Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions 336 scope recomendation

Hey guys, after I altered my 12 year old sons model 94 with a peep sight he was so made at me he could not stand it. So, today I bought him a brand new 336. I am looking for recomendations for a moderately priced scope. I am thinking about a 2 1/2 power fixed, and am really interested in the correct size and brand that will look good on the gun. He shoots iron sights well enough, just couldn't get the peep to work for him. Any brand and model recomendations would be helpful. Thanks in advance

I put a Leupold FXII 4X on mine and really like it. I had a straight tube Burris on it before and while the 20mm objective looked good I was really dissapointed with its light gathering.

Burris's line of compact scopes rivals Luepold, their 4X is about perfect for the Marlin

If you want to keep the scope about the size of four power, I would get a Leupold 2-7.

IF you're concerned about looks you'll need something w/ a 20mm objective like the 2.5x you mention. Weaver makes some, both a fixed power and a variable, as does Leupold. IMO, those are the only ones that look decent on any levergun.

My 336 wears a Leupold VX-II 2-7. I like the extra power at the range, and the scope looks good. . . Before that, there was a Bushnell Dawn to Dusk shotgun scope that looked even better, but I could never get good performance from. . .

I will second the Leupold VXII 2-7 recommendation. My son has one on his 336SS and is a super clear handy little scope.

thanks for the comments guys!
retrieverman, what size objective lens does your son's scope have? Looks like they offer either 28mm or 33 mm.
How hard is it for an amateur to mount a scope. Doesn't seem to be that hard if you have the right tools? Is a gun smith needed?

I really like the Nikon Monarch 4x40 if you can find one.

The objective on my son's scope is 33mm. Scope mounting is very simple, but if you have never done it before, it wouldn't hurt to have a gunsmith do it.

I just put a Nikon Prostaff in 2x7x32 on a old Remington 141 pump I have. I wanted a 20mm tube scope so it would "fit the style of the gun" better but after trying one I did not like it. The Nikons are 129.00 at Ganger Mt and seem to be super clear, hold zero great and work pretty good in low light.

There real small too, I think 11.3 inches in the 2x7, with a 32mm bell they fit the pumps and levers well, Im not a fan of the big objectives on that style gun.

On a lever if you go too big with you're scope it seems to make the gun top heavy for lack of a better term.

Just my .02

thanks guys, I purchased a 1981 Leupold VARI-X II 2-7 for less than $150.00. It was described as excellent condition so even if it is decent I will be happy. I think I will have a Smith mount it and bore sight it if it is not too expensive. Thanks for all comments and help.

Did you use QR 1" low rings and did you remove the hood over the iron sight. It doesn't appear noticable on the picture. Is that necessary to get a clear view?

I decided to go with a STD base and STD 1"-low rings. Still wandering if I need to remove the hood?

Take a look through the scope and see, with my 4X and low rings I didn't have to.

At 4X, you wont be able to see the front sight hood no matter how low you mount the scope. I use Warne Maxima 2 peice bases and Weaver low rings to get the scope extra low where it belongs. Marlin stocks were designed for open sights, so a high mounted scope gives a very poor cheek weld.

In my opinion, a standard 2-7X is the absolute largest scope I would ever consider for a Marlin levergun. I prefer the 2-7 compact of lower power straight objective scopes for reasons of balance and handling. It is true that you give up a few minutes of shooting light due to the lessened light gathering ability, but they are far superior for snap shooting.

I think the Leupold VXII, being a light scope, doesn't affect handling any more than a straight tube scope (I have both),it just doesn't look as "correct".What it does offer is better performance in low light and is actually probably lighter than most straight tube scopes out there, also it can be mounted just as low.

It does not get any lighter than a Leupold 2.5X compact. I too have used both the straight tube and 2-7X class scopes on my Marlins. You are correct about the low light performance, but I have found that the VX-II 1-4x20 and VX-III 1.5-5X20 allow me to shoot right up till almost dark with no problems.

I know that the VX-II 2-7x33 is somewhat heavier than my Var-X 2-7X28 compact and the above mentioned scopes. Also, it is much easier to wrap your hand around the middle of the gun with a straight tube scope mounted. It is much harder to do with the larger scopes even when you have big hands like I do. Another advantage of the straight tube scopes is that you can leave the factory rear sight in place at the lowest possible mounting height. You cannot do that with the VX-11. Not a huge advantage, but an advantage nonetheless.

I guess it just comes down to personal preferrence. There is no right answer. It sounds like Wiktor and I have just formed two slightly different preferrences after considerable practical field experience.

I think all new 336s come with folding rear sights so leaving the rear sight in place is no longer a problem. I'm new to the 336 scene and could be misunderstanding what TnBigBore is referring to but here is a quick snapshot of my 308MX with a VXIII Leupold 2.5X8X36mm in low Leupold rings if it helps.



Just a data point.

DJR

Different angle: