4x scope or open sights... help me decide

I much prefer having a good receiver/peep sight on a carbine like the Marlin Model 336, especially when the shots are generally taken at relatively close ranges in heavy cover. The peep sight is way quicker to get a good sight picture with than "factory irons" are and the superb balance and carrying properties of a carbine like the Marlin or a Winchester Model 94 is not adversely affected with a top-heavy, "in the way" scope.
 
steve You should deside how good your eye sight is now and will be in the future. Not how we feel about a no-optic or optics.

I figured out early on I coud out pick shot with a scope I could not pick with open sights in thick woods even at closer ranges.

I would much rather have some power to dail in to make a iffy shot work to my favor than let it pass because of not seeing clearly with open sights thru a thick bottom. And brush buster cartidges are not real ether.

I have shot deer in some very thick swamps and hard wood bottoms with a scope out to 175 yards and so close in a thick wooded bottoms I had to watch a deer to see what it was and then find that hole to shot thru. I could not have been done some of those shots ethicaly with open sights too.

My in-line bp and slug gun wears a 3-12 as 225yard shots are very practical with time on the range. Nice to have that last look before pulling the trigger.

Nothing worse than seeing a doe for the freezer and find a spike when you get to it cause you could not get a good enough look. Own good binos too. I would pick a 1-4 or 2-7 scope for that 35 rem .

My thick woods rifle is a 308 and my scope from day one in 1976 has been a 2-10 scope . Stays on 2 power in the bottoms but has been cranked up for a rat hole shot thru the branches too.
 
I run a 3-9x40 Redfield on both my 94 win and my SkS and neither feel overpowered. I ran a 2-7 for years but I like the 3-9 much better. That's just me though. No one can tell you what works best for you. IMHO a scope gives you too many advantages to pass up. The only time irons are better are when ranges are measured in feet instead of yards. I also feel a good scope will give you an advantage is in low light situations and and in distinguishing hard to see targets. Most animals don't have a white 3 by 3 target with a big spot in the middle strapped to their side.


This video covers most pros and cons of a scope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YmIioKk9_E&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Boomer
 
I prefer open sights on my 760 in .06. For heavy brush/ swamp hunting where my shots are 150 yrds. and closer I never use a scope. There's always the chance of bumping it getting into your stand and I find it difficult to locate my target through the brush. Open sights on the other hand offer a quicker follow up shot if need be and faster targeting in my opinion. I like to stay out till dark and shooting through a scope right before dark is next to impossible for me.
 
A quality scope with quality lenses will give you near night vision. With my Nikon Monarch 3 (4-16x50) you can almost see in the dark. Better than my eye's past 25yrds anyway. You don't get that from a cheap scope. Illuminated scopes also help in that area, but I'm not big on them myself. Where I live in OreGun, you have either deep forest and brush, open fields or a mix of both. For me a scopes added versatility easily out ways they're disadvantages.


Boomer
 
On my wife's Marlin 336 (which I also hunt with), I put a Leupold FX-II 2.5x20 Ultralight fixed power scope. Total weight of scope, rings, and bases is 9.5 ounces. I don't think you can get a lighter scope. I am exceedingly pleased with this scope. Very fast on target, lots of eye relief. 2.5X is plenty of magnification for a woods gun. I sighted it in at 100 yards, and I have no problem popping soda cans at 150 yards (with about 6 inches of hold over).

Jim
 
4x

Back in the day, if somebody was going to mount a scope, almost everybody ran a fixed 4x on a deer rifle, Marlin 30-30's, .35's, bolt '06, you name it, a fixed 4x was thought just fine. I'd have to say it is not to much magnification.

You end up in a situation where you are counting antler points as on a WMA, or trying to find a whole in the brush to slip a bullet, and the extra magnification will be useful. Too, I can tell you that it will work just fine on moving deer in the woods.

If you wonder about this, I'd hazard that lots of .22's have fixed 4x's on them, and get used on all sorts of targets, largish and small, moving and not, out to 100 yds and nobody thinks it odd.

Finally, despite the advance of modern scopes, I'd pick a fixed power rig over a variable based on simplicity and theoretical durability.
 
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