[StretchNM]

I have a Marlin 336C in .35 Remington. I'm thinking, what with the relative short-range capability of this round, that a Williams peep sight would be good. If I got a scope, I would think a nice little Bushnell or something, single power (maybe 4x or 6x) by 32mm. I'd like to hear your thoughts on these two options.

If I put a scope on it, I'm confident I do NOT want see-though rings. I have a set on my Marlin 1894 .44mag, under a nice, little Weaver K4 scope. The scope sits so high that the rifle doesn;t fit me. It's a contortionist's nightmare for me to shoot that rifle with those rings on it. So.....if I mount a scope the iron sights are out.

How about the Miller peep sight, the one that sits atop the receiver, using the Marlin scope mounting holes? Any experience with those?

Thanks....

 

[Rangr44]

[How about the Miller peep sight, the one that sits atop the receiver, using the Marlin scope mounting holes? Any experience with those?]

That would be the Skinner peep sight. www.skinnersights.com

Excellent quality, excellent cust service, available in either blued steel or brass @ the same $$$ - Dr.Tim will also make you the taller front sight blade, you're gonna need to zero the rifle.

.

 

[StretchNM]

Thanks for that, Rangr44, but I believe Miller sells one too (according to the Midway catalog, anyway). It costs about $36. It is NOT the one that mounts from the side (or onto a bracket mounting on top) with the vertical adjustment. This one is a ramp adjustment and sits right atop the receiver. Does that sound right?

What is this about a taller front sight? Is it necessary to zero the rifle?

 

[Wrench Man]

I've got a Weaver K-4 on my .336A .35 Remington, on the Weaver 63 base and Weaver low rings, I like it!
4 power is good, I probably wouldn't exceed 6 power, depends on how long your shots may be?

 

[MikeG]

Dig through Marshall's articles on the .444. A Williams peep can sit behind a Weaver 63B base if you cut about a half in inch off the back of the base. The XO sight system (formerly Ashley Outdoors) front sights are my preference. Medium rings and the scope eyepiece will clear the peep, usually. I've had several scopes on my Marlins, a 6x42 Leupold, a 2x7 Leupold Compact, and a 2.5x8 Vari-X III (need I say what brand??? )

At one time I had a couple of fixed power 2.5x scopes and those work well also. A big scope is not a handicap for hunting with a lever gun, my opinion, but it does make them harder to shoot at the bench. I don't do much benchrest shooting anymore, as the last round that went through my .35 Rem also went through a crow Figured that counted as verified to be sighted in......

 

[StretchNM]

Ranger44 I went to the Skinner site. THAT is a very nice looking sight system! I will definitely consider the SKinner sight if I go without a scope.

 

[StretchNM]

Well, what do you guys think about scope versus sights overall for the .35 Remington? What I mean to ask is, would sights limit me using this caliber of rifle? I'm familiar with Marlin's open sights, that's why I thought I would go with a peep sight, IF I go with sights. But would a nice, low-power scope be that much of an improvement over peep sights, in your opinion?

 

[MikeG]

Peep sights are definitely an improvement over the standard Marlin, my opinion. Good enough for deer hunting? If your eyes are up to it, you bet (thinking of the first and last few minutes of legal shooting light). The silhouette guys like a fiber optic front and those are great - the Ashley-style is good enough for me as they are just a backup. However, we shoot pigs anytime we can, and that includes a lot of shooting at black pigs, in shadows, in the dark! Scopes are a huge advantage for pig hunting as there are no restrictions on shooting them in Texas.

 

[kdub]

Had a 1.5x5x20 Redfield Widefield Lo-Profile scope with a fine crosshair and Lee Dot on my Marlin and found it to be a great combination for the levergun.

Only thing about scoping a levergun - it destroys the natural hand carrying balance a bit.

 

[StretchNM]

I guess I'll just have to decide on one and then, later on, switch to the other and see how I like them. I really would like a scope and sights together, but I tell you, what I had on my Marlin 1894 I wouldn;t wish on anyone.

Shouldering and cheeking a rifle is just like a well-fitting shotgun when bird hunting. It has to go up and be natural where, when cheeked, you are on target or very close. See through scope rings, unless there's something I'm missing out there, mess that whole system up, and leave the scope unnaturally high.

I'm also going to consider variable power scopes, like that 1.5x5. There are a few I kindly like, probably stopping right at 6x.

 

[Tnhunter]

One of the best set-ups I've seen for a 336 type lever rifle is Weaver bases with LOW rings holding a low powered variable. The V3 Weaver is a very good scope, as is the Leupold 1-4x20 VXI SG with Heavy Duplex reticle. The Weaver is as good a piece of glass to my eye, but I prefer the HD reticle of the Leupold ($50+/- more). Either one is far better in low light conditions than irons. If you take the time to learn how to mount and shoot it keeping both eyes open (using 1-2X), it's actually faster than any other sight.

 

[StretchNM]

I've been working on that - keeping both eyes open when shooting through a scope. The reason, however, is to prevent eye fatigue in the "good' eye. When we squint with one eye, we are causing muscles that work with both eyes to do something unnatural, causing fatigue in the eye left open. Generally, this doesn;t affect us much unless we're shooting in a high-volume match or something.

I never considered the premise of keeping both eyes open for the purpose of low-light (or any light) target acquisition. Thanks. Your post made me re-think some things. Also, I haven;t considered the Leupold 1-4x20. I'll look into that one. So far, I have pretty much settled on another Weaver K4.

 

[Tnhunter]

I also own a couple of the new K4s and they are great scopes as well. One other scope you might look at is the 4X Weaver shotgun scope. I bought one at a close-out price from Natchez SS a while ago and still do not have it mounted. It was about to be mounted on a Marlin 1894/.44, but that rifle lives somewhere else now...lol. The smaller size of this nice "other" Weaver 4X would be a good addition on a compact lever gun, I think. Just a thought.....

 

[Rangr44]

[but I believe Miller sells one too (according to the Midway catalog, anyway). ]

Could you please post the link ?

Apparently, neither Midway (using their search engine), nor I, have ever heard of a "Miller" peep sight, and AFAIK Millett doesn't make one.

.

 

[StretchNM]

Ok fellows, sorry about that. I was going off of memory, and mine is lacking. It's not Miller, but rather Williams.

In Midway's Master Catalog #32 ( I think it's a 2009 catalog), on page 663, there is the Williams receiver peep sight for Marlin Levers (#681-364). That's what I was thinking of, and miller just came to mind anytime I typed in this thread.

Sorry about that.