I'm buying a 338ME this spring, but also want to have my 336 for a backup hunting rifle. The sights that are on it now (OE) are dificult to use at 100 yards. I hear good thing about using peep sights though. I had an issue trying to sight it in @ 100 yards, becasue the rear sight was bottomed out and I still wanting to bring it down. I don't want to take any shots further than 100, so if I was more accurate at that distance, I'd be a happy man, with a great backup if something were to happen to the 338

Do they make 100 yard shots a bit easier to make? What ones do you recommend? Should I replace the front sight too, if I'm doing the rear peep?

I would recommend an aperture sight for most any leveraction as it improves accuracy while preserving the handiness of the firearm.

What company would you recommend?

Used a Williams peep on a Model 94 Trapper for over 20 years to excellent effect. A friend with a 336 mounted a Millet SP-1 on the roof and it shoots...great.

I recommend that you equip your back-up rifle with the same type of sights that you're going to install on you primary rifle.

Receiver sights are a good choice if you practice with them, but most people don't practice enough to become proficient with them. I have an old Weaver V4.5 on a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and a Nikon ProStaff 2-7x32 on Marlin 336 that has been rechambered to 307.

If you haven't read them, you might be interested in Marshall Stanton's Marlin articles over on www.beartoothbullets.com.

Jeff

I've been using the old tried-'n-true Williams 5-D receiver sight on my 336 .30-30 for many years. Works very well for me. Lyman also has a good receiver sight.

Go to www.marlinowners.com and check out the Skinner sights. I've heard they are really good, too.

L.W.

So if I already have issues zeroing in at 100 yards with the OE sights, will this aperture sight remedy this. The Skinner sight looks like it sits much higher than the OE rear sight

XS

Another vote for XS...white stripe front...
Redfield or Williams FP or even 5-D receiver sight...good combo...Even my old eyes could work a bit with the XS..



Ingwe

Their front blade is the shizzle. I have XS on a 30/30, 35 Rem and 357 Marlin. I'm running their front blade on the MS 6.5x54 and a Husqvarna Mannlicher stocked 30/06

Yep...never tried their rear sights, ghost rings etc...they look good though..
I'm old school, the Redfields/Williams have always worked, and whenever I wanted a "ghost ring" or needed another 15 minutes of light, I'd just unscrew the aperature out and go...

Ingwe

They are about as simple as it gets and I like simple.

P.S. Make sure you spell my name correctly in your will for that rifle.

Two "Ts" on Scott, right....

Ingwe

Perfect! But you probably should leave it to someone a bit younger. I'll be too damn old to do much else but fill a colostomy bag by the time you take the cart south....

XS??? Have a link for me fellas?

Williams makes a guide peep that screws into the back scope mount holes on a Marlin. I've got one on my 1895 and like it really well.

You'll need a taller front sight. I installed a fiber optic and it really shows up great for my 57 year old eyes!

Virgil B.

http://www.xssights.com/store/rifle.html

Thanks! I like the Williams that Virgil has. The fiber front sight will be great in the low light hunting hours, and the aperture looks small enough for good shot placement on the Whitetails.

The Ghost ring from XS doesn't look like it would be good for that????

They have a new Marlin "One Hole" sight I find interesting especially for the shooter with QD rings.



Jayco

Fiber optic front sight ain't near as good after you bust one off.

Thinking the XS is plenty for putting one in the boiler. Never had a problem busting rocks at 100 yards offhand with one. You only need be able to hit a saucer.

Geeez...those are big collard greens!!!

That rifle looks like its got one of the new Williams WGRS-7 receiver sights ( I think that model is right....) Anyway...its an excellent choice for the Marlin, and an easy and long overdue innovation...now that they quit drilling and tapping the sides of the receivers...

