Lever Gun Scope Rant

[JEBar]

the types of sights a person chooses to put on a rifle is very much a matter of personal preference .... I don't believe there is a one size fits all choice .... in my case, I can only think of only two situations where I wouldn't want a scope on my rifle .... one, when hunting under conditions where I would be shooting at very close ranges which require almost instant target acquisition .... two, for a wall hanger that to me would look better/more natural without a scope .... I don't have a single wall hanger so that's not much of a concern

[tractortad]

Has anyone ever seen or heard of a brass scope? I think a small brass "old-time-looking" scope would look good on a brass Henry. Brass is probably too soft of a metal for a scope, so there may be a durability issue, but I still think it would be cool to see one on a Henry....

[CT_Shooter]

Has anyone ever seen or heard of a brass scope?

A company called Dixie Gun Works sells one. There are likely others that do, too.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_i ... 9pkk06vg36

[Oksrt]

Leupold 2.5-8 works well for me. One on the 444 and the 41. 2-7 should shoot great groups.

[North Country Gal]

Nikons are famous/infamous for having large bell housings, front and back, but the Nikon Prostaff series is just so hard to beat when it comes to optics for the dollar. You can go to a Leupold, which is a trimmer scope for a given size, but you'll pay a lot more to come in at the same level of optics as the Prostaff. Usually takes at least the VX-II level in the Leupold.

Those 40mm and, especially, 50mm scopes offer a brightness advantage in terms of exit pupil, but in order to take advantage of it, you have to crank your scope up to 6x or more. Under 6x, those big scopes are delivering more light than our old eyes can use.

Oh, yeah, I've been fighting the old eyes thing for years and it's been a fight, make no mistake. I love shooting iron sights and will continue to do so until my shooting days are over, but there are days now when shooting iron is just plain frustrating, all the more so because I have high expectations for my shooting. The fact is that scopes and even red dots allow me to stay in the game, even on days when my eyes aren't the best and/or on days when lighting conditions are marginal, which they often are, up here.

I get around this by keeping a few rifles setup with peep sights or even open sights for those days when the eye are cooperating or for those days when I just want to shoot iron, but the hard cold reality is that, even for may offhand shooting, now, my scores are better with a scope. (I practice offhand shooting with a scope almost on a daily basis via my air rifles.)

[ditchparrot]

I just can't do the scope thing. Not for me. But I get the purpose.

I'm right there with you, RR. None of my lever guns will ever see a scope – just doesn't work for me.

[JEBar]

Here's my H001 with a Simmons 22 Mag scope!
It does look a little big for the rifle, but it's working for me so far!

if it works for you and you are happy, that's all that matters ....

[Les]

I don't think a lever action or pump action rifle looks 'right' with a scope, but ........ I know in my case it is really a necessity. My MkI eyeballs aren't what they used to be, so iron sights are generally out of the question.

I have used a Pedersoli tang sight on rifles before, and it is quite unbelievable how I can focus on things without my spectacles through the peep sight, but the same thing without using the sight is a total blur. I can imagine the Marbles tang sights would be equally good, but they cost as much as a half decent scope over here, so it's no contest.

I always try to get the maximum accuracy out of myself and my rifles, and one of the only ways I can do that is by using a scope. People may snigger, but I don't think it looks 'odd'. I prefer 'eccentric'.

[RanchRoper]

I just can't do the scope thing. Not for me. But I get the purpose.

I'm right there with you, RR. None of my lever guns will ever see a scope – just doesn't work for me.

Most of the people in my local club are learning to duck and cover when I shoot, so it's all good.

[ditto1958]

RanchRoper? I'm praying you are joking!