Lever action short barrel- scope or irons?

[Coop de Ville]

Hello all,

I have a 336C in 30-30 that I was thinking about having some work done to. What I am thinking is to have the barrel taken down to 16 or 17 inches and a half to one inch off the stock. Something that would be a little handier to carry in the field. The big question is whether to scope it or put irons on it.

A peep and post would be nice, but my eyes aren't the best and I think a low power scout type scope would be more practical. The second option is the scope mounted on the Ashley Express forward mount. This would also get rid of the barrel dovetail when the rear sight is removed.

Would the scope and mount pretty much negate the weight reduction of lopping off the barrel and stock? Any other ideas would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks and best -Coop

 

[MacPelto]

Personally, I ditched my scout scope and kept the WWG ghost-ring on my trapper. I've had 2 scout scopes, one on a bolt and one on the lever, and always felt like I had to hunt around to find the right eye relief.

YMMV

Mac

 

[ArmedBear]

Peep sights seem to be a good alternative that keep things light and durable, but offer a bit more accuracy at distance than common levergun sights.

And yeah, a scope weighs a LOT more than a few inches of barrel.

 

[rbernie]

I have two 336's set up with the XS scout mount and scout scopes (one Burris and one Leupold). I love 'em - they point well, are fast in the brush, and the scout setup keeps the receiver clear (helping totability quite a bit). The only time that I've not had joy in a scout setup is when I tried to use a pistol scope as a scout scope - most pistol scopes will just not work quite right in that role due to eye relief issues.

A Leupold scout scope actually is not much more weight than 4" of barrel length. More to the point, the scope weight helps the rifle balance better than the extra barrel weight because the scope sits closer to the receiver.

One of my scout Marlins is a 30-30 with a barrel that I cut down to 16". It's the handiest thing imaginable - I can't imagine a better brush rifle for deer/hog/small blackies.

 

[Clipper]

If you can't use a ghost-ring...

...Why not try a reflex sight or a red dot. No magnification, so no eye relief issues, and they're light...

 

[Lupinus]

I personally prefer scopes. I can get by with irons but esspecialy for hunting I like being able to see better what I am about to hit.

 

[dracphelan]

I personally have problems see a 12" target over iron sights at 100 yards. So, I have mounted a scope on my lever action.

 

[rockstar.esq]

I second the nomination of Red Dot! For that matter you could do a reflex sight, either way it'd be lighter than a scope and faster (for most folks) than irons, and precise enough to get an accurate shot off. Keep in mind that iron sights are more accurate with longer sight radii, personally I think speed with iron sights is less related to sight radius and more a function of rear sight to front sight proportions. Just as a passing thought, you could buy a super cheap redot impersonator and mount it just to see if you like the concept before you invest heavily in that direction.

 

[CZguy]

Peep sights seem to be a good alternative that keep things light and durable, but offer a bit more accuracy at distance than common levergun sights.

And yeah, a scope weighs a LOT more than a few inches of barrel.

I agree with Armedbear. I use a Lyman peep sight on my lever guns, and put a scope on my bolt actions. I suppose it comes down to what you want to use the rifle for. I use a lever action for well under 100 yards in the woods, while a bolt action would be used for 300 yards in the open.

 

[VeT|Us]

I'm a little nearsighted, and trying to use irons on my 1894C was just... impossible. Mounted a scope on it, and now it's supersweet!

 

[Brian Williams]

I really like my 1894 with a Marble's tang sight.

 

[rbernie]

Marlin 336 in 30/30 with a 16 barrel; scope is mounted in Leupold QR rings, with backup front/rear sights courtesy of Lyman/Williams. The cheekpad riser is velcro'ed on, so that transitioning from scope to irons can be accomplished with the same cheekweld.

The balance point is just in front of the lever pivot pin, and the rifle with scope weighs in at around seven and a half pounds.

The only real negative to this setup is that I've lost magazine capacity - the shorter magazine only holds three or four rounds (depending on load/bullet). That's because I used the Marauder magazine instead of actually doing the metalwork to shorten the longer mag to fit flush in length with the 16" barrel.

About the only thing that I want to change on this is to replace the Williams rear peep sight with an XS sight. I have the XS irons on my 336 scout in 35 Remington, and I prefer their unobtrusiveness in comparison to the Williams.

 

[rangerruck]

you'd be surprised, go with the peepers and you'll be happy.

 

[Roccobro]

Alot of good suggestions here. Thanks for the ideas and pictures, I'm excited to get to work on my levers now!

Justin

 

[Coop de Ville]

Brian Williams-

Did you keep the factory front bead with that tang or have to find something else?

Coop

 

[Z_Infidel]

Coop,

The factory front bead will work with that tang sight. I had one like it on my 1894C for a while before switching to the XS ghost ring setup. I prefer a blade or post front sight when used with a ghost ring or aperture as opposed to a bead. But it might work just fine for you. Also, a 336 might require a different front sight when used along with a tang sight -- I can only vouch for the 1894C.

 

[Mannlicher]

I'd say a lot of that depends on your eyes. I hunt with a 16 inch barrel 336Y, and I use a 20mm tube, variable scope. Iron sights do not work for me anymore. I hunt heavy cover, swamps, creek bottoms, and palmetto thickets. A scope for me is a must.\\

 

[Brian Williams]

I kept the original bead.

 

[roscoe]

Say - how much does it cost to get the barrel and magazine shortened in your neck of the woods?

 

[Anthony T.]

I would go with a 1x4 20mm scope for a 30-30. Some will disagree and say keep open sights, but I'm not really a fan of open sights. I guess its just which you prefer.

 

[skeeter1]

Scope or not... Tough question

Having spent the day at my buddy's farm, just plinking at tin cans at around 60yds, my scoped Marlin 1894 seemed to be a pain in the butt compared to the to the iron-sighted .22s we were shooting. I'll try a little more work with the boresighter, but if that doesn't work, I might just take it off, sell it on eBay, and go back to the iron sights.

 

[Coop de Ville]

What I need to do is save up for Lasik surgery.

The marbles tang looks like an option in open sights. Then I can just fold down the rear leaf. I have a dovetail blank, but to be honest, I think it looks worse than just leaving an open dovetail.

-Coop