optics for lever's

Mr. Friendly

Mr. Friendly

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buying a Rossi 44RM 16" lever Friday and I'm thinking of something small/light like the Redfield 2-7x33, something that won't let me think I can shoot further then I can realistically reach out to. any agreement I'm making a good choice? if not, what would you recommend?
 
the Redfield will work. I would also suggest a 2.5x or 4x Leupold or Weaver, or you could look at a VXI or VX2 in 1-4 or a VX3 in 1.5-5. I'd probably stick with a fixed power on that one though...
 
i had a 2.5x20 that was a perfect match for the 44 trapper- nice and small- i like big scopes on long barrels- it "balances" them- lots of folks say you shouldn't scope a lever, but 1) it gives you a controlled shot- no iron sight to cover the target 2) it also gives you more latitude when your eyes get old - you can always spin that scope off if necessary- i've got a couple, a savage 99, and a win 94 trapper and they're both scoped
 
This is a nice clean Peep setup if you want to go that way..... XS
Rossi92XS.jpg


I've got a lyman sight on a puma that I had drilled and tapped but it's on the side of the receiver and I think the XS sight on top is nicer looking and more streamlined but not as quick adjustable...
 
If you've never carried and shot a levergun with a receiver/peep sight, I'd recommend giving it a try unless your eyes are weak or you hunt a lot in low light. The aesthetic and handling qualities of a levergun with good iron sights is worth experiencing.

As far as scopes, a 2-7x33 is the largest that I'd go, but that's probably quite a bit more power than you need for a 44. If you can swing the budget for a Leupold 2.5x Ultralight, that would be a good fit. A cheaper alternative is to search for a used Weaver K2.5 or V3 (1-3x20).

Can-Down brought up a good point about the difficulty in mounting a scope on a Win92.
 
talking with the guys I'm buying the Rossi's from, they pointed out that there's no where to mount the scope due to the top eject (doh) and the receiver is not drilled/tapped. which then made me think of the Ruger Frontier rifles...scopes that give you a lot of eye relief, but I'm not sure how well that would work in this case. I have weak eyes and can't see anything at 100 yards even with my glasses, so a scope will be necessary. this changes the game...any recommendations now?
 
Get a Winchester trapper with angled ejection and mount a scope or if you can live with a 20" barrel get a Marlin 1894.

If you plan on mounting a scope and adding extra weight why bother with the trapper?

Marlin 1894 Stainless would be good.

You could get a rail put on your puma trapper and use a scout or handgun scope but I think for the extra gunsmith money you would be better off with the Marlin.
 
As lever guns go, just can't beat a Marlin 336! Very strong action, and excellent accuracy. And you can properly mount a scope on 'em, too.

This is my 30.30, with scope. Leupold single piece base and Burris Signature medium rings. Bushnell Elite 3200 Compact 3x10x40, which clears the rear ramp sight, and I don't need one of those junky extensions on the hammer. Using LeverEvolution ammo will group close to 1" all day long, and sighted in 3" high at 100 yds it's dead on at 200.

I wouldn't hesitate on an elk out to 200 - 250 yds with this combo.

Marlinscope.jpg
 
1892 Winchesters and copies, such as the Rossi, eject brass straight up, which does not allow for mounting a scope conventionally. A good aperture sight would be the best setup in this case.
 
Mr. Friendly said:
talking with the guys I'm buying the Rossi's from, they pointed out that there's no where to mount the scope due to the top eject (doh) and the receiver is not drilled/tapped. which then made me think of the Ruger Frontier rifles...scopes that give you a lot of eye relief, but I'm not sure how well that would work in this case. I have weak eyes and can't see anything at 100 yards even with my glasses, so a scope will be necessary. this changes the game...any recommendations now?
Click to expand...

First off, my main hunting rifle based upon where I hunt and the ranges I shoot at is a Savage 99F with a Bushnell 1.5-4X scope. Mostly dialed down to 1.5X as most shots are relatively close but has the ability to reach out and touch that deer thats a little further away.

