According to Marlin, "With ballistics comparable to the 308 Win., this cartridge is the highest performance round ever made for the traditional lever action rifle!
They do point out that performance is slightly under the .308 Winchester...,
So I wonder when speaking of ballistics..., do they mean for a traditional Marlin lever action rifle, OR do they claim that the venerated Winchester 88 lever action in .308 Winchester, isn't a "traditional lever action rifle"?
According to Marlin the new .308 Marlin "fills the gap" between the .307 Winchester and the .308 Winchester. Well Marlin has their 160 grain bullet with a MV of 2600 fps, and the .308 Winchester is at 2665 fps, while the . 307 Winchester with a 180 grain bullet is at 2510 fps. (Does the deer know the difference at impact?) I'm not sure there really is a need for the .308 Marlin, and the .307 Winchester is down to only one factory load choice, probably as there isn't a need for it either.
I'd prefer a .30-30, for as the man wrote, the ammo is alot easier to find.
LD