Rifle Scopes Hunting Merlin 336 optics

[ACK]

Need some advise.
I am not a hunter, never serious about lever actions, I believe that mechanically they are interesting .

I tried to zero a co-worker's Merlin 336 . It came with an already installed no name scope 1/2 moa per division. Flimsy rings with flathead screws , same as the scope base . Everything was loose. Factory ammo, best we could do was ~5". Tried to zero it at 100 yards, nope.

Rifle Merlin 336
Caliber 30 30
Purpose, hunting wild boars < 200 yards
No intention of shooting under low light
Hunter skill: minimum
May want to target shoot at 100 yards

What does the hive recommend for scope base , rings ,scope? I guessing a 3x9 duplex would suffice, no need for target knobs, 1" scope?

Thanks

ACK

 

[gnochi]

I just got one of the VX-6HD 1-6 scopes off EuroOptic for my 336, partly because it’s on sale, partly because it’s light AF. The FireDot+circle reticle is easy to find and the glass is nice.

I think there’s a lot of value in a LPVO with a lever gun, especially in 30-30. Ballistics aren’t great; you have about 200yd of effectiveness before you lose too much velocity, and it’s fairly flat ballistics out that far, so there’s much less need for anything more than a duplex or a red dot. There’s also no need to dial.

I would much rather have 1x on the low end if I’m going to be snapshotting, and I don’t think much more than 4x on the top end is needed. Definitely no need for 9x with 30-30. If your friend is insistent, there are some good 2-10s available without breaking the bank; I have a Razor HD LH that I like, I just prefer having some illumination.

German Precision Optics, Meopta, Leupold, Steiner, March, and Blaser all make great hunting (read: lightweight) LPVOs. Have your friend call up Doug at CameraLandNY; he carries pretty much all of them.

Go Talley direct mounts for the rings. Absolutely do NOT go for rings that let you see your irons through the bottom of the rings. You’re compromising the ability to see through the scope with a good cheek weld, and gaining nothing.

 

[SRPowah]

Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4x with a duplex reticle. Nothing fancy at all...but cheap and should be more than reliable enough. Probably wouldn't personally run one myself, but that would be a great fit for your co-workers needs.

I would argue the rings will matter most in this situation, so go Talley Direct like @gnochi recommended.

 

[morganlamprecht]

similar to above on my marlin lever...talley direct mounts w/ burris fullfield II 2-7x

been zero'd for a few years and still stacks them at 50 yds

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

Brush gun like that, probably a simple 1-4x. Maybe a 3-9x.

 

[black5.3]

On my 336 i put a pic rail on the action, vortex’s newer precision rings(can’t remember the model but they are not the seekins looking ones)and a burris fulfield 2 3-9x40 that i have had for years. I removed the rear sight so i could mount the scope a little lower. Zero’d at 75 yards. Its a 200-250 yard gun max for me so thats what i expect out of it. There are actually a lot of options out there for the 336 because its been around so long.

 

[Bart]

Check out Ashley Performance, I have been pretty happy with the fixed power Leopold mounted super low....

Products

ashleyperformance.com

 

[RTH1800]

Irons are fun on a lever gun for large targets and shorter ranges.

 

[koshkin]

Need some advise.
I am not a hunter, never serious about lever actions, I believe that mechanically they are interesting .

I tried to zero a co-worker's Merlin 336 . It came with an already installed no name scope 1/2 moa per division. Flimsy rings with flathead screws , same as the scope base . Everything was loose. Factory ammo, best we could do was ~5". Tried to zero it at 100 yards, nope.

Rifle Merlin 336
Caliber 30 30
Purpose, hunting wild boars < 200 yards
No intention of shooting under low light
Hunter skill: minimum
May want to target shoot at 100 yards

What does the hive recommend for scope base , rings ,scope? I guessing a 3x9 duplex would suffice, no need for target knobs, 1" scope?

Thanks

ACK

Did he indicate how much he wants to spend?

For what he wants to do, I would not go with a LPVO. I do not think there is a ton of value in a true 1x on a rifle like this.

Leverguns like this are at their best with some sort of a tweener scope: 2-7x32, 2-8x32, 1.5-8x32, 2.5-20x32, etc. These are usually trim and light and can sit lower than the 3-9x40 or similar, while being a little more comfortable in low light than true LPVOs that have smaller objectives.

