The Marlin 336 is one of the best deer hunting rifles of all time. Chambered in classic cartridges loved by lever gun owners they’re currently chambered in .30-30 Winchester and .35 Remington. These cartridges are medium intensity close range thumpers, usually the realm of iron sight hunters but everyone who can shoot iron sights can shoot with optics better.
People who buy lever action guns want a general outdoors gun that carries well and shoots well enough. Lever guns are the epitome of short, light, and fast handling but the whole reason for buying the Marlin 336 over the Winchester 94 is the ability to mount a scope.
The Marlin 336 was designed as a quick handling, fast follow upshot short-range carbine. All of the lever gun rounds this rifle has enjoyed from the venerable .30-30 to the .32 win special to the thumping .35 Remington have been zero to 300 yard cartridges, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a scope.
Marlin 336 Scope Recommendations
Here's a list of the 5 best scopes for Marlin 336 rifles, followed by reviews of each:
Leupold FXII 2.5×20mm Ultralight Scope
The fixed 2.5x 20mm scope weighs 6 ½oz and is the best scope for Marlin 336 rifles chambered in .35 Remington because if you chose this rifle and caliber combo, you want a fast handling thumper for heavy brush hunting. This scope is as simple and light as it gets; less than 8 inches in length, lighter than a bottle of water and has all the quality Leupold is known for.
The fixed power 2.5x scope is dead simple, there’s nothing to adjust except for dialing in the reticle. The generous 18” of non-critical eye relief makes it great for scout set-ups and for hunting in heavy brush. The only problem with this scope is actually a benefit; you can mount it super low on the bore axis and if you’re not careful the factory iron sights might obscure your target picture.
If you still want the iron sights on the rifle then you may want to mount it higher, but at that point you could switch to a scope with a larger objective bell. Decide if you want iron sights and leave it, the odds of you needing them are slim to none, and the consequences while deer hunting is almost a non-issue.
This scope performs better in dark timber than the 20mm objective lens. This makes it excellent for stalking and brush hunting and the best small scope for a Marlin 336.
Vortex Optics Crossfire II 3–9x40mm
When you need an awesome scope for cheap the Vortex Crossfire is the only option. The short description of this scope is a 3-9x40mm scope that is a little large for a Marlin 336 but with a price tag that makes it worth it. The 1-inch tube is easy to find mounts for and the long eye relief gives plenty of flexibility for hunting and shooting.
This scope is a favorite with manufacturers that ship rifle and scope packages. The reason behind this is the value and the ruggedness of the scope. These things just don’t quit and the warranty that Vortex offers is legendary. Should you ever have any problems they’ll fix it and quick.
Scopes in this price range have the reputation of being fragile and attracting water. This scope is waterproof and O-ring sealed after being purged with nitrogen. The scope body is heavy-duty aluminum and for the money is the best scope on the market.
Leupold VX-3i 2.5-8x36mm Matte Duplex
Marlin came out with a new age of lever guns in partnership with Hornady. They pioneered a flexible pointed tip to increase the ballistic coefficient of the round and a 24inch-barreled Marlin 336 in all stainless steel. This is the best scope for this new breed of Marlin 336XLR rifles. It is the brand new 2016 VX3i 2.5-8×36.
The objective lens is bright and the coating on the glass is fantastic. This is my favorite scope, and the best Leupold scope for a Marlin 336. It weighs only 11.4oz but feels like a much bigger and more fully featured scope. The scope has a built in 64 MOA to dial in the excessive drop of the .30-30 and the 8x power helps hit at these ranges.
The redesign of the Leupold VX3i included a large adjustment fin that easily adjusts with gloves or under pressure to bring the target into focus. Other redesigns are a greater emphasis on how the scope transmits color and the relationship to the eye. It’s all very technical but essentially it filters the light to make colors stand out better in low light.
This scope essentially allows you to shoot all the way up to the end of legal shooting light without worry. If you need a solid all around scope for a great price this is your scope.
Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9×40 BDC
The Nikon Buckmaster is a value priced scope for hunting. It’s important to remember that you’ll only be looking through your scope for seconds at a time when you’re hunting whitetails. Especially with a .30-30 the target is usually close enough that a low power scope with decent light transmission will get the job done.
The Nikon Buckmasters scope is a 3-9×40 BDC made with 80 MOA of adjustment and is just over 12” long and 13oz in weight. A good sized scope durable enough to take a beating. It is waterproof, shockproof and delivers a level of performance that goes far above the other scopes in this category of price range.
The large objective bell and eye piece is great for youth hunters who need an easy scope to use but a beginner piece in case they break it. Beginner or not there’s a certain level of quality this scope delivers. To put it bluntly this is the scope you’d buy from Walmart. It works, it’s great for the money, but it’s still Walmart quality.
Leupold VX-6 1-6x24mm, CDS, Illum Firedot
Want the absolute best scope for your Marlin 336? The best scopes are light, powerful, clear and rugged. The Leupold VX-6 series are one of the best scopes on the market for sportsmen. This scope has an amazing 1-6 optical zoom ratio that offers a broad spectrum of magnification and more than you really need for hunting with a .30-30.
This scope is exceptionally bright despite having a 24mm objective lens. It sits flat to the top of the receiver and makes a great companion for fast handling lever guns. The scope also has an illuminated fire dot reticle that combines the finest qualities of red dot sights and the clearest magnification available on the market.
This really is one of the best scopes on the market. It is for the refined shooter who demands the best from their equipment. If I had any gripes with this scope, it’s that it’s heavy. Because of the ruggedness and the 6x times optical zoom ratio there’s a lot of material in this scope.
What the Scope Does
A scope helps reduce human error in the aiming process and adds magnification to help you see better. It’s important to remember that magnification won’t help a bad shooting technique. All magnification can do is help you see better. If your shooting fundamentals are solid the magnification will help you deliver the bullets to the right place.
Scopes do however make shooting easier by cutting the amount of sighting instruments in half. It is much easier for the human eye to align two things, the cross hairs and the target, than it is to align three things, the front sight, rear sight and the target. By doing this you can speed up, simplify the aiming process and greatly increase accuracy.
Optics also gather and transmit light allowing you to see the target and the sight better. If shooting light ends at 7:15 but it’s too dark in the timber to see your iron sights at 6:30 you miss some of the best hunting times.
Especially under stress you can’t beat optics for shooting. If the situation involves low light, moving targets, stress or an unstable rest, which is hunting 99% of the time, optics will win 100% of the time.
The Best Scopes for the Marlin 336 Have a Few Common Traits:
- Lightweight: The fast handling Marlin is crippled by a heavy scope. These rifles have near perfect balance so don't ruin it
- Compact: Large objective bells and gigantic turrets work well for tree stand hunting or target shooting but hurt the stalking and walking gun
- Clear & Crisp: Good glass is imperative; you have to be able to see clearly to shoot accurately
- Rugged: It won't work if it's broke, 'nuff said
Marlin 336 in .35 remington - Image by Cerebralzero
Bottom Line
The best scope for Marlin 336 needs to be compact and rugged. It will also need to be paired with the best mount for a Marlin 336 that will stand up to the rigors a lever action rifle will go through. Scopes in recent years have become lighter and brighter with more and more features while staying affordable. No matter which scope you choose remember that lever action rifles aren’t tack drivers, they’re game getters that want to be in the field just as much as you do
