Marlin XL-7 in 30-06 Your Thoughts Please?

[JesterGrin_1]

I was thinking of picking up a new Marlin XL-7 in 30-06 to play with Cast Boolits and for Hunting. Anyone use this rifle or know anything about them?

I have read some good reviews but you know what people say about reviews that they can be a bit biased lol.

[Uncle R.]

Bought one last year for my son to use for deer hunting.
Very nice - I like it a lot.
With an absolute minimum of development work I had a j-word hunting load that does 1-1/2 MOA and a cast practice load with 311284s somewhere around 1800 fps that does solidly under 2 MOA. I expect there's room for improvement on both - just because I got to this point so easily and quickly.
Excellent trigger, nicely shaped stock, very smooth slick action, very accurate. What's not to like?
Buy it - you won't be sorry.
Uncle R.

[JesterGrin_1]

I think I may just give the Marlin a shot.

I was looking at the Marlin XL-7 and the Savage 111 in 30-06 and not sure if the cost between the two would be worth it.

I also plan to shoot cast 311284 from the rifle with IMR 4350

And J word bullets of 150Gr

[JesterGrin_1]

Well I purchased the Marlin XL-7.

Any thoughts on it before I go nuts lol.

[oldhickory]

Just clean out the bore good with JB paste and check the screws. Have a good time!

[dk17hmr]

Everything I have ever read on them has been positive, but everything I have read has been in a magazine and I hardly ever see anything negative in a gun mag. For a simple deer rifle I think it will fit the bill nicely and Im intersted in how you make out with it.....keep us updated.

[BABore]

MarlinOwner's forum has a subforum dedicated to the XL's and the XS's. Most all reviews are pretty positive. I was looking to get an XS7 in either 7-08 or 308. Through this frum I found out that Marlin saw fit to put one hell of a long throat in both of these calibers. So much for a new cast boolit gun.

[JesterGrin_1]

Just clean out the bore good with JB paste and check the screws. Have a good time!

JB Paste? Sorry I can not think of what that might be.

[JesterGrin_1]

Well I did a search and found this >http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...threadid=12582

JB Bore Paste does not look like a good idea?

I have in the past just cleaned the barrel real well and fired some J bullets through them and let them cool between shots. But I could be all wrong lol.

[MikeSSS]

30-06 has a glorious long neck, all the better for cast and keeping the gas check inside the neck.

Lee's 312-185R gas check boolit has a front shank with a diameter such that it rides on top of the rifling, a bore rider. It might engrave the rifling very slightly on this shank. Anyway that bore riding keeps the bullet from wobbling. These 312-185's shoot great in the 30-30 and .308 I've tried them in. The .308 loves 16 gr of 2400, I use 15 gr in the 30-30 because the case capacity is less.

The XL-7 and the XS-7 look like great rifles. I got a Savage .308 for that cases lower powder capacity and for the Savages shorter throat. Stevens 200 is a Savage that costs about $30 more than the Marlin. All these rifles are excellent choices.

Let us know what you get and how it shoots.

[JesterGrin_1]

30-06 has a glorious long neck, all the better for cast and keeping the gas check inside the neck.

Lee's 312-185R gas check boolit has a front shank with a diameter such that it rides on top of the rifling, a bore rider. It might engrave the rifling very slightly on this shank. Anyway that bore riding keeps the bullet from wobbling. These 312-185's shoot great in the 30-30 and .308 I've tried them in. The .308 loves 16 gr of 2400, I use 15 gr in the 30-30 because the case capacity is less.

The XL-7 and the XS-7 look like great rifles. I got a Savage .308 for that cases lower powder capacity and for the Savages shorter throat. Stevens 200 is a Savage that costs about $30 more than the Marlin. All these rifles are excellent choices.

Let us know what you get and how it shoots.

Mike I made an update here with how it worked out with my Hornady 165GR SST's at 100 yards. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...highlight=XL-7

I will play with the Lyman 311284 after hunting season or before depending on how things go. I have to say it is one fine shooting rifle and with the Butt Pad it hardly kicks at all.

[Uncle Grinch]

Interesting thread, especially since Dick's Sporting Goods in Macon, GA has them (Marlin XL-7) advertised for $279.00 in todays paper. Seems like a very good rifle for the money.

[JesterGrin_1]

Uncle Grinch I have to say that even though the Marlin does not have a fancy wood stock or a blue job that you could comb your hair in I would purchase the Marlin Before a BDL or a Wetherby. It shoots great, Has a great Trigger,And I have no idea what they did but the recoil is almost nothing. My 40 year old BDL in 30-06 will beat the heck out of you but the Marlin XL-7 is like shooting a Marlin 1894 in .357 Mag.

I would like to play with my XL-7 a bit more but I am just flat out of time. So I found a decent load to site it in for as our hunting season starts this next weekend.