Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Lever gun hunters...I'd like your opinions

I just got back into the .30 WCF. I'll be running a Marlin and as soon as I got home with it, I set about mounting a Leupold Vari X-II, 1-4x. Mounted a sling off an M-1 Carbine that I have had in the safe for a few years.


I piddled with it, thougth about it, and decided to see how it would look with a Williams peep instead of the glass. Drifted the rear sight out, and ordered a Marbles Blank. The blank hasn't come in yet, but I thought I would post her pics with the alternate sighting arrangement, to get the opinion of experts on which way to run her.



Well, I leave it in your hands for now. I would for the most part be hunting with this rifle in a stand of woods where shots would all be less than 75 yards, I suppose.

Peep.

Thanks, T.

I did the same thing with a Win. 356. Started with a scope, but switched to a Williams peep. One thing though, I was glad to have the scope on when shooting in dark timber. Much easier to see the deer. The peep makes it handier, however.

Crimson the iron sighted lever gun is almost perfect for the close working still hunter as the lack of that tube on the top of the rifle makes it handle more like a fine shotgun. There are days when I enjoy getting out early to creep through the woods to see what jumps up in front of my pre-64 94. The sourdough front sight easily finds the shoulder and it is all over but the skinning.

On the other hand, you lose about a half hour of good legal hunting with iron sights in the evening. Its at that time the scope pays for itself.

That said, I would go with the peep myself.

I'd prefer the peep. but, unfortunately, with my old eyes, I need the scope.

It sure is handier with the peep, but I really wouldn't be giving up much to a bolt gun if I used the glass. I guess that is why I take off more than one day to hunt.

I have two 30-30's, one with glass, one with peep. I grab the one that suits the conditions of the day (terrain). Just get another rifle and you'll be good to go!

I'm with southtexas--i like my lever guns with receiver sights, but for the most part I need the scope(s) when actually hunting. If your eyes are young enough, I would stick with the receiver sight.

I use tang peep sights on all my Savage lever guns. I hunt elk, deer, antelope and coyotes with them. Most of the time, peep sights will work fine. Practice with them often, and you'll become proficient and gain confidence. You'd be surprised how accurate you can become with them at 30-30 ranges once you've learned to trust them. As stated earlier in this thread, low light conditions such as dawn, dusk or heavy dark timber can make seeing the ring, post and target difficult. There is no doubt that scopes have certain advantages over peeps in some hunting situations, so using a peep is more a choice for simplicity or aesthetics. I use them mostly for the satisfaction I get from hunting with my old Savages the way the original owner may have.

I wonder if, in the late 1800's and early 1900's, hunters used to compare peep sights and iron sights. Some guy may have said then that he preferred iron sights because of the simplicity. He may have also liked doing things the "old fashion way" instead of using those "new-fangled" peep sights.

Coming up on 37th birthday, and so far, my eyes are fine. My ears are another story, mostly gone. That doesn't affect the use of aperature sights though. LOL.

It really is your hands and eyes , and conditions you hunt in as well as how the rifle feels when you carry it and put it to your shoulder ,that should get the final say.
Get some woods walk around time , starting with the receiver sight. Then add the carry handle and try it again . If you are in a 100 yard typical range area , point and click on stuff like leaves , stumps ect . See what works for you.
Lots to be said for that front sight / target/ boom My eyes are getting to the point that lining up three ( the rear notch sight , front sight , and target ) gets fuzzy .

I like a peep myself.

Outfitters we used for a moose hunt in 2005 both carried Marlin Guide guns in 450 Marlin for bear protection. Both were equiped with red dot aim points. Very impressed with how fast they were.

I also prefer the receiver sights on a lever rifle. I have two, an M94 .30-30 and a .45-70 Guide gun, both have Williams FP sights.

Thanks for the replies, fellas.

Crimson..: My 45-70 Marlin shot well with the stock open sites, but I do savor the extended shooting time and sight picture that comes with a scope. I had full intentions of doing iron until I discovered the scout units. I'd suggest a 2.5 Leupold scout scope that leaves one with unobstructed access to the receiver and hammer.


With 2.5X magnification, one can still easily work with both eyes open. The scope also sits a bit lower than most systems. The rail mounts to the rear sight dovetail and front receiver holes.

There is a Burris scout scope in the classifieds, but the ashley mount is for an 1895 Marlin.

Peep, I like the XS and have them on all my Marlins. Love the front blade with white line (running them on a Husky and a 1903MS)

Course the tang works fine on my Savage 99, but I don't like tang sights much on 'standard' levers.

My rainy day rifles wear receiver or tang peeps, otherwise, my old eyes prefer optics.