lever gun and scope - how wrong?

[H&Hhunter]

If I put together a few bucks before deer season, I'm seriously considering a Marlin in 45/70, with an Aimpoint on a scout mount. Why not?

Trapper,

I'll take a shot at the "why not".

Once upon a time in a land not so far away..........

I was driving around with a friend on his ranch. When I did spy a Javalina that needed a shootin.

My buddy handed me his Red Dot scoped rifle. I put up the gun but much to my schgrin the red dot was dead, as dead as dryed out sea urchin. the Javalina went runnin with out so much as a mild gunnin and i handed my buddy back his electronic POS with a cuss declared "get a real scope you little wuss."

If it takes batteries it doesn't go on my gun PERIOD. That is just a bad idea.

If you are going to be a sinner anyway why not just put a LER 2.5 power scope ion that puppy. Less stuff to go wrong is a good thing on serious working gun.

Red dots and holographic sights are cool on city guns that seldom leave the range but they really don't have much use in the woods.

Just my $.02

 

[MrMurphy]

The current Army Issue M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic) is the Aimpoint Comp M2. In use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Battery life is approximately 10,000 hours on some settings (over a year).

The Eotech HDS holographic sight has similar battery life and is also in use overseas.

Keeping one spare battery and a set of irons is a good way to go.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

H&H, you might want to consider an "illuminated reticle" scope from burris. When you turn it on, bright red just like a red dot, but if it's off, or the battery's dead, it just reverts to standard black.

I know, I know, TRADITION. Not to mention THE "IT WORKS, DON'TSCREW WITH IT!!" factor. All my hunting rifles are proper: Wood and blue steel with a bolt action.

But after trying the above scope at dawn and dusk, I'm hooked.

 

[gulogulo1970]

They look OK on a Savage 99. On Marlins or Winchesters it just looks and feels wrong.

 

[ducktapehero]

I'll admit that I think it looks "wrong" I can't argue with success. My Dad has a scope equipped Marlin lever action in 35Rem. He gets at least one deer a year and none has run over 100 yards.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a Winchester Model 94 that I've owned for 40 years. All it wears is a Williams 5-D aperture sight (and it cost $5.00, so you know how long ago THAT was!)

At 62, my sight is not what it used to be, but I still don't feel handicapped by aperture sights (open sights -- especially fine ones -- are another story.)

The Williams 5-D leaves the gun as sweet-handling as ever, and allows me to shoot it to its full potential.

If I want more, I've got a rack full of bolt-actions, in everything from .22LR to .35 Brown-Whelen that are right at home with scopes.

 

[themic]

Ha! those are some great strong opinions, guys. Thanks.

I've never actually used an aperture sight, honestly... maybe that's something to look into as a sort of compromise.

That's the final dilemna really... I love the gun, but worry about my ability to humanely take deer.

Thanks alot for the great pics of the scope mount, P95. Those shorter scops sure look alot better than i was picturing a scope/lever combo looking. ...guess I just gotta decide if it's right for me then.

If I get this gun, think the plan will be to go find a place to shoot shoot and shoot, then see how terrible my 100 yard shot is or not. I know at 100 yards I'm 1" with my .243 bolt w/ scope. I think I'd like to be 2" with iron/ghost/aperture.

Hey, anyone have a picture of a lever with ghost rings on it, by chance?

 

[sm]

Lever Guns , Eyesight and Age.

I recall asking one of the older gentleman that taught me stuff about getting older and he admitting he couldn't see like he once did. He said " I just shoot closer. I use my woodcraft skills to get closer or allow them to come to me. Besides, 50 -75 yds is a bunch better on these old knees than walking out past a 100...and at that distance, not gonna have to chasing / trailing one 'cause I shot poorly".

Dang it, I hate it when stuff like that makes sense...especially when I ain't getting younger. It made since when I was a whippersnapper...more sense now. Woodcraft...humm all that sneaking and no shooting - old farts trying to teach me...dang it!

 

[30Cal]

The thing I like about leveractions is how easy they carry. I like mine with either a receiver mounted peep sight (Williams) or a tang sight. I feel very confident out to 200yds with that type of setup if the rifle shoots accurately enough. Buckhorns are a little more of a challenge for me.

Ty

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Aperture sights are not compromises -- a good rifleman can shoot an aperture sight as accurately as a scope (after all, Olympic and much long range target shooting in the States is with aperture sights.)

Put on a good aperture, and after a little practice you'll be amazed at how accurately and fast you can shoot.

The only real advantage scopes have is the ability to resolve the target -- you can find a hole in the brush that you can poke a bullet through much easier with a scope.

 

[SloopG]

I am getting a Winchester 9422 and have thought about putting a scope on it. Last night at the range, I learned that in certain rifle competitions, a scope is not allowed. I had the good fortune to try a Marlin with a Marble Peep Sight (which is allowed for competitions) and found it much easier to use than the stock sights. Probably will go that route instead of the scope.

 

[Kurt S.]

I had a Savage 99 in .243 that I never scoped. I was, however, much younger at the time.

My Marlin .45-70 wears a little Leupold VX-1 2-7X 30 mm. I could have made do with a fixed power 4X.

Finally, my Winchester 1894 in .357, 16" bbl is unscoped. I won't be shooting past 50 yards with it ever unless it's at escaping zombies that I just have to dispatch or something.

Don't you listen to all these ol' gun nuts around here, what do they know? If you need optics like I do then put them on your rifle no matter what the operating system is.

....unless it's a fine old milsurp, of course.

 

[themic]

good tip, Mr Humphry.

So if I get a tang sight, and shoot just as well as I would if I had gotten a scope sight... is this a good way to not only avoid putting on glass but still shoot well enough to make fun of my shooting buddies and their optics?

I can picture it now...

"Sure, dad, you made that shot at 150 yards. But so did I... with just these here plain old iron sights..."

oooh i feel a new level of snobbery coming on