Marlin help

So I've got this ancient Marlin 30-30 I put a new scope on. Dialed in took 6 shoots hitting bullseye in center then each corner. Took it out a few weeks ago to do some hog control and missed 4 times in a row. Using same ammo out of same box. Appears to be several inches high. Everything appears right and tight still. Any reason I'm just not thinking of to make it all of a sudden be that far off?

Could be scope? I have an old 30-30 with a Tasco scope. It will drill a 1" bullseye at 100 yards once dialed in but after it sets in the safe a year or so it hits far off to the right before I dial it back. Been hesitant to mess with it because it belonged to my grandfather and I;d like to leave it the same as I got it.

I did buy the scope used but from a reputable person on here. I wouldn't rule that out but don't think he would have sold it if there was an issue with it. Still bugs me that it was 100% dialed in then miss 4 times. I may just pull it completly apart and start with new base rings and scope.

Crappy base and rings?

If it's only "several inches high" how did you miss on the pigs?? My guess is barrel heated up during dial in of scope. Let barrel cool between shots. Now you will be O.K.

Same base and rings it's had on it since day one sometime back in the early 70's

Think I may just go grab new everything and start there. Just hoping it's not something else but can't think of anything else it could be

I quit putting scopes on my Marlins. Now I just use Williams peeps sights and besides being accurate, the gun handles like a lever gun was designed to. - LOTS better than any lever-gun with a scope stuck on top of it.

If I want to use a scope for precision shooting at long range, I use a bolt gun for that.


Williams peep for 336 at Amazon

I read a book once where the sighter tapped the adjustment screws to 'settle' the reticle, then fired another shot to make sure it was still on. It might be that after you adjusted it shifted during transport? Also, try a cold bore shot as mentioned above.

What Young Bucks said was SOP back in the day, when all scopes used a slide tension adjustment for elevation and windage knobs.
Early Leo Vari X II's was the last of the Leo scopes I think that used this system, except it can still be found nowdays on Leo Rifleman scopes last time I looked at one long time ago when they 1st came out.

FWIW the slide tension system worked OK - just not as good as the more current positive click system - just gotta be aware of it and respond as needed. I kept a long handled screw driver in my kit with a wooden handle, instead of a plastic one, so as not to dent the adjustment turret thin aluminum dust caps.
Ron

Did you clean / oil barrel inbetween ?

I had a very nice scope once that would shoot lights out 6 shots of so then be way off until I re zero. Turns out the reticle was loose in the tube and the recoil was keeping it up in place. As soon as you laid the rifle down or transported it...reticle would drop and be way off.

If I was accurate with open sights I would go that way but nothing beats a scope in low light. And I rarely clean rifles usually once a year if that.

Well- just some basic stuff...A heavier bullet hits higher at moderate ranges but you said same ammo. Scopes not tightened down can slide back but you said scope is tight. On a less expensive scope my personal opinion is to always buy a fixed, either 4x or a "pronghorn" 2 1/2x. I've never had any kind of dependability on cheap variable scopes- but maybe that's just me.
You didn't talk about the range you sighted in and the range you shot the hogs. The scope is mounted a couple of inches above the bore. The line of the bore must therefore is slanted up. Theoretically the bullet shoots at this slight upward angle and is on target around 25 yards. On a 30-30 with a fair amount of trajectory, it could be several inches high at 50 to 60 yards and ten start dropping and be on target at 100 yards.

Sighted in at 80 yard(east Texas hunting) shots where about 95-100

My first guess is you zeroed too close. What distance did you zero it from, and how tall are your rings? If they are see-through, and you just posted a target on a tree and dialed it in from whatever distance, you never know how high it could be. I've seen dudes zero at 25 and hit 2 FEET high at 100.

At 80 yards it was dead on an just regular rings

X2 on the Williams peep or Skinner peep= No issues

seems to narrow it down to scope problem;

have you tried one more time @80yards on target paper (to see where it currently hits?)

The reticle may have stuck when you were sighting it in. While transporting it an moving it in and out of storage, the reticle settles to where it should actually have been. I had a scope do that once. When making adjustments, I had to tap the adjustment screws to make sure that the reticle moved the full distance of the adjustment.

