My beautiful wife gave me a Marlin lever action in .44 magnum. I have wanted one for years. It's a beautiful rifle, and I'm very happy with it. I will use it for some plinking but it's primary use will be for deer hunting in Ohio! Where we can use straight cartridges in rifle now. Typically my longest shots will be 80-90 yards. I'm looking for scope and mount recommendations. What works best for you? I'hunted gun season for years with an 870, iron sights and killed many deer, but I'll be 59, and I think it may be time to go with glass.
Lever action sights
- Thread starter timpierce
- Start date
TheDevilThatYouKnow
New member
This is what I've been using for about the last decade, wither with a mini-red dot or a 1x-4x variable. It stays tight, has acres of Pic rail available.
How big or small do you want to keep your sighting system?
How big or small do you want to keep your sighting system?
I just went through same thing. I used 45/70 last year, it's heavy gun to drag
around SE Ohio hill country. So I traded up a Marlin 94 in 44 mg. I used
Weaver base and rings and K3x weaver scope. Sighted in at 60yds. Also
just got 375 but haven't got lot of shooting in with it yet. Put 2 3/4x
Redfield on it. Plenty for us Buckeye deer hunters.
around SE Ohio hill country. So I traded up a Marlin 94 in 44 mg. I used
Weaver base and rings and K3x weaver scope. Sighted in at 60yds. Also
just got 375 but haven't got lot of shooting in with it yet. Put 2 3/4x
Redfield on it. Plenty for us Buckeye deer hunters.
g.willikers
New member
Hawg might just have the solution.
At the distance you mention, a scope might be more of a hindrance than help.
Less view and awareness with scopes, different cheek weld, slower target acquisition and follow up shots, 'etc.
Especially for folks who aren't used the scopes and aren't planning on spending much range time learning them.
Like most hunters.
At the distance you mention, a scope might be more of a hindrance than help.
Less view and awareness with scopes, different cheek weld, slower target acquisition and follow up shots, 'etc.
Especially for folks who aren't used the scopes and aren't planning on spending much range time learning them.
Like most hunters.
For pistol caliber leverguns, I'd go with irons too. I handload 158grn Zero JSP bullets over a full charge of H110. My 357mag carbine is good to 150yds on an 8" plate with Marbles sights:
And for plinking at longer ranges, my 357mag rifle is good at 300yds on an 18" plate with Marbles Tang and Lyman Globe front sight.
BTW, I'm 68 and the eyes are decent but not great. It just takes practice and I practice on bowling pins and clay pigeons at 200 and 300yds with both.
And for plinking at longer ranges, my 357mag rifle is good at 300yds on an 18" plate with Marbles Tang and Lyman Globe front sight.
BTW, I'm 68 and the eyes are decent but not great. It just takes practice and I practice on bowling pins and clay pigeons at 200 and 300yds with both.
I've used receiver (peep) sights on most of my rifles that I use for hunting deer in thick cover for the past fifty years or so. When used correctly (putting the front sight on the target and not trying to "center" it up with the rear aperture-your eye will do that naturally), a receiver sight is much faster in acquiring a proper sight picture than conventional "open" (iron) sights. Lyman makes good ones but I've used Williams "FoolProof" for the most part, with good success.
Here's a couple of my levers:
Scopes are too high to be a good choice for lever guns. Close your eyes, mount the rifle, then open your eyes. Everyone I've ever had try that has had to lift their cheek off the stock to see through the scope. Peep sights are the right choice for Lever guns. I've tried several different sights on both my Marlins, and the best option is the WIlliams FP-336. A taller front sight is needed for everything except a tang sight, I use Skinner front sights. For rear sights, The WGRS is way too high, the Skinner is a PITA to adjust, and tang sights like I have on my Win 94 get in the way of your thumb and have scratched my glasses from recoil.
