Marlin 336 30/30 I need a better site system - What todo

[kemosabi45]

I am having a ruff time seeing the regular steel sites on my rifles (old eyes with trifocals), they are fuzzy. I don't really like scopes because if you drop the gun or bump it against some thing the scope settings are changed. I was thinking of a Aim Point red dot which is sturdy but not cheap. I do like how much better I can shoot with a scope though, my favorite being a 1.5x5x32.
I am going to build a 16" Marlin 336 and that is what I will need to improve the sites on. All I see is a blurr when I look down a rifle of that size. I shouldered a Winchester 30/30 Trapper yesterday at the pawn shop.

Who uses a scope on a 30/30?
What brand and power do you use?
Who uses a Red Dot?
Please post some pics of Scoped lever guns.
Is there a peep site setup the clears the blur of regular sites.

Thanks for your input..............

[mescalero1]

There is a guy in Phoenix who builds optics into the peep sights of varying power to fit individual needs.

[JohndeFresno]

While Mescalero1 was submitting his answer, I was working on a suggestion for peep sights, too.

I use a popular 4x scope on my Model 336, and it does a good job at the range. There are several good brands out there; I'll leave that discussion to the many true "expert" hunters, guides, gunwriters, and shootists who frequent this site.

But you should also look into peep sights, if you are not totally in love with the idea of adding glass to your handy, traditional levergun. Since I have other scoped rifles, I am beginning to wish that I had looked at this more, in the form of some type of peep sight.

Like you, I am a bit "parallax challenged" with my over-40 eyes. I sport blended lens eyeglasses, similar to your trifocals. I have found that my sight picture on a 6.5" .44 Magnum pistol is no longer the best, but that a 10.5" .44 Magnum sight radius brings me back to where I was about 20 years ago - in the form of a Ruger Super Blackhawk "Buntline" type silhouette shooter. This Wyatt Earp piece has now become my favorite recreational handgun, since I can actually hit where I aim at targets beyond 25 yards! Its all about elasticity of older eyes, as you probably know.

Before you add extra weight and profile to your piece, take a look at the options of such sights as the Williams Ghost Ring sight, the Lyman peep, a tang peep sight, and others in that category. Those peep sights work well in allowing you to focus, and they acquire game much more quickly than a traditional scoped solution.

I like the eye relief of the tang peep, but don't like how it changes the profile of the rifle; and don't like how it changes one's hold. I personally wish I had spent a little more time researching the Williams sights, which offer more than one size for the peep sight. If I had it to do again, I would borrow somebody's 30-30 with a peep sight and at least look through it to simulate shooting and acquring a fast sight picture. I recall how well the peep back sight worked for me, and many other veterans, with the M-14 and M-16. I suspect that you will find the peep sight superior to a standard open sight; and it may do what you want at game distances.

[meanc]

My 20" Marlin 30AW wears a Bushnell Sportsman 3-9x32.

My Win94 Trapper 30-30 wears a Bushnell Dusk to Dawn 1.5 - 4.5 x 32

I consider myself a pretty good shot with these iron sighted rifles, but with scopes, accuracy and acquisition time are greatly improved, especially with distances past 200yds.

[mescalero1]

While I read JohnDeFresno's fine response I thought, try to get someone with a good extended eye relief LOW powered scope to let you shoot thier set up.
I find it works well for me, but I have a lifetime of experience with scopes.
We are all here for you, ask a LOT of questions; there is lot of knowledge lurking around here.

[O.S.O.K.]

XS sights or Skinner sights are good quality products that should do the trick for you. Aperture sights or ghost sights work for older eyes because you focus only on the front sight and let the rear aperture ring blur or "ghost". I like to use a bead front sight with mine and place the "dot" in the center of the aperture - which is naturally where your eyes want to put it...

Here's a pic of an XS rear sight on a 336 (.356 Winchester):



Notice that the front sight blade is quite high - you will most likely need a .530 or even .600" high blade - mine is a Marbles 1/16" brass bead - .530".

[kemosabi45]

I forgot to tell you all that I have tried the Extended Eye relief scout scope setup on my 20" 336 and a SKS. I like how that setup lets you still hold the gun with one hand, I like the way I shoot well with it, but I don't like the balance being more forward. I seem to like a scope on the rear of the rifle. I have a Hi-Point 9mm carbine I use for fun & cheap plinking and it has a ghost ring setup that is clear for me and I do well beyond 100 yards. The Hi-Point rear ghost ring matches up to the front site O-ring with a post in it and that makes it easy, accurate, & quick to use. It's cheap and simple but it works for me. I like the looks of the XS site system but I have never sited one so I don't know if it will help me. Does any use a high quality Aimpoint red dot site system?

[El Chivo]

the shorter the barrel, the more trouble you will have unless you use a scope.

I am using a Weaver 1x to 3x, usually I like it on 1.5x, on my 336. I don't like the weight or balance but it sure is quick and clear. As far as I know it's the lightest scope out there.

Tang sights are an improvement over receiver sights, but of course that changes the handling of the gun as well.

I think you will never be satisfied with iron sights with a 16" barrel so I would go with a scope of some sort.

[jlchucker]

Kemosabi45, I have similar problems, using progressive bifocals. I could never warm up to scopes, even though I have two boltguns and a Marlin 35 rem with one. Except for a 26 inch Winchester 30-30, the rest of my rifles have receiver sites. I tried the red-dot thing and traded it away, because under some conditions you can't pick up the dot--particularly in fall foliage. For me the best combination has been a model 94 trapper (44 mag) with an ivory bead front site and a Williams foolproof rear, with a large arperture. Typically, front sites have big or small beads. This particular one has the bigger bead. I've no problems with the 30-30 octagon, which will group under an inch at 100 yd all day--I can see the sites but not a small bullseye at that distance any more. I've got a couple of Marlins with 20 inch barrels--30-30 and 35. Small beads, kind of hard to see. One has a Lyman 66, the other a Williams that mounts on top of the receiver, in the back scope holes. I've got a 22 inch Marlin 45-70 that works OK, but has the bigger front bead and a Williams foolproof with large arperture. I've got a 24 inch EMF Hartford that I had drilled for a Lyman 66, and it has a fine bead front site. The latter is the worst of the bunch for me. It would be OK with a bigger front bead, but caution here is the Lyman 66. The Lyman sites have some play in them that appears to be a function of recent sloppy manufacture. If you want to stay with iron sites, My recommendation would be a bigger front bead (ivory shows up best) and a Williams rear with larger arperture. For me at least, the Trapper I have is easiest to see.
Hope all of this helps, and I don't mean to contradict any others who have responded to you--I'm just relating my own experiences.

[Old Time Hunter]

My first choice would be the XS Ghost Ring system, second would be a red dot (pretty ugly though, see below), and the 1.5 X 4.5 Dawn to Dusk works great because of it's variable eye relief.

[KirkD]

I'm 54 with graduated lenses in my glasses. Recently, I've put a Lyman receiver sight on my 30-30 and there is no question that it is easier to aim. It won't beat a scope, however. The Marlin 336 is well suited to a scope and even looks good with a scope mounted on it.

[Old Savage]

One of my 30-30s is scoped with an old Weaver 4x. I like it - it will shoot sub inch groups with both Federal and Winchester 170s. It also helps my neck which doesn't get along with the low line of sight with iron sights.