Lever rifles and Scout scopes

[Stopper]

I haven't seen much traffic on it, but has anyone on here tried out a scout scope on a lever rifle and thought well of it? I know that Browning makes a scout scope mount for their takedown BLR, and I believe XS Sight Sytems makes their "XS Lever Scout Mount" for Marlins.

I've been curious about the scout scope concept for a while, and I just like lever guns.

- Stopper

[WCF3030]

I use the XS scout scope rail and sights on my Marlin 30-30.
Very effecient and useful.
I have a 2.5 power scope mounted with Leupold Quick disconnect rings.
When the scope fogs up or I get in the ultra-thick brush while tracking a deer, the scope comes off quick. With this set up I've not had more then a 1/2 change in my impact point when reattaching the scope.

[Pete44ru]

Four years ago, I put an XS LeverScout mount on my .44 Marlin 1894P - but took off the Burris Scout scope I had initially mounted, and first switched to a new Weaver 2-7X28 variable Pistol scope, but then finally settled on a new Weaver straight 2X pistol scope.

I was dis-satsfied with the Burris' sight picture, and the variable pistol scope's eye relief window of 11"-21" was too far away (at 11") for me to get a full sight picture when quick/snap shooting.
The 2X pistol scope's eye relief window (9"-17") is closer to my eye, giving me a full, bright, sight picture.

The resultant setup handles & shoots exactly like a good peep sight setup for me - but with much better clarity, and some magniication, as a bonus. YMMV, of course.

[crs]

If I remember corerectly, 86er has a slick scout scope mount on his 1886 .45-70. He did some customization on it himself. This may have been documented on the Levergunners.com forum, but 86er can fill you in easily.
CRS

[86er]

I converted a WWG Marlin scout mount to fit my Win 1886. I very much like the Leatherwood Hi-Lux 2X7X32 scout scope. For a very reasonable price is has performed flawlessly on my 45-70 with very stout loads and the optics are comparable to my Leupolds. When I travel I always bring an extra scope that is sighted in, for this gun a 2X Leupold IER, and a spare receiver sight and front sight.

[jengel]

I have the Leverscout mount, Leupold QD rings and a Leupold scout scope on the Guide Gun. I LOVE this setup. It is very accurate and is very easy on the eyes.



I also have on there the XS Ghost Ring sights to backup the scope.


This setup has already accounted for some big game.

[gunguy56]

I use a XS lever scope mount with an EO TEch 552 for spot and stalk hog hunting. Shooting ranges are close-no more than 50 yards in the creek bottomlands. My 1895M in .450 marlin with this sight is a killer combination. Try it-you'll like it !!!

[cas]

I use a 2x Bushnell pistol scope.
The only down side IMO is at dusk with the sun behind you, you can get reflection off the ocular lens which makes it hard to see. I hunted for years with Contender pistols so I'm used to it. At least on my Marlin I can take the scope off if need be. I found the answer was with a cheap rubber hood I found that came off a Russian sniper scope. It works well IF I remember to bring it with me. Either way it's generally not a big deal or a huge problem.



Don't let anyone tell you they aren't accurate enough.

[Mike D.]

I converted a WWG Marlin scout mount to fit my Win 1886. I very much like the Leatherwood Hi-Lux 2X7X32 scout scope. For a very reasonable price is has performed flawlessly on my 45-70 with very stout loads and the optics are comparable to my Leupolds. When I travel I always bring an extra scope that is sighted in, for this gun a 2X Leupold IER, and a spare receiver sight and front sight.

Did you have to D&T your barrel to adapt the rail? If that's the case then I'll stick to the receiver sight.

[86er]

Mike D. - Oh yeah. 4 holes.

[El Chivo]

I know Brockman's in Idaho is big on scout scopes and adapting Marlins. Try a Dogpile search.

[LeverBob]

I've been using the scout system for many years. Starting with my old 03-A3 scout rifle using a Burris Scout scop mount. Have them on all my scoped rifles now except for my old Mdl. 70 Winny.
Here's the advantages:
Have one on my old Mauser .375 H&H. No potential magnum eyebrow.
Clip loading in my Springfield.
Better handling & carry on all the rifles.
1 to 2.5x is plenty for all shots. I regularly shoot all my guns out to 500 meters on a 2' iron gong. It's a hoot!
I limit my game shots (except for varmits) to 300 meters & no more. A 2x is plenty for that. They also work great at 10 feet!
My mounts are the old Ashley Co.s, now XS. They are a super co.
You shoot with both eyes open for better depth peception & field of view. Running shots are a lot easier.
You won't go wrong with the scout setup Bro!

