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Any of you doing most of your big game hunting with a peep sighted lever gun? Here in Alaska almost every one I know uses a scope sighted magazine fed rifle for big game hunting, including me. But, I plan on using the Mod.71 Ackley Imp. this year for moose.

I think part of the problem for me is there are not as many moose to get as there used to be and I would hate to loose all that meat because I could not take a long shot. But, well over half the moose I have shot in the last 55 years could easily have been taken with a peep sighted lever gun. Guess I just need to try it and gain some confidence. That Yukon River gal I married over 45 years ago likes that moose meat and would not be impressed if I could not make the shot because of my rifle choices. LOL

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buy a Browning BLR these are great accurate lever rifles you can buy , better cartridges for longer distances 30-06,7mm Rem. Mag.,300 Win.Mag.and other cartridges too would be great moose rifles with a scope or not. other nice features with these BLR`S you can buy them in a S.S. and all BLR rifles a magazine/clip instead of tube fed which kinda wrecks the front of the bullet on each cartridge. Pete53

Last edited by pete53; 04/05/20.

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The more you shoot with iron sights the more confidence you gain. You’ll soon realize that you don’t need a clear picture of the animal to make an accurate shot. With iron sights, the animal ought to be blurry anyway.

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The biggest issue of using a peep sighted gun is you lose a little time if the animal is in cover trying to figure out which end is which and you lose a little time identifying what is or isn't a shootable animal.

But in terms of a clear, unobstructed shot, you won't lose anything under 200 yards or maybe 300 if the light is good.

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The only way to gain confidence in a rifle and find out its weaknesses and strong points, is to shoot it as much as you can at different ranges before hunting season. As with anything, there's no substitute for practice.

Last edited by reivertom; 04/06/20.
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I second the BLR option. I have long eye relief scopes on mine...quick to sight( for myself)

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I am more of a bolt action and scope user.
Though, I finally got around to installing a scope on a Marlin 45-70 just recently. Years prior the ghost ring had gotten pretty useless for my eyes.
The trajectory would not be much of and issue where I hunt. But for me the use of sights would have been, especially in low light.

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I only pick up the lever-matic when I'm serious.

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Do you have another rifle that you could put a peep on to try out the concept on targets (does anyone make a moose target?) before plunking down a bunch of cash on a new moose masher?

I only have one rifle with irons and I keep trying different replacements that don't require drilling new holes in it, but in the end I suspect the irons will stick, and I'll be wearing glasses when I shoot it.


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A Marlin 1895 in 45-70 is your friend. Change the rear barrel sight to a flip up ladder sight for a Winchester 1866 from Dixie Gunworks and learn how to use it and you are good to 400 yards on a moose. My Marlin 1895 is a Cowboy with a 26 inch barrel and holds ten in the magazine and one in the chamber. For moose and big bears, load a 480 grain Lyman 457121PH flatnosed bullet over 38.5 grains of 3031 and you will shoot all the way through anything in Alaska. This load , with a bullet cast out of wheel weights, is accurate and deadly, and doesn't kick you silly. My 1895 Cowboy is light, easy to carry, and handles like a magic wand. This load and rifle set up is the Real Deal. It flat out works.

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A friend of mine outside Fairbanks has killed all of her moose, caribou, and black bear over the last 25 years with a Winchester 94 in 30-30. It was the gun her dad handed her when she was 12 and she has never seen a good reason to change. Definitely not what most people would consider an ideal Alaska rifle but it gets the job done.

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While I don't hunt exclusively (or even mostly) with iron-sighted lever rifles, I use irons enough to have taken quite a bit of big game with them over the decades--and not just with lever rifles, but single-shots, bolts, a double rifle, and a couple of drillings.

Jeffrey noted earlier that big game doesn't need to be perfectly clear to kill it with irons. But many older hunters assume it does, they reason they THINK they can't shoot irons anymore. But the only part of the 3-part equation (rear sight, front sight, target) that really needs to be clear is the front sight, and most of us can handle that, even when 50+ years old.

