Marlin Model 60, Tech Sights V.S. 3x9 scope

Have you factored in what you enjoy using more? For me personally, I just enjoy iron sights more than scopes, especially on a small caliber rifle.

What would be the purpose of the rifle? If you are going for best groupings or dedicated hunting, I would say scope it, if general plinking and some informal hunting I would say Tech Sights.

You wouldn't really need anything fancy if you went the scope route. I had a Bushnell .22 Rimfire 3-9x32 scope on my Marlin 795 and it was a fine little setup, a real tack driver, more so than my 10/22 with a Simmons 3-9x32 scope. The scope only ran me about $40 on Amazon too. I replaced the stock iron sights with fire sights as well, and those were an improvement too.

Williams Fire-sights!

I have Tech Sights on my 795. Shoots just as accurate as with a scope and are a lot more fun IMO.

i just took a redfiled 3x9 off my 336 i like iron open better

Also I've found Tech Sights work just as well for hunting squirrel/ rabbit as a scope does. I just keep the ranges a little shorter

You forgot one point in your comparason:

Scopes help people with challenged eyesight make good hits at longer ranges.

If you are young, shooting iron sights at 100 yards and more isn't a big deal.

I'm getting older, and I just can't see the sights and the target so good any more. Makes it hard to get good hits like that.

With a quality scope, I have no problem placing rounds where I want them.

In my opinion, when it comes to .22 rifles the best answer is to own several.

Having different rifles set up for different situations makes it easy to have fun regardless of the circumstances.

In my opinion, when it comes to .22 rifles the best answer is to own several.

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Bingo, lol. I have a 60 with tech-sights - great fun to shoot and pretty darned accurate. But I decided I wanted a scoped .22, but not enough to remove the tech-sights from the 60. So what did I do - buy a 10/22 and put a scope on it.

I am not sure the Tech Sights are more durable - that may be a draw. The Tech sights will almost certainly be lighter though. The scope will tend to catch on brush and limbs in the field a bit more than the TS. You may get off quicker shots with the TS, especially in low light situations. If you shoot 50+ yards, bullet drop is not a small issue, and generally elevation is easier to adjust in the scope than with the TS. A scope with a BDC reticle can also be simpler to use at variable ranges. Holding high with a front post means you are going to be obscuring part of your target, and the elevation adjustment on the rear TS generally takes some type of small tool (penknife would work) or seriously small and strong fingers.

Let's not kid ourselves, the stock irons aren't the best.

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If you've got the eyes for iron sights.... the Buckhorns on the M60 function just fine.... You may need to put a spot of blue locktight on the elevation screw, but that's about it.

I've always shot mine very well with the factory buckhorns.... but I've got "over 40 eyes" (well over) now and benefit from being able to actually see the target.

I put a 4X fixed scope on mine and like it a lot.

I have a 3-9 scope, but felt it was over kill.

I wish my Marlin Model 60 was suitable for tech sights - unfortunately I have an early model with a wraparound front sight that also holds on the mag tube, and they don't make tech sights that fit that particular model (I've discussed it with the company at length).

I'm debating on whether or not to order just a rear sight and weld up the front sight blade and file it to shape.

when my eyes were better I would have said good irons for a .22 which is rarely shot beyond 60-70yds.. but nowadays I would say put a decent 4x32 on her and have a ball

I recently replaced a cheap 3-9 with tech sights on a 10-22 and enjoy shooting through them. One word of caution, the very small aperture on the tech sights does not allow you to see through it well at night or with low light. The small aperture is great for shooting targets or squirrels in the daylight.

I like the idea of having a couple options, but obviously that can present a challenge if you are just getting into shooting. If I were to do it again, I might recommend getting a rifle with tech sights first, then a scoped rifle down the road. If you can master the fundamentals with open sights, a scope is a breeze.

Here's my opinions on what I have on a few rifles that I shoot often:

Marlin 60 with williams firesights - Fast for small game, love them...especially for the price.

10/22 with tech sights - Why did I wait this long to buy these?! These are awesome. I sorta want to try a fiber optic front post on them.

Marlin 60 with 3x9 scope - Scope is coming off once the tech sights arrive.

I have a 60 with Tech-Sights. My rear sight had a weird problem with the retention of the elevation adjuster and Tech-Sights replaced it, sight unseen. I had it in 3 days. Buy with confidence. Also, the addition of the ghost rings has made this one of my favorite range toys. No more silly plastic front post that moves in a strong breeze!

I do have a Savage 64 with a 3-9x though...

Kick-Down-Doors said:

What is a BDC reticule?

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Bullet drop compensation. Something like this.

With a bit of practice you can use the offsets from center in the reticle to holdover your target with good results. That Nikon in particular could be used to as a rangefinder to some degree, although I think range estimation from the 50-100 yard range or so would be pretty hard unless you had some very accurate reference object. I can not say I have ever tried.

Actually I found my stock model 60 sights to be very good. Of course, my 60 is older and I don't know if they have the same sights or not.

Personally, I prefer a scope because I like to be able to see clearly at distance. When shooting small targets, I can't see them very well at 50+ yards, and that annoys me. I use a 3-9x scope on mine, and it makes shooting much easier. Then again, I've never used Tech sights so I may be a bit biased.

It`s a 22 cal not a "bean -field" rifle. Put a Peep on it and enjoy.

I have 50+ eyes and enjoy shooting at 50+ yards. I recently changed my fixed 4x tasco POS for a 3-9x40 BSA Sweet .22 scope on my Marlin 60. The only thing I may have done differently is to get higher magnification! This is mostly a range toy. I put a Boyd's varmint thumbhole stock on it too, its a bit heavy but when the planets are in alignment I can cover a 5 shot group at 50 yards with a dime.

The Tech Sights are fantastic! If you're planning on using it on small critters 50y or further away, though, definitely go scope. Also, the Tech Sights aren't nearly as awesome in the dark.

I went with the Tech Sights on my Marlin 60 and they're great. One advantage, they were easy to swap for the factory sights, I think it took me all of 20 minutes.