Ingwe

I have experience with and recommend both the XS front with their ghost ring rear and the Williams Firesight set for the Marlins. The Williams sights are more fragile, but I haven't broken one yet. The XS sights are so rugged you could probably saw through a log with the front and the rear, even though they don't have "ears" front or rear, which I don't like. The ghost ring rears are great for deer hunting and very fast. Just "trust" the front sight and they are surprisingly accurate. With regular rear peeps the wise old-timers would unscrew the aperature and leave it at home when they went out after deer, just using the larger, tapped hole as a ghost ring.
The white stripe on the black front post of the XS set shows up well against all backgrounds.
I like the Firesight front sight on my M-39 .22 for shooting at small targets like squirrels. It is small, but bright, and really shows up, especially in shadows or low light.
The Marlins and peep sights just go together well, like ham and eggs, or beer and pizza, or...never mind.
Nifty

I have many Marlin lever-actions. Most have peep sights. I won't claim to be an expert, but my experience is:

Are peep sights accurate?
YES. Sometimes I have mounted a scope to test loads. I can usually find a load that avg's about 1 1/2 to 2" @ 100yds. I take off the scope and shoot through the peep and what do I get? Usually about the same if the target is compatible with the front sight. The scope does better at longer ranges because the front sight covers up too much of the target. If you get into a hold-over situation it gets worse. But at about 100 yards and less, with these rifles, I find the peep faster on the target and just as accurate for use on anything larger than squirrels.

What about sticking with the factory oprn sights?
A poor last resort, in my thinking. The same rifles above shoot about 4 inch groups with the open sights (and my 58-yr-old eyes), from a sandbag rest, taking lots of time. They are slow, and block most of the view. When used in a hurry, like at game, the tendancy is to not get the bead down in the rear sight near far enough, prompting old-timers to say "Always aim low with open sights on a running deer".

Is it hard to learn to use peep sights? Do you have to practice alot?

Not at all. It is almost all mental. The trick, and it really is this easy, is to completely ignore the rear sight and put ALL of your concentration on the front sight. Then just use the entire skill-set that you already use when you shoot with a scope: the consistent hold, the breathing discipline, the trigger squeeze, and the follow through. Just as easily as you can get off a fast well-aimed shot with a scope, you can with the peep sight, too.

I have seen people condemn peep sights because they tried them and used the same technique they were taught with open sights: moving their focus back and forth from rear to front to target and so on trying to focus on three things at once. The closer the rear peep is to your eye, the better it works. You aren't supposed to focus on it, yet people think they have to try, so they can assure themselves that they are centering the front sight in the rear "circle". They drive themselves nuts and give up. Folks, it isn't supposed to work that way. The more you concentrate on the front sight (and ignore the peep) the more centered your eye will be, and the more accurate the shot.
Even with lots of experience, I still have to repeat the mantra,"Just trust the front sight...just trust the front sight", because the front sight covers several inches at 100 yards, and it doesn't feel like it can be that accurate. And it works out surprisingly well.

I have taught several novice shooters and children to use peep sights with no problem because they will trust the front sight. Don't make it harder than it is. Once you realize that you are competent and comfortable with peep sights, and see how accurate they can be (just having the front sight to look at makes aiming easier, plus with peep sights you are increasing your sight radius a good ten or eleven inches, a big inprovement), you can now enjoy a whole new range of firearms, from .22's to guide guns, to M-1 Carbines, to AR-15's, to riot shotguns.

Someday you may get the satisfaction of shooting smaller groups at the range with your peep-sighted 30-30 than the guy next to you using his Deerblaster with the 4-12x50mm scope and his $50 box of ammo. Enjoy...

Nifty

I use Williams 5D or "one ragged hole" peeps on my levers. I like the ORH, but lots of folks don't. It's a personal thing. The old famous buckhorn is the pits for my old eyes. Good luck.

XS rear on that little rig.

If you replace the rear sight with an aperature, you'll almost certainly have to replace the front with something higher. My bud got a ghost ring sight for his Marlin, replaced the front. You can look up the formula for sight height and get an idea.

The Williams and XS Marlin sets usually come with the right height front sight, but if you need to I believe they both will do a no-cost exchange to get you the right height. One of the advantages of going to the peep is that you usually have to go to a different (better) front sight. The Marlin "sets" are very popular. If you go it solo, the Williams and Lyman catalogs and the Brownell's catalog, IIRC, have the charts and formulas to help you order the right front sight. Or call them. The info is probably available on some of the company websites, also.

Nifty

Sight Radius X Error / Distance to target, all measurements in inches. If replacing the front sight, a shorter blade to raise POI, taller to lower.

I just upgraded the iron sights on a 336 I bought here on the Campfire. I used a Williams rear peep and a firefly front sight. Sure is easy to use, and the rifle is as accurate as I need it to be.