Welcome from Finger Lakes region of NY. I purchased a new 336 in the fall. I shot with the open sights but ended up putting a used scope on
it for hunting season. Easier for me to locate impact point for 75-100 yard shots.

 

When I buy a gun it is to hunt with, I need a scope on my guns or I can't use them, are you going to hunt with it, a lot of big woods out your way that 30/30 would good in the timber !!!!

 

P.S welcome from Michigan !!!

 

My plan is to eventually hunt with it. Right now target in my woods to learn the gun. I havent ever hunted so, i have to take a hunter safety course here before i can. Hopefully ill have time to do that before the fall.

 

It will depend on how comfortable you are with the iron sights. I am 54. I can still hit a paper plate with iron sights at 100 yards, but when hunting, I want to know exactly where I put that bullet, in order to make a clean, quick kill. The animal suffers little this way and I don't have to spend hours tracking it while it bleeds out or just goes off injured yet survives.
Andrew

 

I should have pointed out that you do not need a $200 scope if you go that route. There are plenty of 1970s era or 1980s era Tascos and Bushnell scopes out there at are perfectly fine for a 30-30. If you look for one, make sure it's Japanese made. They were very good scopes at the time. It's possible to pick one of these up for $25-$35 at local gun shows.
Andrew

 

I'll only add that it doesnt need to be a super zoom scope either. I nice compact scope looks nice. 1-4X20 Leupold or a 1-3X20 Weaver. A 4X fixed is ideal and can be had for cheap. But shoot a box through it with the open sights and see how it goes.

 

I put a Williams peep sight and a fibre optic front sight on my 336. Works well for where I hunt (50 yards is a long shot). Recently put a Bushnell 1.5 x 4.5 on it for some load development but think I'll wait for much warmer weather before I hit the range. Cheers Bac4

 

My advice; if you can shoot open sights pretty good, go with open sights, because there will come a day that you can’t even if you wanted to really bad.....

 

Welcome to MO from MI. Definitely try irons first, if you decide later that a scope is needed - scope it when needed.

 

I use both and have killed many deer with both, however, I do prefer a scope when hunting for reasons stated above. I want to kill the deer as efficiently as possible.

 

NHWoodsman, welcome aboard!
To mount a scope or use iron sights depends on a few things. I have to use a scope because my eyes will not focus on iron sights any more. If your eyes are able to focus on the iron sights, try shooting the rifle the way it is. Practice and work on follow up shots. If you get comfortable shooting without a scope than chances are you will not need a scope. If your eyes will not focus than you will most likely need a scope. My recommendation is a low powered scope such as a fixed 2.5 power scope or a variable 1x4 power scope. I prefer a fixed because there is less to go wrong.

I am originally from the Lake George region in up state NY and my guess is the density of the woods is about the same. Most of my shooting is under 50 yards so a fixed 2.5 power scope is just right for my needs.

If you need a scope, what ever you do, do not over scope your rifle.

 

Agree with hwew above. The Leupold 2.5x would be my choice.

 

Welcome mate!

If you are planning on doing some hunting with it .... fit a scope.
If not, leave the classic look.
A scope won't make you shoot any better nor make you a better hunter , but it will certainly make you see a whole lot better because if you can't see something, you can't shoot it!
:elefant::top::elefant: ..... and no need for a Hubble either.

 

Welcome mate!


:elefant::top::elefant: ..... and no need for a Hubble either.

One of my favourite lines at the range when I see a guy with a huge scope at 100 yds, I ask if they have discovered any new planets recently? I mostly get a smile, a laugh and occasionally a confused look.

 

Here is my 336BL with a Leupold FX-II Ultralight 2.5x20mm scope. This scope is perfect for my needs.

The scope is pricey but it is a scope that many on this forum and my self included feel it’s a very good scope to put on a 336. It is very well made, it has a lifetime warranty so if it ever needs to be repaired your covered. The optics are very good in low light, It’s light and compact. It has 4.9inches of eye relief so if your wearing glasses or snow goggles your able to use it easily. Another good thing about good eye relief is when shooting a rife that has heavy recoil your eye and forehead is far enough away that the chances of getting cut is very slim.

