Marlin 308MXLR or 1895 MLXR in 450 Marlin

[rickweed]

I want to get one of those Marlin beautiful grey laminated guns and I am contemplating getting either the new 308 express in the 336 XLR or the 1895 MXLR in 450 Marlin. The guns look very similar, I love 308's but the 450 sounds like a hard hitting bullet. Please give me your comments.

[BlkHawk73]

  The .308 I really don't see as a long lasting cartridge.  Kinda like the WSM's a RSSM's, it'll die a slow death.  I wouldn't expect ammo to be widely availble for it either, unless of course it actually catches on.   The .450 Marlin it's super avialable either but more so than the previous.  If you're to be reloading it's a whole different story though.  Personally, iId opt for either the .35 Rem or 45-70 chambered XLRs.  Ammo is plenty available and both provide planty of knock down oomph for anything on this continent.  Both have been very good cartridges for a long time and the game animals haven't gotten any tougher hides so that the latest ad greatest magnums are required.

[McLernon]

The 45-70 is a very versatile cartridge if you're planning to reload. I'd take it over anything else in a lever gun.

Mc

[Coyote Hunter]

I want to get one of those Marlin beautiful grey laminated guns and I am contemplating getting either the new 308 express in the 336 XLR or the 1895 MXLR in 450 Marlin. The guns look very similar, I love 308's but the 450 sounds like a hard hitting bullet. Please give me your comments.

rickweed -

They are all good.  The .308 Marlin will be a very good cartridge but whether it gets broad acceptance is another story.  I know I want one even though I have a .30-30, .308, .30-06 and .300WM.

Hmmm...  .30's - three years ago or so I didn't own any.  Just like Marlins, they're a disease...

[kyelkhunter3006]

The best thing to do is to get both.  Then you are covered for all hunting situations.  And you don't have to make any agonizing decisions either.