Optics on pistol cal.levers?

[Yooper003]

I just purchased a Henry lever in 44 mag. My 84 yr. eyes demand an optic of some kind. Thinking red dot of some kind but can’t decide what.I don’t want to spend 1000$, more like 150 to 200$ I do have cheap reflex & tube type both ,just to play with but want something better on this gun.I have looked at the 1x6 type but the good ones all seem to be in the 1200 to 1500$ range. Did find a couple Round 300$ but brands I never heard of.would appreciate anyone’s thoughts or advice.

[cwtebay]

There are a number of excellent red dots that won't break the bank. My best one is a vortex venom that lives on an FN Five Seven. It's by no stretch fancy, but it's easy for my eye to pick up, simple to adjust the dot size, and has been very durable and reliable. I received it as a gift from a client, so I'm not sure that I would have picked it out of a line up.
I have a VERY cheap one on a Hi Point carbine that also fits the bill for what it's for. I don't recall the brand, but it was around $30.

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[dverna]

I have used a fixed 4x scope on my lever action pistol caliber carbines for load testing. Should be plenty for hunting and plinking and not too expensive.

I have a Sig Romeo 5 that I plan to put on a 9mm carbine and it was well under $200.

[TjB101]

For my older eyes a red dot has been a great addition to my levers. A Bushnell TRS25 or a baseline Sig Romeo will work perfectly. No need to break the bank.

[ABJ]

For my Bullseye league the Ultra dots are 95% of the line. The other 5% are Aimpoint and Sigs. Most of these are slide mounted so I know they can take a beating. Last time I checked the basic Ultra was $200 give or take. I have had two of mine for over 10 years without so much as a hiccup. I would not hesitate to put one on a levergun.
Tony

[NSB]

I put a red dot on a Winchester 1886 in 45-70 just to see what it would do. I could get some very, very good groups with it at my camp range of 114 yards. I’m talking around 1.5” for five shots. It was super easy to pick up with the eyes and easy to shoot. I took it off to put back on the handgun I took it off of. I can tell you for a fact it’s easy to use and shoots as good as most scopes (consider it’s a lever gun in 45-70…..I think that’s pretty decent). It was a Burris FF3. I have a Vortex Venom also. They’re about equal in quality and price, around two to two-fifty and each has a lifetime guarantee.

[littlejack]

NSB
I've been considering putting a Viper optic on my Winchester 94AE Trapper. Is there a particular base that will use the factory mounting screw placement on the receiver?

[cwtebay]

Burris Fast Fire mounts come in an assortment of configurations and are compatible with the Venom.

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[robertbank]

I just put a Vortex Sparc11 on my Marlin 1894/ Seem like it works ok. I have a cataract on my right eye so I get a bit of halo effect. Once I get the eye fixed up it will be a lot better. Nice thing with the Sparc is the dot is fixed. All my 9MM carbines wear Vortex red dots on them. They work well and the lifetime guaranty is a nice feature.

Take Care

Bob

[NSB]

NSB
I've been considering putting a Venom optic on my Winchester 94AE Trapper. Is there a particular base that will use the factory mounting screw placement on the receiver?

I used a Turnbull mount that is made just for this purpose. https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/...stfire-mounts/

[pietro]

NSB
I've been considering putting a Venom optic on my Winchester 94AE Trapper. Is there a particular base that will use the factory mounting screw placement on the receiver?

There's several different companies that make scope mount bases for the Winchester 94AE - just google "Winchester 94ae scope mounts"

Here's one from Weaver: https://www.weaveroptics.com/bases/s.../WV-48944.html

[Wheelguns 1961]

I am an ultradot fan. This is a tube type dot. I have one on my 45 colt 1894. I have also had good luck with the vortex venom. These are mostly used for hunting, and the ultradot shines for a couple reasons. If there is a light drizzle, the lens on the tube type dot doesn’t get wet as easily. Also, during low light times, the ultradot will dim more than the vortex venom. This gives you a much smaller, more defined dot. I still like the vortex venoms, but I use them mostly at the range.

[Texas by God]

I like the Burris FastFire3. I've used it on my .41 Blackhawk and currently I'm using it on my AR .300BO with great results. $250 or so I think.

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[JSnover]

http://www.skinnersights.com/skinner-optics.html

[Yooper003]

For my older eyes a red dot has been a great addition to my levers. A Bushnell TRS25 or a baseline Sig Romeo will work perfectly. No need to break the bank.

Yes I had seen that video, it looks great, best of both worlds. I had hoped someone had one of these & could give a review.

http://www.skinnersights.com/skinner-optics.html

[robertbank]

Is that Skinner scope made in China? I have a Leupold knock-off out of China. The jury is out as to whether the thing will hold zero or not. I would assume the Skinner is much better quality. The way Chinese products are priced you never know if you are paying to much or they are great value.

Take Care

Bob

[sghart3578]

Does the Skinner scope have a 30mm tube?

Steve in N CA

[centershot]

I use Leupold 1-4x muzzle loader scopes with heavy crosshairs on my leverguns. Set at 1-1/2 or 2x while hunting or plinking they work great! Move up to 4x for load testing and zeroing, no problem! They are small, lightweight and as unobtrusive as a cope can be on a pistol caliber carbine.

Now, I have been a diabetic for 63 years, I'm now 67 and my vision isn't what it was when I was 20. I can still drive but laser scars have taken their toll on my ability to shoot small groups. No iron sights for me anymore! Recently I bought a reaslly nice air rifle, a Weirauch 95. One of the recommended scopes was the Hawke Vantage IR series. I put a 3-9x on the rifle and went shooting. Oh my! What beautiful glass! I can't say enough about this scope, it's been great. And, it has an illuminated reticle, red or green, your choice. Exploring Hawke's website, I found they state that these scopes are for use on ALL calibers and have a lifetime warranty. If it will stand up to the recoil of a hunting class springer air rifle, it should stand up to just about anything. I'm going to pu another 3-9 on my '06 soon. Give a look!

https://www.airgundepot.com/hawke-op...fle-scope.html

https://www.airgundepot.com/hawke-cr...scope-xb1.html

[Jack Stanley]

I have an Ultradot on my 357 carbine , it's been there for years and works very well .

Jack

[meh]

The biggest problem with the Henry rifles is getting an optic low enough that you don't lose your cheek weld. You can get a cheek pad, of course, and then it doesn't matter so much, but the solution I came up with, a pad that you could insert different thickness inserts into, just didn't look very elegant. There was a leather buttstock cover that I bought online that was pretty nice, but it was a little too high, actually. I'm just saying that if you like a rifle set up so you can get a good cheek weld or take a well-aimed snap shot, then the drop at the comb of a Henry Big Boy is something to deal with.

Skinner makes a minimalist mounting plate to put a Leupold Deltapoint Pro reflex sight on a Henry Big Boy rifle. Probably it fits some other reflex sights. I haven't tried them since I actually had a Deltapoint Pro. I've since gone back to the Skinner Express peep sight, but it did work fine. Looks a lot like NSB's solution on the Winchester above.

To get a rail-mounted scope or red dot down as low as possible on a Big Boy Steel, Ranger Point Precision makes a nice rail. The standard Henry rails are elevated because the brass receiver Big Boys require it to clear a raised part of the receiver where the barrel screws in.