I don’t know, but I’m going to give it a try tomorrow. My eyes are not what they used to be

This message has been edited. Last edited by: usncorpsman,

While I don’t currently own one, I find the addition of a modern sight like that to a more traditional-styled gun like a lever-action intriguing. I’m a big fan of some of the things done to the Marlin Guide Guns and the like.

If it lets you make the hits, then no.

I had to go to them due to my eyes, but don’t have a Marlin lever to put one on…..yet

Yeah, it's sorta blasphemous. But depending upon your eyesight and your application, it might be practical. I had a scope on my guide gun, but hated what it did to the weight and balance of an otherwise supurbly handy rifle, so I ultimately replaced it with peep sights, which I'm almost as accurate with. A red dot is kind of the middle ground there...lighter than a full-size scope, but can deliver reasonable precision and is faster to acquire.

IMO you can't let nostalgia get in the way of practicality too much...you've gotta do what works for you.

My eyes dictate what works and I'll put a red dot on just about anything. I have one on my lever action .22lr and its perfect. The secret is of course getting a mounting system that puts the dot in a good place for using it.

You want blasphemy!! I will give you blasphemy……….I kinda sorta want to build a tricked out tacticool, blacked out tacticsl light having, dot or LPVO, MLOK rail having afront to all that is good and natural, middle finger to Oliver Winchester lever gun. So that itty bitty red dot……..notsobad.

I’m not proud of these thoughts. I want to make that clear.

I’ll see myself out.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Somebody, quick! Find out what he's been drinking!

it is blasphemy however to put a chinese made red dot on it.

Skinner, Williams or Lyman receiver sights. Any of these will bring out much improved accuracy for your Marlin.
Go forth and sin no more!

I was thinking of throwing a Burris Fastfire on my Henry side gate .44 Mag lever action rifle.

I picked up the Henry this year and let me tell you what.....trying to look at the front sight while shooting at the target from 100 yards is tough! Old eyes!!!!

I put a FF3 on my Ruger Super Blackhawk for the same reason....the darn front sight gets blurrier every year!

Now, I might try and throw a fiber optic front sight on the Henry to see how that works. The fiber optic will show up brighter than the bead sight, so I might be able to avoid the red dot.

It is but you could use a QD mount for showing off your Marlin to visitors at your weekend BBQ.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
it is blasphemy however to put a chinese made red dot on it.

I’m blessed with being fortunate to be able to purchase pretty much any optic I want. I have RMR’s that I purchased when nothing better was on the market but hate the dark tent and tiny window. The Leupold Deltapoint is a little too big for the slim gun, and the Burris FF sits up high enough that I get a chin weld instead of a cheek weld. The Holosun is clear, sits in the perfect spot, and has the reticle I like.

Very little is 100% made in the USA these days. Ever wonder why it is so hard to get a new car, it’s because the foreign made chips are not being imported. Aimpoint is not USA made but we don’t hesitate to recommend it. Whether the money is going to China, Switzerland or Japan, it is still leaving this great country. US companies have bright American men and women who can make the same feature rich optics, but the cost will be 2-3 times the cost or resting on their laurels like Trijicon who refuses to update their RMR’s with better reticles or clearer glass while still charging crazy prices for what is essentially outdated technology.

Let’s not forget that big greedy American companies take their business overseas to places like China and India to keep from paying Americans the wages they deserve. One result is most will purchase what is inexpensive and still gets the job done for them while being reasonably tough and feature rich. More often than not, it is the Holosun and not the Trijicon.

Mmmmmm, esthetics, economics, politics and ethics all in one Marlin thread.

Tasteful and utilitarian.

I want one of those “tactical lever guns” with the mlok, red dot, suppressor, etc. just seems fun.

Yes, it is, IMO, but it's your rifle to do with as you wish.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Yes, it is, IMO, but it's your rifle to do with as you wish.

+1

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I've got a Henry Long Ranger lever rifle with a huge ass 4-24x scope on it that's damn near bigger than the rifle.

If you feel your red dot is blasphemous, rest easy knowing there's one out there that's a lot worse.

quote:

Originally posted by usncorpsman:
I don’t know, but I’m going to give it a try tomorrow. My eyes are not what they used to be

<<snip>>

Two schools of thought...

1. As others have already mentioned, if it lets you make the shot, then go for it

2. My personal opinion, ANY type of optic on a Marlin lever gun is blasphemy! My model 336 in .30/30 came with a scope on it, and I immediately removed it. I simply enjoy shooting iron sights, and I can hit what I need to a typical white tail hunting distances.

Just my opinion of course!

Ironic, given that one of Marlin's main selling points (0ver Winchester) was the ability to mount a riflescope over the action.

Aesthetics are wonderful, but with my eyesight I think I can look forward to a lot less blasphemy over the coming years if I put a red dot on a lever action than if I just rely on the irons.

FWIW, I felt kind of silly putting an Aimpoint Micro H2 on a relatively cheap AK, but I enjoy shooting the combination enough, and shoot it enough, that doing so seems to have been exactly the right choice. Something small like that is relatively unobtrusive and may line up for you in such a way that your head placement is exactly the same as it would be for iron sights.