Scope for Marlin 1894

Status
Not open for further replies.

wmgeorge

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
559
Looking for advice for putting a low power scope on a new Marlin 1894 in 44 Magnum. I see its tapped for mounts or a rail. Suggestions welcome, rifle would be used at ranges 100 - 125 yards it would be nice If I could leave the OEM sights alone. I would prefer a low rail. Thanks.
 
I have a 3x9 Nikon on mine. It stays on 3-4 power most of the time. I only turn it up to 9 when I’m at the range verifying where my shots are. Honestly, I could put a lower powered scope on it. But when I want the magnification, it’s available. I’ve taken pigs and deer as close as 11 yards and as far away as 90.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. In case of the 63B rail what mounts would be best?
 
I have a Leopold on my Varmint rifle but thinking of this one for the 1894. Bushnell 611436 Banner Dusk & Dawn Circle-X Reticle Riflescope with 6-Inch Eye Relief, 1.75-4X 32mm Its intended for quick shots when turkey hunting.
 
leupold hands down! good eye relief and great optics. ive had banner scopes break on me and become foggy and bushnell told me pound sand. I have a 2-7-33 leupold vx2 on my lever gun and love it! I used warne one piece base cause its the lowest they make for proper cheek weld and burris z rings in low. absolutely love that combo for my lever gun.
 
Do you remember the PN for the Burris Z Rings? I do like Leupold.
 
I have the same rifle and put a Leupold VX2 1-4x20 scope in a DNZ one-piece mount/rings. I think it is an ideal scope for the .44mag and especially on a lever action. It is smaller than the FXII 2.5x28 Scout I have on another rifle.
 
The reason I went with the leupold 2-7 was I have 7 if I need it and I did this year when I shot my 13pt at 110yards from a treestand right before dark that extra zoom helped me a little. I also went with the warne 1pc base due to being the lowest available. when scoping a levergun you want the lowest you can get so you don't have a chin weld. the leupold 2-7 is also the smaller objective and eye piece for the 2-7 powers out there making it sit lower to the gun for better cheek weld too. Its still a 33mm objective lense but you don't have the huge rubber junk Nikon puts on there bulking things up. Vx1 is good but I found the vx2 on amazon on sale for like $220 so couldn't pass it up.
 
Mine wears a Weaver 1-piece base, aluminum rings, and a Leupold 2-7x VX1 scope. It's like it "grew" there.
I considered a Williams "Ace in the Hole" rail/reciever sight but doing so would have required "high" rings which would have made the gun "top heavy".
I have a spare Williams Guide reciever sight and taller front sight blade I can put on it.
With my 62yr old eyes not getting younger, I'll likely leave the scope on it.

That, and we have a 4pt, 1" or longer minimum reg in effect on bucks, so a scope is practically mandatory to be able to determine legality.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the suggestions. In case of the 63B rail what mounts would be best?

My favorite rings are the Leupold rifleman rings. I like the looks of them, they are economical, they don't mark up the scope tube, have quality screws, and are always straight. These are pretty short compared to others so the low mounts may not clear the barrel and hammer, it might need the mediums.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1362186516/leupold-detachable-rifleman-rings-weaver-style
 
Last edited:
I put a scout scope on my 44 marlin. Worked well out to 60-70yds Later it sold it.

then I scoped my 336 and my 1894c. what I have discovered is that the marlin lever gun platforms to not scope well. there is too much drop in the comb to get a proper cheek weld. you want your scope as low as possible to help out with this. but you cannot go too low, or you interfere with the hammer. weaver and leupold scopes seem to have the smallest rear ocular bells, so they can be mounted lower. Warne mounts are about 1/8" lower than other mounts. I have a discontinued burris timeberline 2-7x on the 336 and a leupold fxii 2.5x20 on the 1894c mounted on a chopped down scout rail and leupold rifleman rings. the 2.5x had too much eye relief to use with a standard rail.


omYz4qb.jpg 20151015_104829.jpg
 
I have a Leopold on my Varmint rifle but thinking of this one for the 1894. Bushnell 611436 Banner Dusk & Dawn Circle-X Reticle Riflescope with 6-Inch Eye Relief, 1.75-4X 32mm Its intended for quick shots when turkey hunting.

