This season I' m pondering the idea of going with open sights on my Marlin 444SS. The area I hunt is a mix of pine thickets and hardwoods. Most of my shots have been within forty yards but occasionaly, while hunting a crossing on a logging trail in the woods, have taken 100 yard shots. We have a three point rule here meaning a legal buck has to have at least three points on one side or less than two inches of hardend bone. So even though the majority of my shots will be close, I still have to be able to count points. Last season I had a large body six point with a small rack about thirty five yards broadside to me and luckily he was browsing and gave me plenty of time to count a fork and brow tine to get the three points needed to take him, but still it took 10 - 15 seconds until he turned his head that I could see the brow tines. I have binoculars, but sometimes in thick cover the deer doesn' t present itself long enough to glass then bring up the rifle. As you can see, I have mixed emotions about this dilema. What would you do?

Let me add to this that I currently have a Bushnell 3-9X40 scope with weaver see-thru mounts on this rifle. I like the looks of the rifle without a scope and I wouldn' t have to be concerned about knocking the scope out of zero while hunting for a week. But there are times when you just need one. I guess I' ll leave it as is and think on it awhile.

Put a straight 4x weaver k series on their and all you ? are answered.I had the same problem with my .450 marlin,wasn' t counting points it was seeing the sights on the darn thing.

It gives me fast target alingment,and sight picture.

I would put a good 2x7 or 1.5x4 scope on it. I have a 2x7 on my 45-70. Beside counting points you will see the crosshairs in poor light when you just can' t see the sight well. I would get a new Leupold Rifleman in 2x7. I have an OLD, OLD Redfield Tracker 2x7 on my 45-70.

You really want to hunt with the raw gun.....the way it used to be.

You yearn for the looks in your rifle that is like your grandfathers " thutty-thutty" back when only liberals and rebellious ones had scopes to cheat their way through the woods.

You hear a beckoning that wants the hunt to be unemcumbered with needless paraphanalia. You love the classic looks of the " man' s" rifle and the scope is pure wimp allaround.

You just know that the buck of a lifetime will come running through the woods and there will be no mistaking it...it' ll be a superb trophy and having that glass on the receiver will harm the chances of taking that running shot as it runs by you at 15 feet.

OK...wake up now...you' ve had your dream...put that 4X scope on and go hunting!!!

Dr. Frued, I mean Vapodog.... You may have diagnosed my psychosis to the Letter. I have nearly always scoped my rifles, but have enjoyed shooting with iron sights since I was a boy shooting squirrels from the tops of oak trees with a BB gun. I' m always suspicious of my scopes even when I can zero it in to shoot one ragged hole with a three shot group. After I have been in the woods a couple of days and know the rifle has ridden some trails on a four wheeler or bumped on something, (always happens) I have an uncontrollable urge to check it again. Just thought if I hunted sans scope, I wouldn' t have those thoughts haunting me. Thanks for the reply and I do hope the first couch session was free.[&:]

go iron sights.

but get rid of the semir buckhorn. they are inaccurate and do not groups well. get a A.O. ghost sight peep sight sysytem.
had them on my 336SS in 30-30win and my 1895M in 450marlin.

Up here in Maine, the woods are wicked thick, but...I have never regretted having a scope on my rifles, I even have one on my shotgun. I have regretted having only iron sights a few times.

I remember one time when I regretted having a scope. It was snowing incredibly hard and the scope lenses were wet. and I couldn' t see more that twenty yards. With or without the scope. Didn' t see any deer that day either. That was ONE day out of 24 years of hunting deer.

KEEP THE SCOPE.

A low powered variable 1.5x4 should do nicely.