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

Only if it interfers with ones access to the hammer and it requires installation of one of those offset thingys. The eye piece on my Leupold 2.5X Scout unit atop my Marlin 1895 sits about 4 to 5 inches in front of the hammer. I'll try to snap a photo tonight.

Here's the promised photo. Not too artistic as the light was low when I arrived home. I had never contemplated owning a lever unit until I saw the Scout scope setup. The front of the base anchors in the rear sight dovetail and rear of the base anchors to the front scope mount holes on the receiver. In my mind the ideal brush gun as access to the hammer area is not impeded at all.


1Minute

Of course it is heresy. Just like mixing Martells with ginger ale or putting catsup on a New York steak.

I've got dozens of scoped rifles and I like them for what they were developed to do. But to put a scope on a 94, a 303 Savage in the 99 or anything like a 66 or a 73 is just like putting flaming decals on a Bently. Can be done, but should it be?

Wayne

I picked up a 1964 336 RC straight stock in 35 Rem recently, and took the old Weaver 2 1/2X (post reticle) scope off my 336 Texan to put on it. Worked out great. But I had the 30-30 Texan at the range last week and I was amazed at how well I shot it offhand at 100 yards. I was dinging the 100-yard steel plate on almost every shot with the iron sights. I think I'll leave it alone or Scout it up with an XS rail and ghost ring rear. I can always add a scope in QR rings later if I feel the need.

...The straight answer is "NO". I've got a Weaver K-1 on my Winchester WranglerII 94AE in 38/55. It beats any peep sight I've ever used for quick target acquision, with no magnification it's lightning fast, super wide field of view , and in close cover it's deadly, even on running game! With 65 year old eyes it's just what the doctor ordered..

....Savage 99F in 284 Winchester carries a vintage Redfield scope, and although a bit heavy for my taste, the old Savage is a great old gun that delivers the best of nostalga with modern performance. A couple years back it dropped a fat doe for the table at 357 yards, my longest shot ever in Georgia.

My Savage 99s are scoped and they are my saddle guns when I get serious...

My 25-35 Win. SRC has iron sights and I hunt deer with it almost every year out behind my house if I draw a permit..I enjoy that. I also have a family 30-30 Win. SRC that I hunt with also..

I have a marlin 30-30 with a 1x4 Leupold scope that is a nice very accurate gun..

I also have a bunch of bolt actions...

Do what you want to do, why ask? You'll just end up more confused than ever if you read all the pros and cons you get on the internet about any subject!

I don't like 'em; but who cares what I like? If all I owned was a lever action I may be singin a different song. I love my peep sight over a '94.

Sacrilidge on an a pre-'64 Winchester but post '64's that are DT and newer Marlins all get 4x scopes on my end.

I would never drill and tap a collectible lever gun. Generally, scopes would look awful on 19th century lever guns. But, Marlin 336s, Savage 99s, BLR's all look just fine with scopes provided it isn't the Hubble telescope. In fact, I think a 336 or a Savage 99 looks naked without a low-end variable.

As Ray said, it's up to you. Personally, I don't scope any levers. I have a M70 .270 Win. for such duties. My main lever sports a Wiiliams FP and works just fine.

Looking at jbmi's picture above, the Marlin second-from-the-bottom is what I see when I have nightmares about scoped levers. The see-through mounts, not to mention the ultimate Marlin sin: A sling stud erroneously screwed into the decorative Marlin Bullseye. Egad!!!

Scott

I agree, I can't stand see through mounts. Still don't see the problem with scopes in general on levers though. Worked for me on Monday.

I have two Marlin levers both scoped. One with a vintage Redfield 2.5 widefield the other with a of all things a shotgun 1.5X5 scope I picked up pretty cheaply. Both scopes look good and can pick out deer in the brush I can no longer see with iron and naked eyes. The family has taken three deer with these rifles. I know what you mean about the clean lines of iron sighted levers (especially on a Winchester). But I don't feel the Scoped marlins lose any dignity at all!

I Minute, is that an AO Scout Mount?

I have one on my 336 in .35 Rem with the Leupold and I'm wondering which set of the mounts slots your scope sits in. My front mount can either go in the 4th back from the front of the 6th. The 4th gives a little better sight picture but seems muzzle heavy. The 6th balances better. Ideal would be the 5th but the mounting screws are in that one.

FWIW my barrel was cut back to 18.5".

I agree with Ray, do what YOU want. When some one else starts buying my gun for me then they can tell me how to use them. I have eight Marlins, six wear scopes. I like the old "El Paso" Weaver K3 or K4s on the older Marlins, they fit the guns and me better.

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Well I might add that a scope add little to a 30-30 as its a 250 yard rifle at best. I don't really need a scope for a 200 or 250 yard shot, but I learned to shoot iron sights from childhood and in the high desert country where some shots were long..Many of todays baby boomers learned to shoot with scopes and they would be best advised to stay with them, or take a lot of time learning to shoot irons off hand.

My personal opinion, and its mine ONLY, is NEVER!!!!!! If I need a scoped rifle I have some of those too but they are not lever actions. Hard to ruin the looks of a bolt action---they are cluncky to look at in the very least, so throw a scope on it. But I wouldnt ruin the beautiful lines of a classic hammerless rifle like the 99.

Maybe the Williams peep fire sight is an option for the traditionalist. They make them for different models and most require no drilling fitting in the factory holes.
http://www.williamsgunsight.com

Tim Skinner makes wonderful sights as well!

http://www.skinnersights.com

I approach this topic pragmatic.

On the pig drive and dog work gun its Ghost/Post for field of view and quickness. 1895 G .45-70 above. A similar rifle rests in AK for work.
On the roe deer rifle, 336 .30-30 below, a have a 2,5 Weaver. This even so I am quite young (still) and have exellent vision. For roe deer (~ 35 pounds) I find the scope most helpful.

I put a 3-9x40 on my Winchester 94 this year, and shot the largest deer I've ever seen on the property I hunt (a large 8-pointer), and a bobcat about 5 seconds later. One of the best hunting days in my life. The deer was 179 paces and the bobcat 109. No way I could have done that with my open sights, which are HiViz fiber optic sights I installed about 4 years ago.

It is heresy to mount a scope on a 94, if you have to drill and tap the receiver. I used an S&K side-mount though, which they just started producing. It mounted easily into an existing action screw slot and the 2 receiver sight slots. Check it out... http://www.scopemounts.com