So, you shot 6 center then both corners. "Box" your scope, do a return to zero test. For a 30-30, I would do a kind of abbreviated test. Maybe three center, crank up 6" 3 more shots, crank left 6" 3 more shots. Then go right 6" and down 6" and see if it returns to your center.

Scope on a lever?

If I went the peep sight route how hard is it to get sighted in?

^ ^ ^ what about this ? ^ ^ ^ i didn't see an answer to this
if you mess with the bore after sight-in you'll
need some foul shots to get it back right.

i doubt if your base and rings are faulty. if
you're taking it off anyway degrease and reinstall
with some good loctite so to eliminate any shift.
i loctite my bases, the base screws, the rings, and
the ring screws. i'd j-b weld them if i could know
for certain they'd never have to come off.
barring everything else toss the scope and put on a 2X7
or fixed 4 power leupold and rest easy.

It's not too hard, you start off sighting it in at 25 yards, then move it out to 50 or 100 yards for fine-tuning.

The peep sight will have markings that you go by. As you move out to longer distances, cut down on the amount of adjustment.

It's like with a scope where it takes eight clicks to move one inch at 50 yards, but only four clicks to move the point of impact one inch at 100 yards.

One nice thing about a good peep sight is that it is much more rugged than any scope. Once you lock down the adjustments, they are good about staying put through thick and thin. As long as you are shooting the same ammo, you'll probably never have to mess with it again.

Another nice thing with a peep is that for close range or poor lighting, you can unscrew the peep aperture and sight through the hole that it screws into. - A "ghost ring" sight... I experimented with different apertures until I found one that worked best for me. They are inexpensive, so it's not hard to play around with them a bit.

I hardly ever clean my rifles so it hasn't had any cleaning done

I sight all my guns in at 100 yards. Everything from 22 mag to .308. It could be the scope rings . My .22 mag had a problem very similar to that changed them and now shoots great.

Had the same scope rings and base since 72 on it up until this year. Scope was needing updated so that's the only thing that changed. So I believe it's a scope issue but want to be sure.

Just try different scope rings. With my savage it was shooting everywhere put different scope rings on it drives tacks now.

Well everyone ought to use what works best for them. If a buck with a small rack is okay and you are in brush country with a lot of twigs, even 70 yards can be sort of hard to make out a rack. You should not "glass" an area with a scope sight but if you see the deer then a scope is a fast way to tell if the deer is wearing antlers. I used a 4x but it was a little too small a field of view. Bushnell had a 2 1/2x Pronghorn (not sure if they still make it)- fixed power. I've tried a couple of variable low priced scopes that were junk- would not stay on target- kept moving around. If you have a cheap variable scope- that could be it.
To bore sight on a Marlin, remove the lever, depress the hammer, and just pull off the bolt. I use a cardboard box with V cuts to hold the rifle. When the bull is in the center of the bore I look through the crosshairs and adjust. Usually the first shots are only 3-4 inches off- very easy way to sight in a scope.

Someone stated that they loctite pretty much everything. I believe in only loctiting the base screws. Fingernail polish works well too if you don't have loctite.

I mount scopes daily at work and also do it on the side. If you have had the bases and rings since 1972 then they are probably steel and I doubt they are the issue, though they could be. My first guess would be that it is the scope. The easiest way to tell where the issue lies is to mount another scope on your rifle and see what happens. I understand that isn't always possible. Don't recall you mentioning what make and model of scope you have. If it is a bubble pack scope then I would bet on the scope being the culprit.

It's a weaver scope don't recall model but lower end

I've got pics of the front mount but can't get them to upload. Not sure how to go about doing peep sights with the front sight I have now.

Looks like that front sight hood is mashed down. The bottom rail on the hood should rest in the groove not the bottom of the front sight mount.

On the peep, that's what I used when I was younger. The choice of sight depends on what best suits you. Weaver usually makes a good scope but as I said I just have not had very good luck with the variable 3x-9x types. There are more parts to shake loose and the fixed just seem better. On a variable- if that's what you have- you often need to spend some money.
I'd test the scope on another rifle.

Ordered a set of peep sights so I'll give those a shot

It was going to be my go to this year but it may be a backup but east Texas hunting a lot of times you don't have time to get in a scope and ready.

Ok for the peep sight guys. Install is pretty simple. But do I need to install both screws in the rear sight? Came with 2 different size screws and only one size fits.