The last animal I took with open sights was a Texas pig in 2014, a few days after I turned 62, using a Winchester 94 .30-30. But I generally use aperture sights. The longest shot I've attempted was 350 yards on a Quebec caribou, with an old steel Lyman aperture sight and factory front bead. Yes, the bead "covered" the caribou's chest, but at 350 I knew the bullet would land in the middle of the bead--and it did. (However, I cheated somewhat on that shot, however, using a pre-'64 Model 70 in .270 Winchester with 150-grain Hornady Spire Points.)

While pretty small groups can be shot even with relatively crude irons, one of the things that many hunters who've never used irons (or haven't since they were a kid) often have to get used to is that sub-inch, 100-yard groups are NOT necessary to kill big game, even at 300+ yards. That .270 wouldn't group any better than 2" at 100 with the factory bead.


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Originally Posted by 1Akshooter
I plan on using the Mod.71 Ackley Imp. this year for moose..........Guess I just need to try it and gain some confidence.


I think you've got the right equipment and attitude, but do yourself a favor and practice using the sights in "real world" conditions, i.e. dark target against a brush background in overcast or fading light. You might find you have to tweak your sights with a larger aperture and/or a bolder front sight.
I've twice made that mistakes where I could not put the sights on an animal that I could plainly see with my eye away from the sights. Globe or fine bead fronts and small aperture rears have no place in the field IMO. You may lose a little precision shooting groups at the range but seeing your sights on the animal is how you'll bring home the moose meat. Go for it!


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I have receiver sights on a lot of rifles. I'm 60, wearing trifocals and I have no problem making shots in the kill zone at 200+ yards. I much prefer a blade front sight to any bead. Call it Patridge, Sourdough or blade, but I shoot much better with them than a bead. Front sight, front sight, front sight. Practice, practice, practice.


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Peeps will limit twilight shooting opportunities.

A rear sight with a white diamond seems to work in less light.

I use quick detach capabilities on my scopes, an illuminated reticle scope allows finding my neighbors black angus in even a crescent 🌙 moon at midnight. I find this comforting when hunting bear 🐻 country.


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with much respect at my age of 67 my eyes now are poor even with glasses so iron sights on a rifle no longer work i need a scope to see somewhat better. my son is 30 years of age and does just fine open sights or a scope on lever rifles. i shoot alot of trap in summer and that`s just a hand -eye coordination thing that i can still do fast and decent shooting trap and maybe guys with iron sight rifles kinda learn to do that too ? now this may sound weird but i play ping-pong to help my hand-eye coordination, i read about how to help my hand and eye coordination using pin-pong in a sporting clays magazine years ago and it seems to help me. >remember the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when the guard set a can out there and Sundace could not hit it sitting there ? then Sundance said can i try it when the can is moving ? Sundance shot the heck out of the can ,there is some truth about hand-eye coordination shooting.when you learn this skill for trap shooting wind or calm makes very little different in your scores. a good old friend Roger who was a great old trap shooter told me, he had 4 deer come down the trail about 80 yards away he got all 4 deer with his 30-30 lever said he never did aim but got all 4 deer in 4 shots in a matter of seconds. this old Korean veteran Roger told this true story better than i can.his hunting partner Jim said to Roger: what the heck were you shooting at it sounded like a machine gun when we were in Korea ? Roger said deer ,so then Roger and Jim walked over there to where the deer lay in the bush and Jim said great shooting but Roger we only have 3 licenses for deer.

Last edited by pete53; 04/06/20.

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When out of state hunting in Maine I’m usually carrying a 94 30-30 with the older Williams 5D (the old ones with click adjustments) by the second day. Way easier to carry still hunting than my scoped rifles.

Last edited by Mike_S; 04/06/20.
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Once I got lasix I can see open sights again!


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I hunted with irons this year and really enjoyed it. Honestly though where I hunt, irons work better than an optic imho.

I practiced a lot and am confident on deer size game out to 200 yards. Fwiw I used express style sights and will continue to do so moving forward


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I seemed to loose about 10 minutes either side of daylight but honestly was good to go in the posted legal hours


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