The DNZ Game Reaper scope mount works very well with this setup.

As it was said before, the first thing to do is get out and shoot you rife as it is. It might be fine.

 

Welcome to the forum from Kansas. I have never been a fan of open sights, aperture or peep sights were a different matter. I use aperture sights for silhouette shooting but have a Redfield 2x7 on my 336 truck gun that serves me well.

 

Don't know what your experience level is. You have irons now, so would shot it that way, to see where you get, a scope can always be added. Irons or peeps keeps the rifle trim and light. Shooting peeps, many people find developing skills with these very satisfying. Good work can be done with these, we often forget national matches are fired with these out to 1,000 yards. These days most rifles do not even have iron sights, and many AR shooters auto default to scopes, which mean many folks never learn the possibilities of iron sights. True, scopes can be an aid most hunting/tactical situations, but for range work and many tactical/hunting situations irons represent a usable sometimes superior option but do require more skill. Mastering irons will result in groupings very close if not equaling those achieved with an optic, at which point your abilities as marksman are beyond dispute. Here generally hunt peep sights, on the understanding that some shots will have to be passed up, generally these are related to failing light or an occasional inability to find a brush window to shoot thru with absolute confidence, do limit shots to under 300 yards under perfect conditions.

 

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you with us.

 

Welcome from western SC. For me it is both open sights and scope. My 35 Rem and 444 both carry 2 - 7 scopes for the longer range (for a lever gun) shot possibilities. My 45LC, 45-70 and 38-55 all carry open sights (Skinner peep sights). All have taken deer and/or hogs. The scopes give me a better sight picture when the shot is just at the beginning or ending of shooting light but, I use the peep sights with the insert removed so as a ghost ring they aren't far behind.

 

Here's my experience, Factory irons, while usable are pretty poor, peep sights are far superior as long as you don't over think it, but... a low power scope will "see" better at dawn and dusk or dark woods, you can pick out details such as antlers, intervening branches, etc much better, especially at longer ranges.. you have one focal point, just put crosshairs on the target, and depending on model can serve as a rudimentary range finder.

That said, a scope somewhat interferes with ease of carry levers are noted for, and too high a power makes finding things close up more difficult, I find 4x maximum, 2, 21/2 x about perfect.

For a beginning hunter a scope is easiest to use, If you want iron sights, replace the factory sights with a good receiver/peep sight, with aperture removed, My preference is a rear peep with a Williams fire site front bead, but thats me.

 

Welcome, I always slant towards scopes. Allows more time on the stand in low light conditions. Michigan, where I hunt deer has certain parts that have antler restrictions so it good to have optics to see better. Binoculars could serve the same purpose but it adds extra movement and time. Some scope mounts have a raised see thru rings to allow the use of the iron sights. I guess it is up to you. Good luck

 

Awesome lots of good info to think about. Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes too.

 

So tomorrow is suppose to rain and thats when my lazer bore sight is coming. Couldnt wait to put a few rounds through to try it out. Uploaded my target about about 40yrds. Seems it hits high when aimming center of bullseye my last 3 shots i compensated low to try to hit red. 3 for 3. I was crouched on 1 knee in the snow. First time ever shootting a 30 30 lever. It was fun. Curious to see how i do once its sighted in.

 

I found that bore sighting is good for getting on paper. Once on paper, I just adjust as required. I typically use a bench and a sand bag, to steady the barrel. I start at 25 yards then move out to 100 yards. I may take one shot at a time while I am adjusting. The, I take 3 shots to verify POI. Overall, I shoot less than a box of ammo (12 or so).

 

Nice effort. What are you using for ammo? My new Nikon 1-4x20 scope has arrived at my warehouse. Going to go pick it up in the morning. Definitely excited to mount it up and have a look through it.

 

With my 336 I made sure the iron sights were on @ 50 yards. Then, I mounted a scope as low as possible.