So by all means scope your lever especially if you need the magnification for weak eyes.

As to the Rossi being a top eject - I'm not familiar with this gun but suggest checking out a scout rifle configuration with a proper scout scope with long eye relief. If you wear your glasses when hunting then try them with your glasses on. You might want to contact Rossi or a gunsmith first to find out if a scout scope can be mounted on the receiver or upper handguard. You want to make sure it doesn't change zero everytime you fire.

Here's a link to mounting a scout scope on a Marlin Model 1895 GS: http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=501377
 
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OK... philisophical question. I have a Savage 1899 DOM 1902 in 30-30. It is NOT (presently?) a collector as the barrel was cut down years ago (good job mind you), and I did a full restoration on it a couple of years ago. It's a good shooter, but my eyes are getting old and I would love to scope it, but I can't bring myself to D&T it.

Does anyone know how to scope it without drilling any more holes, or should I just go and buy a scoped 99 in .308 and not worry about it?
 
shoshin said:
OK... philisophical question. I have a Savage 1899 DOM 1902 in 30-30. It is NOT (presently?) a collector as the barrel was cut down years ago (good job mind you), and I did a full restoration on it a couple of years ago. It's a good shooter, but my eyes are getting old and I would love to scope it, but I can't bring myself to D&T it.

Does anyone know how to scope it without drilling any more holes, or should I just go and buy a scoped 99 in .308 and not worry about it?
Click to expand...

as far as i know there's only 2 options- a scout mount which involves drifting the rear sight out and putting a long eye relief scope and mount up there, or drilling holes- or the third one you mentioned- possibly you could mount a ghost ring on the reciever but you're not going to get around drilling holes
 
I don't have a lever gun but read this forum with considerable interest in solutions to this problem of top eject. No one has mentioned red dot scopes mounted forward of the ejection port. What are the pros and cons of that idea?
 
I can't comment on scoping a Rossi, but I would like to add that a 2-7 power scope would be about as high as I'd want to go on a lever chambered in .44 mag. The Redfield is a nice little scope though. I have one on my CZ 452. Its nice looking, compact, and decent quality.
 
I took my puma to a gunsmith in Vancouver last year and wanted him to drill and tap the receiver for a peep and also mount a scope rail on the barrel.... I wanted it to mount using the dovetail for the rear sight and then forward of the dovetail with a screw threaded into the barrel.
Sort of like this mock up,
Pumarail.jpg

I had to wait a few months and at some point the gunsmith decided that it would be easier to mount it to the rear of the dovetail and drill and tap right above the chamber.
He also decided that instead of using a silver alluminum picatinny rail he would just use a piece of black weaver rail that he had on hand... I had wanted the rail further ahead so that I would still have a comfortable hand grip around the reciever when carrying the gun and I was more then a little chocked when I came to pick it up and found that he had done it his way without even the decency of calling me first to check if I still wanted to proceed with the altered project!
He never asked for any money ( which I would not have paid) and was not really appologetic about changing the job to suit his fancy without talking to me!
It does work well with a red dot but I don't like the way it feels in the hand carrying as there is not enough room between the receiver and the rail.
I don't have a picture of it and will probably take it to a different "smith" to have it set up the way I wanted and have to live with the extra hole drilled over the chamber.....
 
personally i find the dot sights too DARNED BIG at 200 yards- they cove the whole target
 
Mine is a 2moa dot so it will cover 4 inches at 200 yards.
I can hardly see a 4 inch target at 200 yards unless it is brightly colored or contrasting against the background....
 
so I'd like to look at some scout scope solutions. sorry this thread has fallen to the way side, went for a 2 week hunting trip (2 moose down, my brother and my cousin). anyhow...what are some scopes with 10" or higher eye relief, aside from pistol scopes? and that said, being pistol scopes have such niceh eye relief, would they be a suitable solutions via a scout scope mounting setup? I'm thinking a rail, like was previously mentioned as the best solution, even if it ruins the 'lines' of a lever... :rolleyes:
 
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