Since 30-30 is not exactly a hard kicker, eye relief is not really an issue, so I would seriously look at SWFA's 2.5-20x32. Weight matters for handling on leverguns and this is a very lightweight scope.

Another good option is Leupold VX-3i 2.5-8x36.

If these two are too expensive, I'd look at Burris Fullfield II 2-7x35 and Vortex Diamondback 2-7x35. I think they are sorta being phased out, but there are still plenty of these on the market and they are well under $200 if you look.

As far as mounts go, Talley LIghtweights are a pretty good option, but if the receiver holes are not drilled straight (virtually guaranteed for most Marlin's made since Remington takeover), you may have to lap them.

Personally, I would probably put some sort of a Weaver/Picatinny base and use Burris SIgnature Zee rings. The plastic inserts in those really help compensate for various receiver machining issues.

ILya

 

[beetroot]

A VX6 1-6 would be perfect for that rifle.
If thats too expensive could go VX5 1-5 or VX3 1-4 or 2.5-8.

I'd be sticking to a Leupold on a lever gun purely for the fact they look nice.....

 

[gnochi]

A VX6 1-6 would be perfect for that rifle.
If thats too expensive could go VX5 1-5 or VX3 1-4 or 2.5-8.

I'd be sticking to a Leupold on a lever gun purely for the fact they look nice.....

The gold ring with a gold trigger, and a gold Ranger Point Precision loading gate... so sexy. I’ll post mine when it’s back from cerakote (midnight blue, for corrosion protection).

 

[ACK]

Wow. Thank you for the information. Talley rings it is. I like the slim Leupold scope. Rifle was made in 1979, Pre-Rem. Will pass the information.

 

[black5.3]

I’m not a huge Marlin buff but from several people that know about more than I do, if it has “JM” stamped on the barrel then it is the higher quality one pre-Remington I believe. I got my 336w for Christmas from my parents probably about 15ish years ago and it has the “JM” stamp.

 

[Winny]

FWIW....I've had a Bushnell 1x4 shotgun scope mounted on my 336 since the mid 90's. No issue whatsoever hunting with it. I can't recall the model exactly but for a good brush gun like the 336 and the 30/30 round the 1x4's or 2x7's range scopes will pair very nicely with it.

 

[jbuck88]

My 336's have been able to hold moa pretty easily. I have the leupold 1.5-5, 1.75-6 and 2.5-8.

The 1.5-5 would get my vote.

 

[Big Ern]

For my lever guns, I prefer to go iron sights. It’s a brush/timber rifle with shots usually less than 100 yds.

If you need optics, then a pic rail and red dot are pretty fun. Or, as others have said decent 1-4 are fine.

 

[B-P-UU]

Best of both worlds.. Leupold QD mount if you want to run open sights.
Leupold 2-7x33 is a nice fit for this rifle.

 

[jbuck88]

Still have a 30-30 with these.

 

[Halberdier]

I went with the Leupold VX-1 2-7x 33. Compact, super lightweight and easy on the pocket. I used the XS Rail Ghost Ring Sight Set as the base, which also gave me better sights.

After doing all of that, I'm thinking of pulling it all out and returning to the original, clean classic look. And I'm happy for it to just be a 100 yard gun. As it stands now, the charm and nostalgia of the compact lever action are just not there with all the modern stuff on it.

 

[tbob38]

I would go with a fixed 2 or 2.5 power scope. It's all I hunted with for many many years.

 

[Halberdier]

Best of both worlds.. Leupold QD mount if you want to run open sights.
Leupold 2-7x33 is a nice fit for this rifle.

View attachment 7405285

Not trying to give you a hard time on this, but I just want to make sure no one runs out there to buy one based on the wrong impression. The QD part of this Leupold mount is the scope, not the base. So when you remove it, your iron sights are still blocked. Leupold touts it as a way to quickly swap scopes or remove one to clean the gun.

 

[B-P-UU]

Not trying to give you a hard time on this, but I just want to make sure no one runs out there to buy one based on the wrong impression. The QD part of this Leupold mount is the scope, not the base. So when you remove it, your iron sights are still blocked. Leupold touts it as a way to quickly swap scopes or remove one to clean the gun.

I can still see/ use the sight when scope is removed.

 

[Fig]

Merlin=Marlin...right?