Scope Marlin 336 ?

The Elite 4200 scopes are excellent as are the Nikon Monarch scopes which happen to be on sale right now at SWFA.  The 336 is a very nice rifle.  I've been using the 336S ever since it first came out.

As far as the scope is concerned, for deer hunting and shots under 100 yards this rifle doesn't need the scope.  Practise with the iron sights and you will be impressed with how accurate you can be.

The reasons I don't like a scope on this rifle is the stock's drop at the comb is designed for use with the iron sights.  Adding a scope will require that you raise the comb to match the height that the center of the scope is above the sighting line of the iron sights.  if you use a 20mm scope, you would need to raise the comb 1/2" plus the hight of the rings which will be approx. 1". 

If you don't raise the comb your eye will not line up with the scope and you will miss your chance at shooting that deer or worse, you will miss the shot and hope the bullet stops in a tree. 

The padded cheek rests that velcro onto the butt add only ~1/4" to the comb and add weight to the stock. 

2nd reason is that it balances extremely well without the scope. It also carrys very nicely.

Sorry for not supporting the scope idea but adding a scope does nothing to improve the rifle and changes it's beautiful characteristics.

The only improvement that I would make would be to replace the stock trigger with a WildWest trigger. 

Smitty.

Drum, RMS has a good suggestion, very compact scope.  From personal experience & depending on your budget you may want to look at the Bushnell Trophy 1.75-4x32.  I have been impressed with the performance & really

like the Circle-X reticle for close in shooting.  It's slightly less than 11" & weighs in at just over 10 oz. FOV is comparable to the Leupold at 73' - 30' and exit pupil varies from 18 - 8mm so is pretty bright in low light.

Can't guess how it would fit on your rifle but on my Ruger carbine with low mounts it lines up perfect - was using peep sight before.

 A compact scope, a fixed or variable, compliments a 30.30 nicely. I would not go too big like the 4200's are. The 336 is a nice handling and compact rifle and to throw a huge scope on it changes that.

 The 4x40 Nikon has to be a very nice scope, though the objective is a little large. You can move your head around a bit more in the tight stuff and it is really bright. I would like to see a pic of John's 336 since he is happy. That might be the way to go. If you don't like the look, a 4x32 is nice, like the IOR.

also, in response to smitty:

i had iron sights and the gun was spot on.

i had a 32mm and the gun was spot on.

i then put a 50mm scope and the gun was spot on.

i now have a 40mm on there and it's still spot on.

this gun has killed more deer/varmints than all my other rifles/guns combined.

i haven't had a problem w/ the scope vs iron sights in the least. it's always been very comfortable to shoot in any setup.

several folks have borrowed this gun from me and had the same results. nothing but rave reviews.

i absolutely cherish the 30/30 lever action, it is always a pleasure to hold and shoot.

good luck.

J

J

they are standard sights - it's about 25-30 years old, i think. 

i don't use see-through mounts, so i just left them alone.

a 30/30 doesn't NEED a scope per say , until you want to use it in the lowlight.

that WAS a good buy. i'll give you 75 for it, cash........

J

 John, your set up looks real nice. I don't care what people say about Weaver mounts, either. They may not be pretty, but I have used them for 30 years and they work, even as a detachable. From .22 all the way up to .375 H&H, they have not failed.

 This would be a nice set up for drum's gun. That Monarch variable would work, too. The 75 yard parallax doesn't hurt on a 30.30. I use a VarX-III 1.5-5 Leupold on a deer rifle and have not had legal shooting light problems. Either scope is an excellent bargain.