Marlin 336

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Deer hunter88

New member
I recently purchased a marlin 336 chambered in 30-30 and noticed that the rear sight folds down. What is the purpose of this? Can I shoot my rifle with the rear sight folded down? I also noticed that I can see the front sight better if the rear sight is folded down but don’t want to send the bullet off in the clear blue yonder by not using the rear sight.
 
Scope mount?

I have an M94 Marlin lever gun made in 1987. It has a fold down rear sight, and I just figured it was a feature to accommodate a scope/mount system without having to remove the rear sight. Maybe that's why the fold feature? As far as my 94 goes, it'll just be factory sights while I own it; no scope on that one.
 
Bingo then...there ya go. Just like my little old 10/22 with the ancient WeaverC4 on it, folded down rear sight and all.
 
You're kidding, right?
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:D:D:D
I tell ya, Jim, they're all crazy!
noticed that the rear sight folds down. What is the purpose of this?
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That feature was introduced during the Indian Wars. It was designed so if the warrior you were about to shoot squatted down behind a rock you could hit him by folding down the sight. :D
I also noticed that I can see the front sight better if the rear sight is folded down
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This is unusual. Perhaps you should send the rifle back to Marlin to see if they can figure this one out. When you fold the rear sight, maybe the front sight is supposed to fold as well. :D

Really?? :rolleyes:
 
Reason the Zulus were not real effective with captured and stolen rifles. They learnt that the sight was to be moved up to shoot farther. Which they took to mean it shot HARDER, so they routinely shot with the rear sight all the way up.
 
I would still testfire and adjust the rear sight anyway so it is a viable backup to your scope. I put a Lyman receiver site on mine and thus am glad the rear folds down. The Lyman sights are not as durable as they used to be so if it gets bent, I can quickly pop off the upper portion of the Lyman and have a usable alternative rear sight. I did take the bead front sight off and installed a sourdough type square front sight blade. I kind of despise big fat bead front sights but I suppose they are better for fast close shots at moving larger game.
 
I think all of you are wrong. Folded down for a scope is a good answer, but not completely right. I think it's so that you can put on a tang-mounted aperture sight which also folds down out of the way. Use the barrel-mounted sight for closer shots and the tang sight for longer range shots. Keep the tang sight folded down so that you are ready for a quick, close-in shot that can happen at short notice when hunting. Then if a longer shot presents itself, you will generally have time to flip the barrel-sight down and the tang sight up. If you have a scope, you wont need to be flipping the sight up and down.
 
You can get pretty quick with a peep sight. The Lyman trademark is - or was - a leaping deer centered in a "ghost ring" sight.
Once upon a time, Marlin offered a top mount receiver sight, you can see the two screw holes behind the Marlin Safety banner on some rifles.
 
Most scopes will not clear the front sight unless using a high or see thru scope mount, or a straight scope without a bell (25mm objective). The Leupold 2X7X33mm here requires the front sight to be folded down to clear. These are Warne QR rings and I think they are the medium. Mounted on a Ranger Point Precision rail.



This is the best shooting Marlin I have ever owned and that goes back to the 60s. And yes with the Warne QR rings I can and have removed and installed the scope and retained a good zero.

3C
 
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I thought it was kind of like a collapsible buttstock... fold it down to fit in your tacticool drag bag. It improves aerodynamics, too.

Oddly enough, I take my rear sights off when I get a rifle that has one... and that includes 4 Marlins. I can't see well enough to use them, anymore, so I just knock them out and mount a Williams receiver peep.
 
There's more than one answer to the question.
Some have been brought up.

One that hasn't been mentioned yet:
To help keep the rear sight from snagging in a scabbard.

For me, the fold-down rear sight is just something to play with while bored, watching a mountainside, sitting on a stump or rock.
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Be aware that the hinge pin is prone to breaking. Springs have been known to fail, but the pin usually gives up first.
 
Simple answer, so its out of the way when you're not going to use it, and it stays on the rifle.

Yes, it makes for less snag in a scabbard. Yes, its so the scope bell clears it. Yes, its so it is out of the way if using a tang sight or receiver peep sight.


That's an issue that does matter to some of us.

Its your gun, and you can just take it off, and toss the sight in a drawer if you want. No problem. Until you want to sell it, or trade it, and the sight has been lost for a dozen years or more...

I once bought a Marlin .44 mag from a coworker. Everything was fine, except when I went to get it from him, it didn't have a rear sight. (this turned out to be a case where he didn't have to take off the sight, he just did it because he felt like it...:rolleyes:)

I took the gun, anyway, with the promise that the rear sight was at his cabin, and he would get it to me. He did. Took him over two months...while the rifle was essentially useless to me. On the plus side I didn't have to buy a new sight...

I think Marlin saved a lot of people from having to buy a new sight with their folding rear, but that was just an additional good effect.
 
Deer hunter88 said:
I recently purchased a marlin 336 chambered in 30-30 and noticed that the rear sight folds down. What is the purpose of this? Can I shoot my rifle with the rear sight folded down? I also noticed that I can see the front sight better if the rear sight is folded down but don’t want to send the bullet off in the clear blue yonder by not using the rear sight.
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As noted, the folding rear sight allows easier storage and scope mounting.

You can fire the gun with just the front sight, but it's unlikely that what you hit will be what you were aiming at.
 
I see no reason why one would remove the rear sight on a lever gun that has a folding sight? And then propose to shoot it that way minus any other sighting system? Kind of defeats one of the reasons to have a folding sight. Unless the rifle is switched to a rear peep or ghost ring or tang type sight and then the dovetail filled. Whatever as they say.

3C
 
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