Calling Mojave Lever Crew. Which sights for which Marlin?

[PogoJack]

I have a 1982 Marlin 336CS in 30-30 with a 1960s Weaver KV 3-5X scope on it. I might have accidentally leaked the nitrogen in it though it doesn?t show any fog at the moment.

I have a 2000s 1895 SBL (Actually it?s an SDG with a longer mag tube added) in 45-70. Is currently spring a Burriss Fast Fire 4 with the donut of death.

I also have a Ranger Point Precision cloverleaf peep sight built into a pic rail. It won?t really cowitness with Micro red dot at all.

Should I place the old weaver on the 1895 and install the peep sight rail or leave as is?

336 is a decent deer rifle and zeroed at 150 yards.

Better to put on the peep sights so I can hit running targets or maybe even get that Burris on it?

I don?t use the 45-70 much but maybe in case I go into the woods, what would be the best optic out of what I have? That?s only a 50-100 yard gun and useful for southern Michigan?s retarded straight wall rules.

Sorry for another optics question. I have a bunch of junk optics.

[200Apples]

To answer the question in your thread title, there's really only one answer, although there are at least two decent outfits making ghost ring sights for the Marlin 1894/336/1895s. One is Skinner and the other (which I prefer) is XS Sights Systems' ghost ring setup.

These were factory installed on the revolver-caliber 1894 SBLs, of which Remington/Marlin made for a short run before Remington folded in early 2019.

I have such a gun in the form of a stainless, 16.5" barrel Marlin 1894 SBL (.44 Magnum), and I liked them so much I bought a setup for a sweet old Marlin 39A.

In time, I will have these on all of my six Marlin, but I have to budget their acquistion (especially with a recent $1100 worth of vehicle transmission stuff).

Highly recommend!

[200Apples]

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[pennstater]

I've shot that .44 of Apples and that ghost ring set-up works! He did some work on said Marlin to get it right. And he did. It's a shooter.

MLC

[PogoJack]

Thanks apples. I have a skinner on my as yet I fired Henry in .44 Magnum.

With the SBL, what is in the dovetail where the original buckhorn rear sights were?

[Imageview]

I prefer the skinner for a pure peep sight over the xs, but have xs sights on my 1894 and 1895 due to the optics I have mounted on them. My 39a has no optic so I went with the Williams fp and that is my favorite. If you do go the xs route I recommend going with the threaded stem (separate purchase) and use skinner apertures.

At the ranges you?re talking about, whichever route you go (peep, dot, or scope) is able to get the job done. I like the peep as a backup on my centerfire guns with a short range optic (I have a 1.5-4 and a 1-6), but a dot would work just fine.

[200Apples]

what is in the dovetail where the original buckhorn rear sights were?

I used a blued dovetail blank that was sent with a ghost-ring setup that I bought for my CZ 527 Carbine (but that particular rear sight base did not fit the receiver very well so I never installed it. As I recall I was too busy with work at the time, or so I thought, so I never sent the sights back to whomever it was [either Skinner or NECG]).

If you do go the xs route I recommend going with the threaded stem (separate purchase) and use skinner apertures.

Excellent advice. I may lean that direction moving slowly forward.




Another great setup recommended by W.R.Buchanan is the steel version of the Lyman 66. He claims 100% repeatability when adjusting for different loads and back again. Whenever these come up on Ebay they're gone in seconds or I am outbid. One day.

[Spyder]

I like a red dot on a lever gun. I'd leave it on the 45-70, and download some 45-70 ammo to be pleasant shooting with big 405 grain hunks of lead and use it for deer and rabbit hunts. My 1895 is trusted out to 150 yards for deer sized targets, and I shoot steel with it MUCH further than that. My 444 Marlin has a Leuopold Pig Plex scope on it. Great 1-4 power variable with a quick-use reticle. There's two different styles of reticle in the pig plex and I only like one of them, so be aware of that if you go that way. It's a great low cost low power variable that holds up to shotgun and big bore lever guns just fine. I've also got one on my 12g slug gun.

Otherwise, Skinner, and in black gold.

[PogoJack]

Calling Mojave Lever Crew. Which sights for which Marlin?

I like a red dot on a lever gun. I'd leave it on the 45-70, and download some 45-70 ammo to be pleasant shooting with big 405 grain hunks of lead and use it for deer and rabbit hunts. My 1895 is trusted out to 150 yards for deer sized targets, and I shoot steel with it MUCH further than that. My 444 Marlin has a Leuopold Pig Plex scope on it. Great 1-4 power variable with a quick-use reticle. There's two different styles of reticle in the pig plex and I only like one of them, so be aware of that if you go that way. It's a great low cost low power variable that holds up to shotgun and big bore lever guns just fine. I've also got one on my 12g slug gun.

Otherwise, Skinner, and in black gold.

Thanks! Are you using skinners on your 1895 out to 150?

My eyes were never great and with age, worse.

The Burris FF4 is either too bright or too dim for me, but I know it will stand up to the thump of 45-70.

I have a Russian cheapo bluetint collimator optic that has a wider FOV and is made for AK. It can supposedly keep zero on a shotgun. I might try it in the lever. Red dots are an abomination according to some schools of thought so might as well go whole hog, no pun intended. What do you think?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H75AOzuLqTA

[golfish]

I prefer the Marbles ghost ring bullseye sights. They just work better for me.

I didn't like the skinner sights one bit. If your interest, I'll send you some skinner sights to try out. I'll never use em again. I have a couple sets. I think I have a set of Black n Gold skinner sights that I bought for my Marlin 94.

[Calif Hunter]

I have a ghost ring aperture sight on my Marlin Guide Gun that works very well. I have a 1.4-5 Leupold scope NIB that I have toyed with putting on it, but so far, I have been perfectly happy with the ghost ring. For a .30-30, I like a scope...even though neither of my Winchester M94s have one. I did have an old Savage 340 bolt action in .30-30 that had a scope on it and I shot 130 gr Hornady spitzer bullets through it. That rifle was passed along to a grandson. If I ever get a Marlin 336, I would mount the Leupold on it. My old eyes just beg for a scope past about 75 yards.

[Spyder]

golfish, I may be interested in buying one of them thar skinner sets. I've got several Marlins with buckhorns, which I despise.

Pogo, I've got a scope on the 45-70 right now, and Skinners on a 45 Colt that I shoot to 150 to minute of heart/lung pretty well. I want to go back to some sort of open sight on the Gov't, and keep the 444 as the only scoped lever gun, but I just bought a house and moved and "finished" my old big block Challenger, so gun projects are on the back burner until mid summer probably.

[golfish]

golfish, I may be interested in buying one of them thar skinner sets. I've got several Marlins with buckhorns, which I despise.

Let me get them out and I'll PM you some pics

[golfish]

golfish, I may be interested in buying one of them thar skinner sets. I've got several Marlins with buckhorns, which I despise.
.

Yes Sir, PM sent

[Horsewright]

To you guys that don't like the Skinners how come? I'd often thought of putting a set on my Guide Gun. I was leaning towards the Skinners because of the wings/rails protecting the rear sight as opposed to the XS rear sight standing alone. My thought was the Skinner might be better for bouncing around in a saddle scabbard.