LeverBob
Marlin man

[Dave]

I have a Marlin with the XS mount and Leupold scout scope. I love everything about the gun. It is short and light. It handles almost like a shotgun up close but still gives you a crosshair for longer shots. It carries easy and is a joy in the field. Not everyone likes them but for a deer rifle out to 200 yards I can not imagine a better set up. Here is me last year with a cull buck.

[45-70]

Put the XS mount and a Nikon 2x on my custom Marlin 1895GS and wouldn't have it any other way...fast on target and under MOA for 3-shots @ 100 yards.

[2ndovc]

I have a Leupold Scout scope w/ a XS mount on my 450 Marlin and love it. Just enough magnification to help count points on antlers. Also have the same scope on my SOCOM 16.

[cshold]

I'll add mine to this grand old post.

[crs]

Does this qualify?



Why not, it has a lever just forward of the safety?


BTW - 86er, that is one fine looking 1886 you have there.

[tman]

Wonder if it would work on my Winchester 95 SRC ? It has a ladder sight with 2 screws holding down.

[mellonhead]

I have always wanted to try a scout scope setup. Are the 2X pistol scopes as easy to use as the designated scout scopes?

Toby

[jkingrph]

I have always wanted to try a scout scope setup. Are the 2X pistol scopes as easy to use as the designated scout scopes?

Toby

Don't know for sure, but I am thinking eye relief on pistol scopes may be too long.

[cshold]

http://www.chuckhawks.com/win94_scout_rifle.htm

[guido4198]

Here's my 45/70 Guide Gun. XS Systems "Scout Mount", Bausch & Lomb Pistol scope.

The scope was originally mounted on a 14" .375 JDJ Contender barrel. When I discussed scoping that beast with J.D. Jones, he recommended the B&L for it since his own experience verified that it would take the recoil with no problems.
He was correct on that point, but I pulled the scope. Turns out I really dislike scopes on handguns. I MUCH prefer red dot sights...but that's another topic.
This set-up works REALLY well in the S.E. Georgia area where I hunt. Around the Okefenokee swamp, 100 yds. is an unusually long shot.

[Pete44ru]

I have always wanted to try a scout scope setup. Are the 2X pistol scopes as easy to use as the designated scout scopes?

Toby

Don't know for sure, but I am thinking eye relief on pistol scopes may be too long.

Welcome to the forum, jkingrph !

Please read the post I made above, regarding eye relief of scopes used in the Scout position.

I essentially meant that YMMV on what scope works best in that position - depending upon an individual's personal ergonomics (height, neck & arm length, facial thin-ness/thickness, etc, etc).


.

[Griff]

I have always wanted to try a scout scope setup. Are the 2X pistol scopes as easy to use as the designated scout scopes?

Toby

Don't know for sure, but I am thinking eye relief on pistol scopes may be too long.

and Welcome to the forum!

[Marlin32]

Friend of mine and infrequent poster on this forum has a custom 1895 with scout scope set up. I have handled it but not shot it.
Just handling it, I have mixed feelings.

I know he has taken at least two deer with it.

[AJMD429]

http://www.chuckhawks.com/win94_scout_rifle.htm

That's a good article - thanks for posting it...!

[Lastmohecken]

I tried the scout rifle concept one time, when I found this Older Browning BLR in .308 that had already been turned into a scout rifle, at a local gunshop. The barrel had been cut down to about 16" and it had a pistol scope on it in a mount that had been drilled and tapped on the barrel. I later swapped out the pistol scope for a (I can't remember) either a Leupold or Burris scout scope.

I did not find the muzzle blast to be bad at all with the usual Winchester 180gr factory silvertips I always use in my BLR's. But I couldn't shoot it as well or even as fast as I could a regular scoped BLr that I usually used. I did hunt with it some, but I found the depth of vision was not very good under hunting conditions, for me. I think one thing that goes against me is my master eye is on the wrong side and I can't shoot with both eyes open very well. I later traded the rifle off for a Winchester "Antlered Game Comm." model 94 which I still have.

