I know we have a bunch of Lever Action fans on the Board. Though this may be the wrong time of the year to bring it up.

Just wondering what kind of Sighting Equipment you all prefer to use on them:

1. Traditional Iron Sights?
2. Peep Sight?
3. Scope?
4. Red Dot?
5. Fiber Optics(Fire Sights, Tru-Glo, etc.)?

Have you tried other styles on it? Why did you select the Sights you are using?
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Happy Memorial Day!

May all the US Military in harms way have Good Hunting and clean 1-shot kills.
Semper Fi

I have owned the following lever guns.
Marlin 44 Mag, Winchester Trapper 44 Mag, Winchester Trapper 30-30, Marlin 30-30, Marlin 45/70, Winchester 1895TD in 405WCF.

My first 44 was a Ruger Deerstalker, as it was my only rifle at the time I scoped it.

I had a scope for a short period of time on the Marlin 45/70, but went back to iron sights.

I have always used my levers as "camp guns" or short range haandy brush guns, so I never felt the need to scope them.

However if I was using one as a primary hunting rifle I would have a scope fitted [if my lever was a type that would accept a scope] in QD mounts.

On my 405 I just may have the iron sights modified to be like the wide V's on my double.

Nothing would be wrong with a red dot on a lever either, I am testing them now on bolt rifles and on a double rifle drilling.

There are more than enough scope-sighted bolt-action rifles in my rack!

To me, the most-appealing attribute of the traditional-style lever rifles (such as Winchester 94s and Marlin 336s) is their sleekness and handiness. Adding scopes or red dots to such leverguns is like putting a car-top boat carrier on a Ferrari.

I have just one nice lever-gun at this time, a near-new 1947-built Marlin M36 (NOT 336) in .32 Special. It has an all-steel Redfield aperture sight on the receiver (Big Reno Show, $70) and a Lyman Model 17 front sight with interchangeable elements (same source, $28). My eyes are over 60 years of age, but with this setup I can still do very good shooting indeed. If I intended to hunt with these sights, I'd make a clear-plastic insert for the front sight, to be installed along with whatever steel insert was chosen. This would protect the very fragile thin-steel element from twigs, branches etc.

The first five rounds I fired from this combo with handloaded Hornady 170 RNs grouped in 1.5 inches at 100 yards. With that result, I quit "developing" jacketed loads and moved on to the real fun, which is making the rifle shoot with my cast bullets. These sights offer almost a target-rifle-quality sight picture, and are FAR better than any open sight, even including low-light situations (been there). The screw-in rear-sight aperture should be removed for most hunting use.

I 1x4 or 1x5 scope for hunting a good soild peep for self defense. or the scope all around

One of these


From www.montanavintagearms.com

Brent

Traditional on the guide gun and a Williams peep sight with front fire sight on the 1895 CB.

Factory peep on my Model 71 Winchester.

Low powered compact variable scope with a lyman 66 coming in a close second.

Numan posted I wish people would learn to shoot with them more. With a thin parallel-sided front sight to accompany a good receiver sight, I personally believe you don't give up much to a scope out to 300 yards for hunting purposes


Nugman you don't give up much to a scope except in low light, trying to pick a hole in brush, trying to pick one critter out of the herd trying to tell if it is a legal buck ect.

There is a reason scopes are used on more hunitng rifles then peep and irons put togather now days. They make seeing and hitting your game a lot easier.

Sure some impressive groups can be shot on the range but in the real life hunting world scopes out preform peeps and irons in all most all hunting areas.

Maybe so, but then maybe some folks don't feel the need for crutch
Brent

I will stick to open sights on my lever guns untill my eyes tell me otherwise.

My 444 has a 1-5x and shoots fine. Original sights removed. I'm used to scopes and shoot better with'em than iron. I also wear trifocals and have a hard time focusing on front sight.

My Mod.39 has compact 4x and it shoots fine too. I like my 22s to have scopes so when I practice, it's more like a deer rifle.

I have several scoped bolt guns in my safe, but I also have 4 scoped lever guns. I would love to be able to shoot my lever guns with open sights, but my eyes will not allow it. I guess I "could" shoot/hunt with open sights, but out of respect for the game that I hunt, I will continue to shoot mine scoped.

My feeling is that leverguns and doubles should have open sights. No reason, it's just tradition. I would make an exception for a Savage 99 and Win. 88 however.

i shoot a crazy horse 38-55 and a couple other levers with factory iron sights. i like them just fine. used to have sako finnwolf. had factory sights. probably the best standing position hunting rifle ever made. thing was pure hell with 180 grain rws h-mantel pills. i'd probably take on a tank with that thing if it had a 20 rd. magazine.

I have three different Marlins and have just kept the original sights. I just like 'em that way I guess, and never considered putting scopes on any of them.

I have a Williams Peep Sight on my Muzzleloader and although I am very accurate with it, in low light conditions I may as well close my eyes and shoot.

Get a scope on it

Give XS a look. I shot a 45-70 with them and was
impressed.

I sure do appreciate all the Experienced Comments. I recently traded one Lever Action for another one and intend to put a lot of Trigger Time on this one.

I used to Hunt/Shoot a good bit with both Iron Sights and Peep Sights, but have not used them since the `70s. I do like the feel of this new rifle in my hand with just the Factory Iron Sights. Even at 8.25# it seems slim and feels lighter than it actually is.

I will probably put a Scope on it long enough to Develop the Loads I want to use. I got a nice Weaver Base and the way it is shaped, you can actually see the Iron Sights with a small Objective scope on the rifle. But I have the scope mounted in Weaver Quad Four Rings and they come off easily and fast.
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Just noticed the Lever Action Board on down the Main Index. Had no idea one existed, or I would have posted this there.

Anyway, Thank you all again for your input.