30-30: To Scope or Not and How?

[bulbboy]

Hard to put a scope on something as beautiful as this:



I might go with something like this peep sight

http://www.skinnersights.com/


P.S. I ordered mine yesterday.

 

[lipadj46]

Hard to put a scope on something as beautiful as this:

It's actually pretty easy, you just need an allen wrench, a pair of scope rings and maybe some loctite

 

[Saint Dennis]

A deer rifle is for hunting deer. If you want a scuplture for admiring on the wall fine, but especially in thick woods, a scope can help pick a hole to shoot through. Hit them with the first shot. It can look clear through iron, but put the scope on it and you'll see the brush in the way. I've shot a lot of deer using a scope on those "abominal" see through mounts. They aren't that bad. Just learn where to weld your cheek.

 

[lipadj46]

Figure you can get quick release scope rings so you can easily remove the scope when you are not hunting in order to admire it's form

 

[benzy2]

Why not? I put one on my 336 and have never looked back. We use a 30-30 for just about everything bigger than what a 22lr would be used for. For that we tend to be shooting at smaller targets than the typical deer shot. If you can make humane shots on what you are shooting at without a scope then great. I feel better about a lot of my hunting with a scope on. I thought the factory sights were mediocre anyways and was looking at either going scope or new irons. Having a few extra scopes and rings laying around it was pretty easy to just pick up a base and be set. It was a lot cheaper than the iron sight replacements I had looked at.

 

[Hutch]

My eyes are not good, so a scope is a must. I somehow decided on a Leupold Vari-X III in 1.75x6, and I'm tickled with it. I think it's perfect.

 

[EHL]

I have a scope on mine. Especially with the new Hornady LeverEvolution ammo that is pushing the effective distance of 30-30 ammo accuracy, I'm considering getting the new scope that is made for this ammo. 30-30 just got even better, and I say "it's about time!"

 

[expvideo]

Put an aimpoint with a FTS 3x magnifier and a 6 position stock on it. You might want to add a quad rail for the tac-lite and foregrip. Just make sure to get some MagPul rail covers. You wouldn't want any exposed rails or your 30-30 might look too tactical.

JK. A 2x scope would be perfect, IMO.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

IF you're gonna scope it, then stick with a normal mount, not a see-through - that puts the scope too high and could result in a miss if the target is only 5, 10, 15, 20 yards away.

As for scoping it or not, either way. I would personally, because I have bad eyes, and adding a scope adds a good 15-20 minutes on either side of prime time legal hunting time in the morning and evening.

 

[MT GUNNY]

I thought the whole Point of a see through scope Mount, Is for the Ability to use stock sights for close shots.

 

[ojibweindian]

With a good 2.5x or 4x scope, one should be able to make a good close shot (30 yards). No need for those see-through mounts.

 

[Lonestar.45]

Yes, scope it if it is going to be used as a hunting rifle and not some cowboy action shooting gun where purists rule.

A good quality scope can only help. Helps to identify the target, helps in low light situation, helps to pick exactly the right spot. No question I can shoot a lot more accurate at 100 yds with a scope than open sights. The game deserves the best shot I can put out there.
If you get a low powered variable you don't give up anything on quick shots if you leave it on low power when in the brush.

I used an open sight 30-30 many times and have shot deer and hogs with it, but there were a few times I really screwed up by carrying it because I could see the deer in my binoculars, but not well enough with the iron sights to get a shot. Frustrating when I was looking at a nice buck I know I could have had if I'd have carried the .270 with the scope that day instead.

Nope, always a scope for me these days unless it's a special situation (i.e. heavy brush daylight close shot situation only).

 

[Random Discharge]

Scope it is

Again, thank you to all for the input. I decided to scope it, but with a low mounted Weaver V3 (1-3x20). It has a nice wide field of view at 1X for short quick shots, and 3X should suffice for longer shots within 30-30 range. That's the thinking anyway.

I concede it will uglify my Marlin a bit (OK, a lot - its the 336SS model). But the scope is only 9" long and has no big bell on the business end. From an asthetic point of view, I could have done worse to it for sure.

 

[MCMXI]

It has a nice wide field of view at 1X for short quick shots, and 3X should suffice for longer shots within 30-30 range. That's the thinking anyway.

I completely agree with your thought process on this but I don't agree that it will make your rifle "ugly".

I mounted 1.5-5x scopes with SPR reticles on my Marlin XLR (shown below) and my Guide Gun. The reticles are good for range estimation, holdover etc which are particularly important given the ballistics of the .45-70. I plan on leaving the '94 as is with a ghost ring rear sight.

Personally I like the look of a scope on a lever action and it makes them significantly more accurate (therefore more useful) over a wider range of conditions.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Zero your iron sights with whatever load you are going to hunt with, then mount your scope.

That way if your scope fails/breaks/fogs/gets whacked on a rock etc your rifle is still ready to hunt with.

I've never put a scope bigger than 2x-7x on a 30-30, but have hunted with a 4x fixed on the same rifle. Big advantage of the variable scope was the bigger 40mm objective that let in more light for low light shooting.

No need for mil-dot reticles on a 30-30, any heavy 2 stage crosshairs will do.

 

[VinRR]

Here is a pic of my new Mossberg 464 with a Burris Fullfield II 2-7x-35. It is as low as it can go, it has about 1/32" clearance between the bottom of the lens and top of the rear iron sight folded down.
I think that scopes look great on lever guns when they are blued and match, but when the receivers are "gold" they look like crap.