I don't have iron sights on any of my scoped hunting rifles. I just don't like to see a front sight in my scope and want scopes mounted as low as reasonably possible. However, I don't hunt out of town and mostly behind the house, so it's not going to ruin an expensive hunting trip if I knock a scope out of whack. I can just go home within a half-hour and grab another rifle. When we hunt birds in the North Maine Woods we bring at least one spare shotgun.
Scope Mounts on Hunting Rifles...Back-up plans?
- Thread starter Picher
- Start date
- Status
Here in KY, I hunt almost exclusively with a lever action...actually, 5 of them, all Marlins: .30-30, .44 Mag, .41 Mag, .35 Rem, and a .357 Carbine. All of them now wear scopes, four mounted with the old 2.5 x Leupold 7/8" tube Alaskan model, and one (the .35 Rem), with the same Leupold but in 4x. I've always sighted in my iron sights before mounting a scope, and in the case of the .357 Marlin Carbine, I also have a Williams Foolproof receiver peep sighted in. The scopes became necessary when my eyes passed the 72 year mark...damn, I miss the easy feel of an uncluttered Marlin lever receiver cradled in my gloved hands.
While I've never needed the back up sights due to inclement weather, fogging of the scope, or a hard fall that ruined the scope's sighting in, I've kept the ability to use the open or peep sights if needed by first sighting them in prior to scope mounting. A little insurance is a good thing, don't you think...or is it a case of a belt plus suspenders?
The pic below has four of the five Marlins. From the top, the .30-30 Texan with a 3x Weaver 1" tube (note the difference that the smaller Leupold 2.5x 7/8" tubes on the two below it...a more compact setup). The 2nd one down is an 1894S .41 Mag, the 3rd, believe it or not is a 336 in .44 Mag with after market checkering done, and the last is a Marlin 1894CS wearing a William receiver top peep....this one is an especially nice set up, keeping the lever's narrow, easy to carry receiver, but up grading the sights with the peep, and cutting out the weight that a scope would add. JMHO, YMMv and probably does
Best Regards, Rod
While I've never needed the back up sights due to inclement weather, fogging of the scope, or a hard fall that ruined the scope's sighting in, I've kept the ability to use the open or peep sights if needed by first sighting them in prior to scope mounting. A little insurance is a good thing, don't you think...or is it a case of a belt plus suspenders?
The pic below has four of the five Marlins. From the top, the .30-30 Texan with a 3x Weaver 1" tube (note the difference that the smaller Leupold 2.5x 7/8" tubes on the two below it...a more compact setup). The 2nd one down is an 1894S .41 Mag, the 3rd, believe it or not is a 336 in .44 Mag with after market checkering done, and the last is a Marlin 1894CS wearing a William receiver top peep....this one is an especially nice set up, keeping the lever's narrow, easy to carry receiver, but up grading the sights with the peep, and cutting out the weight that a scope would add. JMHO, YMMv and probably does
Best Regards, Rod
Last edited:
Omaha-BeenGlockin
Member
My backup plan is a whole nother rifle---stainless Savage Axis .308 that was $236 after the rebate and a cheap Leupold Rifleman 3x9x40 that I picked for $200 back in the day along with cheap Weaver rings and bases to round things out. Its a decent shooter with the cheap ammo. Has the Accu-trigger too.
Pretty good backup with not all that much into it.
Pretty good backup with not all that much into it.
- Status
