Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Is is heresy to put a scope on a lever-action?

Those beautiful lines of a Marlin 336, with open sights.....every time I think about puttin a scope on it, I just can't bring myself to doing it. Are there any scopes that don't just foul up the lines of a lever-action rifle?

IMO that is totally personal!!!

Nothing like making the hunt more interesting with iron sights!!!

Straight objective tube scopes look best in my opinion.Only problem is they don't gather light as well as others. I currently have two Leupold 4X on mine and think they look OK.

Yes. But you don't need one.

Two seasons ago I killed a spike bull elk with my .356win M94. It was wearing a Leupold 1-4, and I definitely would not have had a shot if I did not have a scope mounted, it was too dark to see a front sight at first legal light.
A couple years before, I killed a moose with the same rifle, at exactly 250 steps away. Hit it 2x out of three shots, both in the lungs. Would not have tried that shot without a scope. I used that rifle for years with a receiver sight, and I much prefer how it handled without a scope, but success beats convenience for me most times. The scope has stayed on.

Go for it.

I had 3 good bucks I had to let go the last day of deer season because while I could see horns with the binoculars I couldn't see them with the iron sights on my .45-70 marlin. I was in heavy brush, there were bucks and does both, milling around, changing positions. The first buck i saw, I put horns on, good rack. dropped the 'nocs, brought up the gun, decided to slow down and take a 2nd look to confirm. Wasn't a buck anymore, they'd changed positions and I'd dang near shot a doe I didn't have a tag for. After that I got even more cautious. Never could get a shot I was confident of. Even with a 4X they'd have been easy, real easy.

So, IMHO it's not only ok, I'd recommend it. Personally, I'm done with iron sights on rifles.

Tom

I have a leupold 4x compact on my 35 Rem and a old Redfield on my 45-70. I use one of those when I'm going to need a scope. Then when I can use open sights I use my model 71 .348 Win, 444, or 32 Sp. I guess for me it boils down to where I hunt. The post above is something to think about for sure. Feed the lever guns!!!

Joseph

Just my $.02 and I don't see too well either but I'm going to resist putting a scope on my levers (Browning B-92 .44 mag, Winchester Model 71 Deluxe .348 Win, Winchester repro 92 in .357, Browning Model 53 in .32-20 and Winchester Tribute 9422 Mag)because it just doesn't look/feel right to me. I did manage to get a deer this year and as long as I can still do that and shoot squirrels with the rimfire I hope I can stay with the factory irons for awhile at least...but no beef with those who scope...

Nope, not heresy.. though I consider it heresy to d&t any old lever that isn't already mangled. My eyes suck and I don't want to risk wounding an animal, so always a scope for me. Thrilled that others are good enough to hunt without though!

I have an old Weaver 2.5 on a Marlin .357. Shoots good, sits low and looks good. On other lever guns I have more modern scopes. Don't look as slick, but better for my eyes.

I like both, so I keep a Browning BLR with a scope on it, and I am far more deadly with it, then any of my non scoped leveractions, when the light starts to fade or distance starts to stretch a little, plus unless at very close range, I do better on running shots with a low powered scope, also.

I wouldn't have any problems scoping a Marlin, they were designed for it, and they don't carry quite a well as a Pre-64 Model 94 Winchester, anyway. Some of my guns like my Model 94's, my model 71's will never get a scope, but I have a nice little straight gripped Marlin 30/30 that I am considering mounting a scope on.

A 2x7 Leupold works pretty good on leveractions, and so does the 1.5x5 Leupold, but larger objective of the 2x7 is brighter at dusk. A fixed 4 power would be good too. Putting too bulky a scope on a leveraction would be a mistake, IMHO.

I won't own a rifle without a scope, and I prefer a Zeiss.

My old Marlin 336 st. grip carbine has a 3X Leupold in QD Talley mounts and it looks fine to me..I think the Marlins are nice with a scope as they were designed for scope use, so take advantage of it..You may need to shoot a doe in the head or a turkey, that scope would be handy for that.

I would never scope my Winchesters as they are not designed for scope use and I really like iron sights anyway..

These guns are ment to be used up to 200 yards and I don't need a scope for 200 yards and under.

Bottom line is the option is yours, do what you want to do, why ask?

Nice mother-in-law picture...

A friend had a Marlin levergun with a Zeiss 4x -- he used to joke that the scope was worth more than twice what the rifle was, but after looking through his scope after sunset I could sure see the advantages over iron sights!

He had made a nice traditonal-looking leather lace on "thingy" to give himself a good solid cheek weld because it was an older rifle with quite a low stock.

John

To my way of thinking, installing a scope on a "traditional" lever gun spoils what it was intended for. Quick shooting. As for the Savage 99 and BLR, they are fine for scopes,just don't want them on my Winchesters or Marlins. I've got bolt guns for scope hunting, but to each his own.
Virgil B.

Of course it's heresy! However, knowing what can happen to eyes and often as they age, I don't always think it is wrong to commit such a heinous act. I'll quit shooting my M94s before I scope them. However, the blockier Marlins I have are not so spoiled in balance by the addition of a small single power scope and I have scoped them from time to time.

Less svelte rifles or non-traditional types like the Sav 99 and BLR don't fall into my opinionated grouping of non-scopers. However, I still prefer scopes that don't rival the Hubble space telescope.

You can't scope a winchester. It just shouldnt be done, ruins the handling. Marlins are fine for those who wish to. (although I wouldn't personally scope a Marlin either.)
The Winchester rifles weren't intended for it.
(For example, I dont put scopes on Lee Enfields either. They weren't designed for them either.)
In a backwards way, I have a Sako that doesnt have open sights. I hvant gone and put some on even as a back up, although Ive thought of it, becasue those Finnish engineers never intended that rifle to be shot with anything except a scope.

One of these days you will not have the eyes of youth and you will still want to hunt with your lever action. Then you will see why we old guys put scopes on our LE.

You can trust me on this.

W

I have a Pecar 4x32 in a Weaver Pivot Mount on my Winchester 88, but I would not even consider it on my Winchester 94BB. On the latter I've got a Williams FP, but I seriously thinking on taking that away and putting the old irons back.

Peter

It's really personal preference. I certainly think it kills the handling characteristics of them, but you do what you need to do. I have some that have them and some that don't.







I put the scope on the Marlin 1894 for a hunt to Indiana. I think it will come back off now that I am back. I think it just "looks" a lot better and handles better this way.