Optics on a 336

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YourWifesBoyFriend

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I have recently gotten a Marlin 336rc (1963) and i am looking to put some glass on her. I'm not the biggest fan of the iron sights on it, its only elevation adjustable and the graduation are not on there so i've just been going off feel. I just picked up a Weaver rail, I've been looking at some glass and wondering what you guys used.

I was looking at a reddot or a Vortex Crossfire II 2x7. If anyone has any recommendations from experience and what to stay away from and such, I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
Leupold 1.5-5x20 gets the nod from me...

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I own a 336Y. The factory sights can't even be described as adequate in my books.

One very good option is to put a Skinner rear aperture sight on it. This is a "night and day" difference from even a very good open sight, and the Marlin sights fall well short of that mark.

Another very good option is a fixed power Leupold or Burris scout scope sitting over the barrel - XS sights makes a good little mount. I've tried putting a conventional scope on my Marlin and honestly didn't much care for it. It ruins a lot of the great handling that a lever carbine offers, whereas a scout scope will retain that. The lower magnification of the scout scope will not cause you any issues at the sort of ranges where the .30-30 (or other common lever cartridges) excel at. The other advantage is that the fixed power scout scopes are inexpensive, light, and tough when compared with variable power scopes.

I am a fan of the Vortex brand in terms of a value for money proposition, but based on the experiences I have had I would not put a Crossfire scope on any centerfire rifle.
 
I like the 1.5-5 or something similar. I like how compact they are like the Leupold that is, the vortex are bulkier and heavier!!
 
I like the Leupold compact units along with the older Bushnell 1.5-4.5x Scope Chief scopes that my 336's wore years back. Sure wish Leupold made a post/crosshair
version of their compacts like on the old Weaver K series as they suit me aged peepers well.

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Folks wanting a dot sight should test their eyes in comparison to a pic from a camera through the sight. If yer eyes see a star type center And the pic shows
a nice round dot, then yer eyes ain't suited to the dot sights. If the pic looks like what ye see through the sight, then the sight be a crap unit.

My Leepers unit passed the test, but not me eyes. f:P:
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YourWifesBoyFriend said:
I have recently gotten a Marlin 336rc (1963) and i am looking to put some glass on her. I'm not the biggest fan of the iron sights on it, its only elevation adjustable and the graduation are not on there so i've just been going off feel. I just picked up a Weaver rail, I've been looking at some glass and wondering what you guys used.

I was looking at a reddot or a Vortex Crossfire II 2x7. If anyone has any recommendations from experience and what to stay away from and such, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Click to expand...

1.5-5x20 or a nice micro red dot depending in the style of hunting. If you are looking for something to get in target fast a red dot works very well. We run deer with dogs and quite a few guys in the camp use red dots (myself included) and they are great but it all comes down to personal preference. You can't go wrong with either.
 
Come on, you want something a bit more classic on top of that all steel gun.
Leupold M8, or low power vari-x-whatever would be my pick.
There is plenty of vintage Bushnell or Weaver 3 or 4x around that would fit nicely on your rifle.
On top of my 30-30 is a 2.5x M8.
 
Consider where and what you'll be hunting. Given it's velocity, a .30-30 is generally sighted in at 150 yards. The advantage of the scope is not its magnification, but the fact that the aiming point and the target are on the same focal plane so are in simultaneous focus. The advantage of magnification is that it allows us to see the target and see details of the target. The greater the magnification, the smaller the field of view, to the extent that when hunting with excessive power, you might see a patch of hair, but not be able to identify the part of the animal you are aiming at. Conversely, with a low power scope, used on a bright sunny day, an animal standing in the shadow of a tree or a bolder might not be visible when looking at it through the sight.

For a 150-200 yard rifle, I would choose a 1.5-5X or a fixed low power scope of 4X or less. One problem you might encounter with a low cost variable is that they sometimes shoot to different points of impact when adjusting between low and high power. Fixed power scopes are usually less expensive, but good glass, fixed or variable is expensive, but given the unlimited lifetime warranty of Leupold scopes, new or used, sometimes you'll find a used one that is attractively priced. Send it to Korth Agencies before you mount it to ensure its good to go, or they will fix or replace it. You'll get your scope back in a short period of time, with an explanation of the work they did, and your cost is only shipping .
 
Jay is right on the mark.
I think I've got a 2-7x28 Leupold on mine.
Haven't seen that Marlin fur a bit.
This one will arf tuh do.

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Redfield Revolution 2x7x33mm. I appreciate the Rapid Target Acquisition eye piece, very quick to get behind and it comes up fast.
 
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