Copyright 2023 – Stephen Redgwell
XS Mount installed on a Mossberg 464 with a Feyachi-RS-29-Reflex-Sight. Available for Henry, Marlin, Winchester rifles too!
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Lever guns and cartridges lost favour with hunters and shooters because of the constant barrage of modern police shows and special forces movies. It became less about the story and more about the expensive accessories that turned a plain Jane gun into a tacti-cool shooter!
Ahem…Why are you spending so much money on things that you won’t ever use? The majority of hunters and shooters don’t shoot past 200 yards. In fact, according to a government paper I read a few years back, the average distance hunters take whitetails is about 100 yards, or maybe just a little less.
Sarcasm on
Naturally, you need a high power, mildot scope with faux Picatinny things for your tactical deer rifle. Gotta have your SWAT swag!
Sarcasm off
From this tactical craze came a couple of good ideas. One of them was the reflex sight. Well, people were using them before tactical became a thing, but they really caught on after police and SWAT shows became popular on TV.
Of course, reflex sights are not for long distance shooting. They are close in devices that have been used for years by hunters on shotguns, handguns and rifles. Oh yeah, and SWAT teams too…
A little story before we look at the mount.
When the Marlin Guide Gun came out in the late 1990s, I had to have one. It was my moose gun for several years. That was back when using iron sights wasn’t a problem for me. In late summer of 2000, I had the GG at the range for some pre-hunt sighting in, but the iron sights were blurry. Shortly thereafter, I got glasses and a red dot.
I was embarrassed about that at first, but practicality won out. The picture below isn’t a Guide Gun, but it shows where the red dot was mounted on my old Marlin.
Having a sight mounted here is not practical!
It’s been said by others, but bears repeating. Red dot or reflex sights can make it easier to use a lever at close range because,
They are lightweight. A few ounces;
You can leave both eyes open when looking at your target; and
They mount forward of the action which means you can carry the rifle comfortably at its natural point of balance – not with a scope mounted directly on the action!
The rail attaches forward of the action. In the case of my Mossberg, it is held in place with two rear screws and one screw toward the front.
Mounting screw locations
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Everything you need comes in a plastic tube with everything you need to attach it to your rifle.
Pictured – a tube of threadlocker, two rear mounting screws, mounting pillar that goes in the rifle’s rear sight dove tail, jack screw and cap nut that attach to the mounting pillar, allen key for jack screw.
This is the link to the written mounting instructions from the XS website.
https://xssights.com/content/Instal…20464%20Lever%20Scout%20Instructions.pdf
The installation is simple, but you will have to pay attention to the rear sight dovetail.
DO NOT FILE the dovetail slot! File the mounting pillar for a snug fit. In the video below, he demonstrates how to final fit the mounting pillar.
It’s best to watch this video. The rifle he uses is a Marlin, but the installation is almost the same. Take your time and enjoy your work.