Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Scope mounting options for a marlin 1894

I just came into a older M1894 in 44mag and have a sightron 4x sitting on top of my gun safe.

I would like some advice on mounts as I have been been running ruger rings on my rugers and talley LW on my M700's for so long I am out of touch with whats out there for weaver compatible rings/ bases.

I would like to to mount the Sightron in QD mounts and have a QD peep as well. It doesn't have to be a QD as long as I could mount it with a repeatable zero with just a screwdriver.

I was thinking a Weaver style base.. any preference for brands?

How about for rings. I would like something not to bulky and light weight if possible, but solid. What are the the preferences?

For the Peep sights I know NECG and XS make one, anyone else I should look at?

The last setup I used was Warne maxima 2 piece weaver style mounts and Burris zee rings. I messed around with other stuff but that's what worked best for me.

I wasn't that thrilled with the scoped 1894. The stock has too much drop. I was setting it up as a fast handling, low recoiling jackrabbit zapper. The gun never came up to my shoulder and eye right so it was not nearly as fast as I'd hoped for.

I think iron sights are a better way to go on that rifle, yet they aren't right for what I was trying to do, so ... no win situation.

After not too long, I sold it. If Ruger made a .357 version of the 77/44, I might get excited again about a .357 rifle.

Tom

I started with the open sights and liked them. Then, I scoped my Marlin 1894 in .44. I'm pretty sure it was a one-piece Weaver base, maybe Weaver rings as well. Anyway, it wasn't the gun I wanted with a scope, so off came the scope. It shoots really well with the open sights so I'm leaving it that way, at least for now.

For me, the 1894 is a quick to the shoulder and squeeze one off kind of gun and it was really counter-productive with a scope. Maybe a smaller, low-powered one would work, or a red-dot or something, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, I think I used Weaver stuff and it was all solid and functioned as it was supposed to function. Good luck.

Kind of late here, but I used a one piece Weaver base and medium height Burris Z rings on my most recent Marlin (an M1895). I have a Leupold 1-4 VXII on my rifle, could have used the low height Burris Z rings. This combination makes for a light and trim mounting job.

Peep

I used a XS rail on my 1895. I've not researched whether they are suitable for a 94.
With that rail and Weaver type ring is sits quite low. With the Scout type scope well forward on the receiver there is nothing to interfer with hammer access.


Conventional scopes will have to sit over the hammer though because they do not have adequate eye relief.

I bought a weaver one piece base for the 1894, and I have some older weaver low rings that I will start with and see how it goes. I spent a little time looking at rings for the weaver bases and I think if I decide to leave the rifle scoped I will either go with the Burris Z rings or Warne QD's if I decide to go QD.

I couldn't find any talleys to look at locally, but everybody says talley QD's are great, but this is supposed to be an economical project so I will pass on the Talleys for now.

I have two other levers set up with peep sights, an older BLR in 358 and a 1950's win 94..but to be honest my eyes don't allow me to make as good a use of a Peep as I once did.

noKnees: One will not do the Scout scope on the cheap. The unit I have is a 2.5X Leupold, and while there is some magnification, it works well with both eyes open. Not much different than it was with the original sights. I do feel the scope offers some advantages for target and aiming clarity as one reaches out past 100 yards. Hoping to nail a dark timber elk with mine someday. If I had intended it to be strictly bear defense unit, I would have done the ghost ring thing

I held off on even owning a lever unit for years due to the hassles of working with a hammer beneath the bell of scope. They are nice light units to pack around and handle well in tight quarters. Merry Christmas, 1Minute