I have two bushnell banners, a 3-9 and a 4-12. The optical quality on both of them is pretty good but the adjustment turrets are really cheap and crappy and the reticle in the 3-9 is crooked. Its canted to the right a few degrees so if you mount it with the crosshairs straight the adjustment go at an angle, and if you mount it with the turrets straight the crosshairs are crooked. I use them both as test scopes to put on rifles before I decide what I want to put on them for good. The eyepiece on both is humongous so it doesn't work well on a gun with a hammer.
 
I agree with some of those points about mounting a scope as low as possible on a Marlin lever gun. When I scoped my .30-30 Marlin 30-AS ( economy model 336 ) it just got a Weaver rail and 1-4x Leupold in a set of "old school" Weaver low rings. OP specified 100 -125 yd. range and a 1-4x would cover that nicely. Along with being able to mount lower than a lot of the scopes I see on lever guns. Even added a hammer spur for easier thumb access to the hammer but there's still enough clearance that it's not a "must have" item. The whole setup is low; the OEM sights got left alone, per the OP ( although I can't use 'em) and 1-4x optics takes care of any business that this gun will be involved in. It gets zeroed at 100 yds. and depending on the load, is no more than 2-3" high at 50 yards. IMG_1172.JPG
 
I had this scope which was recommended by someguy2800 on my 336 - https://www.opticsplanet.com/burris-2x-7x-35mm-fullfield-ii-scopes.html. It worked very well. When I was selling guns and optics and could get dealer pricing on several brands, I upgraded the Burris to a VX-3 1.75-6x32. It came with a duplex reticle but I had the Leupold Custom Shop install a German #4. I can’t think of a more perfect scope for a lever gun. If I didn’t get dealer pricing I don’t know that I’d have spent full retail for the VX-3. Now that I have it and have used it I would pay full retail. A Fullfield II 2-7x35 works very well though.

I prefer Warne rings which is where I differ from someguy2800. Rifleman rings are the only Leupold product I can think of that I just don’t like. They seem very flimsy to me but truthfully I’ve never seen them fail. When it comes to bases my first choice would be an EGW(http://www.egwguns.com/scope-mounts...icatinny-rail-scope-mount-0-moa-ambidextrous/). Second choice would be the ubiquitous Weaver one piece that’s already been recommended.

greyling22 said:
then I scoped my 336 and my 1894c. what I have discovered is that the marlin lever gun platforms to not scope well. there is too much drop in the comb to get a proper cheek weld. you want your scope as low as possible to help out with this. but you cannot go too low, or you interfere with the hammer. weaver and leupold scopes seem to have the smallest rear ocular bells, so they can be mounted lower.

I agree with both observations regarding ocular bell size and stock/scope incompatibility. The easiest solution for me was to put a Beartooth Comb Raiser on my 336. They are inexpensive but work well.

kv3kuF2.jpg
 
I would suggest a 1 X 4 Luepold. This is a scope I have on my Marlin 336 in 30-30 Win

zWB1uPu.jpg

The scope is light, allows a relatively low mount, still need the hammer extension to cock.

q6gC5xd.jpg

Shoots fine out to 200 yards, I can hold the ten ring with the scope at 4X

42Bz34f.jpg



1elkukF.jpg


Does well at 100 yards. The whole rig is not too heavy, not too bulky.

x4uCnzg.jpg
 
Wow that's nice shooting, I have a cheaper scope ordered to see if it will work. Otherwise I like your set up.
 
I have a fixed Leupold 2.5x 20 ultralight on a Marlin 336 in .35 rem. With one piece Talley ring and base mounts. It looks much like the photo of slamfires 30/30, just a little shorter. I prefer compactness in a scope on a lever gun. Mine has the Heavy Duplex reticle which makes it really easy to see in the shadows of dense cover, but does cover a lot of target at longer ranges. It is a great 150 yard or less setup. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work equally well on on an 1894.
 

Attachments

  • E47F1860-9494-4A53-93E2-E21244CE0EB5.png
    E47F1860-9494-4A53-93E2-E21244CE0EB5.png
    997.7 KB · Views: 15
Last edited:
My dad has one of those on his ar15. It's ok. Functions fine, but the fov is kind of narrow and it's not too terribly bright or clear, but it's not bad. Can't think of anything better for under $100.
 
Well to put it in perspective its $63 on amazon and over $100 some places! Yes, I know Leopold has better scopes but I am 74 and more than likely this gun will be sighted in, and then shot once per year. I had visions of hunting wild hogs with it but that may or may not happen. On my varmint rifle where I do take long range shots, I have a Leopold.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top