Optics on a 336

I've got an old Leupold 3X on a '50s 336A in .32 Special. I enjoy shooting lever guns with receiver, peep sights best but for hunting its hard to argue with the benefits an optic. I suggest you watch the equipment exchange for a used Leupold that fits your budget. A fix 2.5 or 3X, or a 1-4 or 1.5-5 would be awesome. A compact 2-7 would likely do if its short length will fir your ring spacing but I prefer the smaller front bell of the other scopes listed. An old steel tube Weaver can sometimes be found too and while it is classic, the optics don't compare to a Leupold to my eyes.
 
I put an econo Bushnell 1.5-4.5x32mm with duplex reticle on my 336. It's compact enough & gives me enough power for what I need to do with it.

And didn't cost me anywhere near a G note...lol... :p

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NAA.
 
Yep, or try and old Bushnell Banner or Weaver K scope in 1.5-4.5X20 and be pleasantly surprised. :)

My Weaver has the very easy to distinguish post and crosshair reticle. About as good as it gets in the dark timber.

Ted
 
Funny, I bought one of the 336W Big Loop with gray laminate furniture on Friday morning. Took it to my range this morning and put about 30 rounds of the herter 150 grain through it using factory sights. Dead centre and about and inch low at 27 yards, raised the buck horn to zero dead centre then moved over and rang the 8 inch gong 7 out of 10 times at 112 yards. I’m impressed. So impressed I won’t be putting an optic on it. My last 3030, an early 80’s Glenfield had a 3x9 vortex on it. I tended to chase the zero every time I went out, I couldn’t get consistency.
 
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My favourite, the Weaver 2.5 with post&crosshair.
You can't go wrong with the 1-4 Leupold either, or as Ted suggested, the old Bushnell 1.5-5, one of which I have NIB, in case of emergency.

The rifle is a '58 336A in .30-30 Ackley.
 

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I’m in the same boat. My grandfather gave a a waffle top 336RC when I was 10, he bought it new when he was a teenager. He told
Me to never install a scope.
I missed a great 10 point deer with it that first year, the next year I got a 7mm for my birthday so I hung up the 30-30 336 for a while.
Took that same 336 out this year and spotted a nice 4x4 deer about 150 yards away. Couldn’t get a shot because of the crappy sights.
Needless to say after losing opportunities at two great deer, I’m going to install an optic on mine aswell.
 
Kilo Charlie said:
View attachment 434060

My favourite, the Weaver 2.5 with post&crosshair.
You can't go wrong with the 1-4 Leupold either, or as Ted suggested, the old Bushnell 1.5-5, one of which I have NIB, in case of emergency.

The rifle is a '58 336A in .30-30 Ackley.
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Old Bushnell are good. Have a old ( late1970s I think)1.5x4 sitting a 22rf right now. Its been on everything from 243 to 300wm. Used it at a 1000yd shoot once in the factory ammo class, on a Parker Hail 308 and Remington ammo,18" I remember the guy beside me with a 3x9x50 scope and a classy looking rifle was not happy, his group ruffly twice as big.
 
jharriet said:
Needless to say after losing opportunities at two great deer, I’m going to install an optic on mine aswell.
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If that waffletop has not been drilled and tapped, it should be left that way for collector value. The undrilled ones are quite a bit rare and demand a premium when bubba leaves them as is.

I would suggest buying another rifle better suited for a scope.
 
Not sure if the Vortex Diamondbacks can still be had, but the 2-7x would be a good fit. Also the Nikon Prostaff Slug Hunter 2-7x32, which also may be hard to come by. Put the Nikon with BDC reticle on my 1895. Nearly put the Vortex on, but I liked the BDC, and the wife's .22 needed a scope. A Nikon Monarch 2-7 is very nice also.

Put an old Armsport 2.5-8 on my .35, and it's a great fit. Or look for an old Bushnell Banner, made in Japan. I think they were somewhat of an economy scope, but the one I had on a 30-30 was great. I think the later ones were not quite as good. Tried a Bushnell Scopechief(?) 1.5-4.5 on the 45-70, but the adjustment got very stiff in the cold, and I think it started to get shaken apart. My favorite is the 2-7 power scopes for the traditional levers. Compact and great field of view on low power, but good magnification for long shots. The Bushnell 3200 have nice glass for the price, if that line up is still around.

Have had good luck buying gently used scopes on here as well.
 
Boomer said:
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 .
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I remember "good" fixed power scopes currently being made being fairly pricey. I don't believe that a slightly different point of impact is very common, or at least not a large enough magnitude to make a difference, especially with a good mid price scope. Sight in on high power, where it'll be for long shots. The stuff up close won't know the difference.
 
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