Scopes are too high to be a good choice for lever guns. Close your eyes, mount the rifle, then open your eyes. Everyone I've ever had try that has had to lift their cheek off the stock to see through the scope. Peep sights are the right choice for Lever guns. I've tried several different sights on both my Marlins, and the best option is the WIlliams FP-336. A taller front sight is needed for everything except a tang sight, I use Skinner front sights. For rear sights, The WGRS is way too high, the Skinner is a PITA to adjust, and tang sights like I have on my Win 94 get in the way of your thumb and have scratched my glasses from recoil.
bamaranger
New member
sights
Using a peep/aperature, will add a few years to your iron sight use, but eventually, that front sight will blur. Longer barrels will help, I can shoot my Garand better than my short carbines, due to the 24" tube on the M1. But the short radius on M4 type AR's, my beloved Marlin .357, or the handy Ruger .44s are a challenge and I do not shoot them near as well as I used too.
After years of touting "no scopes on lever carbines", I'm to the point where I likely need one to shoot my best. I'm looking at coarse reticles like the German#1, in low power scopes like the Leupold 2.5x lightweight, or possibly the 1-4x shotgun number. With limited range pistol calibers, the coarse reticle will be big, bold and function much like the bead and blades did back in the days when I could really run a peep.
Using a peep/aperature, will add a few years to your iron sight use, but eventually, that front sight will blur. Longer barrels will help, I can shoot my Garand better than my short carbines, due to the 24" tube on the M1. But the short radius on M4 type AR's, my beloved Marlin .357, or the handy Ruger .44s are a challenge and I do not shoot them near as well as I used too.
After years of touting "no scopes on lever carbines", I'm to the point where I likely need one to shoot my best. I'm looking at coarse reticles like the German#1, in low power scopes like the Leupold 2.5x lightweight, or possibly the 1-4x shotgun number. With limited range pistol calibers, the coarse reticle will be big, bold and function much like the bead and blades did back in the days when I could really run a peep.
I just put a skinner peep on my Rossi 357. It was a pain to get set up and is hanging way right to get a zero. I had filed on the buckhorn that came with it and looks like I'm going to order another one. The skinner sight I don't like. Prefer the buckhorn. Was knocking tin cans around with it at 75-100 yards and thought the skinner might be easier on my older eyes but not the case. Would have been perfect if the buckhorn was about 2 inches farther out. Lol. Bad eyes.
FrankenMauser
New member
I'd stick with iron sights.
But, if you want glass...
Ranger Point Precision has a nice new scope base that's well designed and rock solid. I have one for load development and accuracy testing of my 336 in .444 Marlin: RPP Mount.
(And Skinner Wing Sights for regular hunting duties.)
But, if you want glass...
Ranger Point Precision has a nice new scope base that's well designed and rock solid. I have one for load development and accuracy testing of my 336 in .444 Marlin: RPP Mount.
(And Skinner Wing Sights for regular hunting duties.)
I love my.....
1954 vintage Model 94 Winchester in 30-30, and it's Marble's Standard Peep Tang sight. Add in the new Hornady Leverevolution ammo, and inside of 200 yards I could not be happier with it as a deer rifle. We used to load a single spire pointed handload in the chamber, then the rest of the magazine with HPs or round nose bullets for a second shot if needed. It rarely was. This was while hunting in the oak hammocks and pine and palmetto scrub of Florida, and up into central Georgia. Light and handy, with plenty of power, hogs and deer were dispatched with aplomb. Add in cast gas-checked bullets and there are so many loads you can make for training, plinking, subsonic loads, it is obvious why it is still a very popular choice for tons of American shooters.
I have a bunch of scoped rifles, ARs etc. and I use them as well. Black powder rifles and bows have filled some of my game tags over the years as well. But for sheer pleasure and nostalgia, nothing beats my "Peeped 94".
1954 vintage Model 94 Winchester in 30-30, and it's Marble's Standard Peep Tang sight. Add in the new Hornady Leverevolution ammo, and inside of 200 yards I could not be happier with it as a deer rifle. We used to load a single spire pointed handload in the chamber, then the rest of the magazine with HPs or round nose bullets for a second shot if needed. It rarely was. This was while hunting in the oak hammocks and pine and palmetto scrub of Florida, and up into central Georgia. Light and handy, with plenty of power, hogs and deer were dispatched with aplomb. Add in cast gas-checked bullets and there are so many loads you can make for training, plinking, subsonic loads, it is obvious why it is still a very popular choice for tons of American shooters.
I have a bunch of scoped rifles, ARs etc. and I use them as well. Black powder rifles and bows have filled some of my game tags over the years as well. But for sheer pleasure and nostalgia, nothing beats my "Peeped 94".