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Marlin 308MXLR range report

5K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Gunrunner 
#1 ·
Last month I ordered the stainless steel Marlin 308MXLR and it came in last week. I had been wanting one since I first saw a picture of it. I took it to the range to zero and see how well she could shoot. The rear sight was set about three notches above bottom. My first shot at 100 yards wasn't on the paper, so I walked to 25 yards and fired. I hit about two inches above center. I walked back to the 100 yard line and fired again. I was barely on paper. I lowered the rear sight all the way and fired again. It hit nine inches high. The best three round group I could get was 2-inches. I went home and read a couple of articles on the rifle and checked the screw that connects the barrel and front of the magazine. Mine was very loose, so I put some loctite on it and snugged it down. I went back to the range the next day and fired from 100 yards. This time I was 6-inches high, but my group size dropped to 1/2 inch.

I had originally intended to just use the iron sights, but since I couldn't get any lower than 6-inches, I ordered a Burris 3x9x40 Fullfield II w/ the ballistic plex reticle, Leupold base and low standard rings. Once all of that was mounted, I went back to the range to zero the scope. Once it was zeroed, I fired a 1/8-inch center-to-center group.

I then moved to the 200 yard line and fired one shot at a 2-inch orange dot and hit it center. Since I didn't have a lot of ammo, I only fired the one round at 200 yards.

The rifle has a good fit and finish and functioned perfectly. The trigger could be a bit lighter, it isn't bad, but nothing to brag about. I think the iron sights would be better if they were fiber optic. They would be a lot easier to see in the woods.

Deer season starts tomorrow. If I kill a deer, I'll post how the range it was shot at and how ammo did.
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like a really nice rifle...gotta love those lever actions. If you like iron sights, Williams aperature sights are hard to beat...I have been using them on Marlins for a long time, fully adjustable for windage and elevation.
 
#7 ·
I forgot about this thread and found it again by accident. I'll guess I'll give you guys a seven years later update. I have shot six deer with this rifle since I bought it, the closest was about 10 yards and the farthest was 200 yards. Four of them dropped where they stood, two of them ran about 20 yards. Three of the shots were head on shots through the chest and three were broadsides. All were one shot kills, except for the one I shot last weekend. It required a second shot because I jerked the first one and shot it in the lower part of a front leg.

This 160 grain flex tip bullet is absolutely devastating in performance. A hit in the right spot turns the heart and lungs into mush.

My son has this same rifle and his experiences mirror mine.
 
#8 ·
Glad to hear that rifle is such a great shooter! When reading your first posts prior to you putting on the scope I was wondering if you were shooting the LeverEvolution rounds, they always seem to shoot high. Looks like you got it all worked out to great affect! I hear that the 308MX is a great round. Congrats on all those deer!
 
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