bullet with a muzzle velocity of around 2,660 feet per second. It's suitable for medium to large game hunting, particularly popular among hunters targeting deer, black bear, and similar-sized game at ranges typically up to 300 yards.
Symbiosis with lever-action rifles makes it popular among traditional hunters who prefer the handling characteristics and aesthetic of this type of firearm while seeking modern ballistic performance.