Discussion: What scope is recommended for Lever Action Rifle?

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CBCP

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Folks,

A lot of opinions regarding recommended scopes for lever action rifles. Depending on what you do with it, caliber etc.

Just purchased a Marlin 1894 SBL in a 357mag for fun and thought I'd try stalking in the bush. Thick bush, short ranges under 100 yards. Whitetail.

Traditionally I've used 30-06, .308, .243 bolt actions to name a few. Iron sights on two of them.

What would you recommend for this set up only?

Thanks.
 
Open sights, I carry one in the bush here. Fantastic gun.
They are a light gun, when you add a scope not so lite.
Glad I didn't have a scope on when my dog got tangled with a wounded coyote at about 7 m.
 
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As long as you've got the eye for it then iron is the most reliable for a short range bush gun. Like others have said, something low powered if you need a clearer picture.
 
Skinner or some kind of ghost ring setup.

Skinner is nice, but I hate their front solid color metal posts. I prefer the fiber that you can see much easier. And skinner is way too expensive for what it is. Cheaper ghost ring options available out there.

My Marlin sbl 30-30 came with stunning sights. Much nicer than my skinner I put on my Henry 1000058969.jpg
 
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eco said:
Skinner or some kind of ghost ring setup.

Skinner is nice, but I hate their front solid color metal posts. I prefer the fiber that you can see much easier. And skinner is way too expensive for what it is. Cheaper ghost ring options available out there.

My Marlin sbl 30-30 came with stunning sights. Much nicer than my skinner I put on my Henry View attachment 892027
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Thanks, eco. Same sights came on the 357.
 
I do have a few levers that I keep just with irons...but as I age and my eyes are no longer what they once were, a scope or red dot sight gets to be more desirable for function.

If going to an optic, of any type, mounting in a Quick Release (QR) mounting system is very versatile, and provides redundancy for those "What if" circumstances.

I like and use Leupold's QR rings and bases. Rugged and reliable, and even more important, repeatable, if you do take off and remount the optic.
For years, I had a fixed 2.5 power Leupold with a heavy duplex for hunting thick, dark timber for black bear and moose. Worked great!
I also used Leupold's VX-III and 3 versions of the 1.5-5x20 scopes (the 3 had the finger click adjustments) and they also worked great!

With the aging eyes, I have replaced them with VX-R 2-7x33 scopes w/ the FireDot reticle that shows up great on black hair in the dark timber and under low light conditions. At low power, I have a good field of view for close up scenarios, yet can zoom in when need for longer shots, or even better target acquisition and aiming on those circumstances when needed in the brush and trying to find that shooting path through the woods, or longer shots in more open environments.

In the end, you and your eyes, and hunting style and environment, will be the determining factor for your rifle and set up.
 
It always seems wrong to put anything on top of a leaver. But old eyes need em. 1.5x4 was ok, a straight 6x42 was very nice for low light, toyed with a red dot scope but it was a 4 moa dot and didn't like it. Haven't got out to try it yet but I put a 2 moa reflex on a 44mag.
 
geologist said:
Another QD ring peoplekind here.

On my 1895GS I have a scout mounted Leupold 2.5X IER scope in low QD rings.

Irons are Wild West ghost ring with a William Firesite.

It lines up very fast with both eyes open.
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Hey Geo do you wear glasses? I find Father Time sucks and looking through my scout scope not as easy as it was before I needed spectacles. Cheers
 
As my mentor (20 years my senior) has often stated, "getting old isn't all that bad, but it sure is inconvenient!" ;)

My eye doctor has set me up with a set of prescription bifocals for reading and computer use. For reading, it is more for the fine, small print, under low light conditions. Otherwise, my eyes are still fine for glassing, shooting, driving, etc. and do not require glasses.
Decent open sights and peeps are still easier to resolve, but the buckhorn type open sight on my 94 SRC in 25-35 is giving me issues. The lower light conditions of a cloudy late afternoon also did not help on that particular range session with that rifle.
I think it is the extra metal beside and above the rear sight that is obstructing my field of view of the front sight and target, as compared to the shorter, flatter rear sign design.

A good optic is definite plus now, and will continue to prove more useful as time passes and eyesight continues to deteriorate with age. Illuminated dots will also help. Key here will be size of dot and level of brightness, to keep it from obliterating the target.
 
For a .357 lever action I would recommend a red dot (I put a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 on my .44 Mag lever action). A LPVO if you want magnification, or you can opt for a magnifier with the red dot.

I knew the second I read the thread title I would see the words 'buckhorn' and 'skinner.' I've been on CGN to long, lol!
 
I’ve got a 2.5x fixed leupold scout on my .444, quick detachable rings if you’re in a situation where you really just want the irons but it points quite well with the optic. On a pistol caliber where range is a little more limited I’d be tempted to go to an Aimpoint or similar red dot in the same mounting point.
IMG_5387.jpeg
 
If quick and clear target acquisition is the main objective, whilst visual acuity without magnification isn't a major consideration, I'm partial to pistol size red dots for simplicity and convenient package. Other 'full-size' red dot optics can of course be used as well.
 
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