I am going to put a Leupold shotgun scope on my guide gun.
would you use the 1-4x20 or the 2-7x33?

My personal preference would be the 1-4X20, simply for the very wide field of view. The more compact size is a plus.

Nothing wrong with the 2-7X33, but I just prefer more landscape in my scope when trying to hammer a deer moving through thick woods. I've heard some say that the 2-7X33 is better in low light, but I have never had an issue during legal hours.

With the 1-4X20, don't let the sight of the barrel scare you, it's normal. I had one guy ask me if my scope was tilted when he was firing my .44 mag rifle.

I like the looks of a straight tube 20mm bell on a lever....

1-4...on a budget ? Weaver 1-3x20...picked up one of these for $164

https://www.amazon.com/Weaver-V-3-1...96&sr=1-1&keywords=weaver+1-3x20

I like the 20mm tubes, 1-4x20 with heavy plex.

I've got a 1-4x20 VX-II on my marlin .30-30. Works great.

I never got into the shotgun scope thing. All 4 of the Marlin .45-70s I've owned, and also the Cowboy .38-55, were capable of sub MOA accuracy. I didn't downgrade the optics because the guns shot well enough to be worthy of better.

In my SS GG, I started with a Leupold 3-9X which I had handy, then when I needed that for something else, I stuck a 2.5-8X which was also "homeless" at the time on it. Those let me wring out accuracy. I fell into the low power variable trap and put a 1.5-5X on it. I was never very happy with that, the field of view was too great and it was slow to locate the target. Eventually I swapped that for a 1.75-6X.

It's hard to say, for me, which was better, the 1.75-6X or the 2.5-8X. I usually carried the lower powered scope at 2.5 X because that's where I stopped seeing the barrel in the sight picture inside the scope.

All in all, I'd be hard-pressed not to pick a fixed 4X based on past experience with variables .. how I was actually finding them best in field use.

Tom

thanks for all the good advice
ron

The only and big problem with all those tiny objective scopes is in early or late light. They just go dark in low light. I have a 2x7-27 that I took off and don't use fir that reason

I always mount Leupold VX2 2-7x33's on My 45/70 lever guns, I like the looks and consider the 2-7 power range perfect for a 45/70.....Good luck........Hb

I'm looking hard at the Leup Big Bore fixed 3x.
Perfect scope for these rifles.

Scopes are great as long as they do not restrict access to critical functions.

Scout scopes are the cat's ass.

i have 1-4x20's on most of my stubby marlins. nikon used to make a nice little 1.5-4.5x20 too but the leupold on tally lightweight extra lows is the ticket.

I think it all depends on what you do with the rifle.My Marlin gbl has a Weaver 4x scout scope on a xs rail and quick disconnect rings.It takes seconds to do this.I use the xs ghost sight and the scope on this rifle...seems to work well

Where did you get that picture of my rifle. I have my scope in qd rings, and have a Lyman receiver sight behind it. I had to have the scout scope, that gun recoils so bad I would be dodging a standard scope when it goes off.

If your work requires close range shooting then you can't go wrong with an RMR. A guide gun implies last-minute backup. A large (7MOA) RMR reflex sight is hard to beat inside of 50 yards.

I found it sitting on my front steps, and it followed me in.

I decided to try hot rodding mine a little by pushing 400 grainers up to around 1,750 fps. Very accurate, but I need to find someone willing to light off the last 85 rounds in the box.

Factory ammo, running 1,100 to 1,200 is a pleasure to shoot and would likely still end to end a buffalo.

I prefer the 2-7x33 Leupold. All but one of my lever guns have some variation (VX-II #4, VX-1 Hvy. Duplex, VX-2 Post & Duplex) of it on them. The one that doesn't has a Kahles AH 2-7x36 on it. IMO 2x is plenty wide enough FOV.