But I must admit that the concept still interests me, and I might try it again with a different scope. I have a lot of model 94's so I really have no excuse not to set at least one up that way. Right now, I am considering using a late model pre-64 model 94 that's kind of rough and nothing really special or and this one kind of excites me, a Winchester Legendary Lawman with a 16 inch barrel. That one would make a really short light rifle but still have 30/30 thump to it. Maybe I will do it.

[RJM52]

Have a bunch of rifles with forward mounted IER scopes...mostly bolt guns but a couple of semis and these two .41 Magnum Marlins...



Has worked well for me...

Bob

[AJMD429]

I like the scout rifle concept, and more or less use it for my so-called Night Scout lever guns, but I prefer a compact holographic sight with a laser backup, instead of a bulky scope. The sights I use do not require precise alignment which can be important if you are carrying a bucket of feed or a bale of hay and spot a coyote or other varmint. They are also useful in any condition of light, including complete darkness, unlike a 'scout scope'.


http://2.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46640#p583183

[cshold]

I like the scout rifle concept, and more or less use it for my so-called Night Scout lever guns, but I prefer a compact holographic sight with a laser backup, instead of a bulky scope. The sights I use do not require precise alignment which can be important if you are carrying a bucket of feed or a bale of hay and spot a coyote or other varmint. They are also useful in any condition of light, including complete darkness, unlike a 'scout scope'.


http://2.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46640#p583183

I like the looks of the forearm end cap with the built-in sling stud.
Is that an aftermarket add, or come with from the factory?

[AJMD429]

I like the looks of the forearm end cap with the built-in sling stud.
Is that an aftermarket add, or come with from the factory?

The gun had lots of rust damage from storage when I was in college, so I had it parkerized, and put the sling stud there myself. It's a stubby threaded Uncle Mike's one, and I just drilled and tapped the cap for it. Degreaser, and drop of epoxy on the threads before screwing it in. The light rail on the magazine tube is just a steel scope base (for a Contender Pistol I think) that had about the same radius, and I sweated it on with solder. Comes in very hand for quickly attaching a light (I usually just leave it on there). Even in pitch black conditions, I managed to shoot this group at 50 yards with a similarly-set-up 357 Mag Marlin.

[cas]

2x pistol scopes have always worked fine for me as scout scopes. Variables however don't, the eye relief doesn't work.

Part of the original intent of the forward mounted scope was to keep the top of the action open for loading. But with most bolt guns today with box mags, and side ejecting lever guns, it's no longer a factor. With the super quality low power scopes today, some with true 1x glass, the only thing the forward mounted scope offers is the ability to carry the gun better with one hand, wrapping your hand around the action.

What I'd like to do with mine is lose the scope and put a small forward mounted dot on it. The problem with that is, the quality ones, ones that will stand up to the recoil, cost more than the rifle did itself. I can't see spending that for a gun that in my case will get used for a few days every couple of years. I stopped hunting with mine because I shot a couple deer with and wanted to give other guns a chance. (For me hunting is more about using the guns out in the woods more than the actual shooting of deer)

[AJMD429]

What I'd like to do with mine is lose the scope and put a small forward mounted dot on it. The problem with that is, the quality ones, ones that will stand up to the recoil, cost more than the rifle did itself.

The Burris Fastfire-II's I have several of, only cost $200, and have held up on everything including a 45-70 Guide Gun.

[cas]

I was talking about the smaller tube dots. I've found the mini reflex sights not particularly snow friendly. I had a Tasco Optima on a 357/44 Bain and Davis Contender barrel and I seemed to always be trying to get snow out of it while hunting (if I left the cover off of course)

[Lastmohecken]

For a regular scope, not a scout scope, I recently mounted a Leupold 1 x 4 Pig Plex on a Danial Defense AR-15, and I found that scope on 1 power to be very fast on target, for people that want a regular scope.

[cshold]

[JohndeFresno]

...This setup has already accounted for some big game...

[JohndeFresno]

and Welcome to the forum!

+1 to jkingrph - Welcome to the campfire!

[JohndeFresno]

Did I miss the Rapture??

[cshold]

Did I miss the Rapture??

LOL I sure hope not...
I'm fixin to smuggle my plaid and at least one model 94 along with

[cshold]

Nice little setup for someone interested in building a Win. model 94 scout rifle.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-LEUPOLD ... SwzhVWr57X