Home › Browse Calibers › .338 Marlin Express
Common uses: Hunting, Big Game
| Type | rifle (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 200gr Hornady LEVERevolution FTX |
| Muzzle velocity | 2565 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 2923 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.43 |
| Case length | 55.8 mm |
| Overall length | 68.6 mm |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2565 | 2921 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2362 | 2477 | 0 |
| 200 | 2168 | 2088 | -4.7 |
| 300 | 1983 | 1747 | -16.9 |
| 400 | 1809 | 1453 | -38 |
| 500 | 1646 | 1203 | -69.6 |
At 1,000 yards, .338 Marlin Express (200gr at 2565 fps, 100 yd zero, standard conditions) has a modeled come-up of about 46.1 MOA / 13.4 MIL, retaining 1071 fps (subsonic).
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | State | Drop (in) | Elev (MOA) | Elev (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 1983 | Supersonic | -16.9 | 5.4 | 1.57 |
| 400 | 1809 | Supersonic | -38.0 | 9.1 | 2.64 |
| 500 | 1646 | Supersonic | -69.6 | 13.3 | 3.87 |
| 600 | 1495 | Supersonic | -114.2 | 18.2 | 5.29 |
| 700 | 1360 | Supersonic | -174.4 | 23.8 | 6.92 |
| 800 | 1242 | Transonic | -253.3 | 30.2 | 8.80 |
| 900 | 1146 | Transonic | -354.9 | 37.7 | 10.96 |
| 1000 | 1071 | Subsonic | -483.1 | 46.1 | 13.42 |
Extended predictions beyond 500 yards are modeled from the same G1 engine — useful for initial DOPE, but outside the 500-yard manufacturer-table validation audit. Confirm with observed DOPE, especially near transonic.
A retained-energy reference only — not a shoot/don't-shoot distance. Real effective range depends on your accuracy, shot placement, bullet construction, and conditions. The ~1,000 ft-lb (deer-sized) and ~1,500 ft-lb (elk-sized) figures are commonly cited rules of thumb, not standards.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own rifle.
The .338 Marlin Express is a lever-action hunting cartridge aimed at medium and large North American game at moderate ranges. Its appeal came from pairing pointed, higher-BC bullets with a light-recoiling package, giving it a flatter trajectory and more retained energy than the .30-30 while remaining suitable for handy, fast-handling carbines. It never achieved broad commercial traction, and factory ammunition and rifles became scarce as production wound down (the chambering was discontinued around 2019). Today it is regarded as a well-engineered but niche offering, valued by owners of the guns chambered for it yet limited by thin ammunition availability.
The .338 Marlin Express was introduced by Marlin Firearms and Hornady, developed jointly by the two companies and standardized by SAAMI in 2009. It was designed to deliver ballistic performance approaching the .30-06 Springfield from a compact lever-action rifle, using modern polymer-tipped spitzer bullets made feasible by Hornady's flexible-tip (FTX) LEVERevolution technology, which allows pointed bullets to be safely used in tubular magazines. The cartridge is based on a shortened, necked-down .376 Steyr case and debuted in Marlin's Model 338MX lever gun. It was positioned as a flatter-shooting, harder-hitting alternative to the traditional .30-30 Winchester.
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