I am looking into buying a lever- action rifle? Browning vs. Marlin.?

Question: I am considering the marlin 308MX .308 Marlin Express and the Browning BLR Lightweight '81 Takedown 308 Win. I was curious to see if anyone owned either of the two, and their pros, and cons of the two rifles. Uses will include hunting,plinking,target/range.

Answer: My Browning BLR is not a .308, nor is it a takedown, but I would not swap it for an armload of Marlins. Don't get me wrong, I actually like Marling M-336's and M-1895's, but that BLR is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned. I've not read much about the new Marlin .308 Express, but I expect it is an effort to put .308 Winchester performance in a lever action. It ain't likely to happen. They might manage to reach pressures similar to the .308 Win, but they lack proper bullet designs. As you probably already know, you can't use spire point bullets in a rifle with a tubular magazine. I suspect that the .308 Marlin Express factory ammo is using some sort of trick bullet with a soft plastic or rubber nose in an effort to achieve .308 Win ballistics, so you would be limited to a small range of bullets for reloading unless you use flat-point bullets. I'd be more likely to buy another Browning in .308 Win, than to buying a Marlin in a new caliber that probably won't last long in the market. Doc

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