Mosin nagant front sight elevation

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The Great Panda

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Just started shooting my 1929 mosin. It shoots about 12 inches high at 100 yards. From other reading the front sight is only adjustable for windage. Anybody here know the cheapest solution? I am on a really tight budget currently.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all.
 
I personally have access to machine equipment so i modified my front sight so it was adjustable for elevation. First i milled out the existing post, then i drilled out a hole the same diameter as the post through the top. Second, i drilled and tapped a hole in the front for a set screw. I cut a drill bit off for the post and thats it, set screw adjustable front sight. It's a pretty easy mod especially if you have or know someone with machine experience and tools.
 
If your rear sight is at the lowest setting and you are still shooting that high at 100 meters then there is not a lot you can do to easily remedy it.
You could buy a new front sight used on the EE or any of the dealers and ask to measure the length of the post.
If it's considerably higher than yours is now then buy it.
When it comes in, tap out the old one, tap in the new one. Set your rear at 100 meters and then fire 2 shot strings and file the front post down slowly until your point of impact is the same as your point of aim Sir.
There are target style adjustable sights available from companies in the US but after the conversion and shipping, it's far from economical choice.
I'm debating modifying mine similar to what Rhyno857 said but slightly different.
 
All Refurbished 91/30s were zeroed for 100 meters with bayo attached and rear sight figure is set at 3 not 1. That way it can hit anything within the 300m range and less and still be zeroed for standard light ball ammo.
Try shooting with that set up and see how it is.
If you still high then you need to figure out where your shots land and then adjust your rear sight half a notch or more.
Other solution is take front sight off and drill the old post from bottom of the globe and stick in higher post that will have to be filed off gradually to zeroe it to the range and ammo you going to be using.
Hope this helps
G76
 
Cheapest and easiest - heat shrink tubing. Few bucks in home depot (electrical department). I have also used JB weld epoxy to build up front post a little bit. Both options cheap and easy + you don't get to screw up with dovetail ;]
 
I changed mine for one I made out of a nail. As it worked out mine was longer than the one my son had but still not long enough for his. I black smithed it, rolling it slowly and tapping until the length increased .030" and swapped them. You could get the right diameter long set screw and tap the sight for it, and get an adjustable one for about 50 cents but that wasn't brutal or rednecky enough for me. Cheap enough for you?

You can calculate the amount of change you need with this formula;

Correction needed X sight radius divided by distance to target. All the measurements have to be in the same increments, if you use inches then use 3600 inches for a 100 yard range. Both of ours needed about .060" correction.
 
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File the leading edge of the rear sight slide. This is how it was done when the rifles were originally zeroed. In any reasonable sized group of Mosins you will be able to find several that have been filed on the leading (forward facing) edge of the slide. Some have subsequently been blued, some are exposed steel.

During refurbishment, heavily filed examples are not "interchangeable" and would have been discarded in favor of new ones. This is a viable, but unpopular, alternative to the frequently quoted explanation that "Mosins shoot high because they were sighted with the bayonet attached". On occasion a refurbished rifle will have a slide with the trailing (rearward) edge filed which is the product of careless re-assembly or a "second chance". The slide is reversible so there are 2 opportunities for adjustment.

You have to remove quite a bit of material to lower the MPI 12 inches. I have one example where the filing was done while mounted; most seem to have been removed from the rifle to be filed (a pretty tedious process if you have to repeat it 3 or 4 time). Ideally you want to set the MPI just a small amount below the desired point so that the very fine adjustment can be made by removing material from the front sight post one file stroke at a time.

Much easier to add a piece of shrink tube

If posting pictures on this site wasn't so tedious I would show the evidence that the description above is correct. Take a careful look at you own example(s).
 
gewehr76 said:
All Refurbished 91/30s were zeroed for 100 meters with bayo attached and rear sight figure is set at 3 not 1. That way it can hit anything within the 300m range and less and still be zeroed for standard light ball ammo.
Try shooting with that set up and see how it is.
If you still high then you need to figure out where your shots land and then adjust your rear sight half a notch or more.
Other solution is take front sight off and drill the old post from bottom of the globe and stick in higher post that will have to be filed off gradually to zeroe it to the range and ammo you going to be using.
Hope this helps
G76
Click to expand...

This.
Mine was bang on with the bayo and very inaccurate without
 
Thanks for all the advice. Great info on cgn as usual. I will probably use the insulation method to get a total height first. Then look at the modifying the metal. I don't have the bayo nor do i want to be shootin with a six foot gun. Thanks again.
 
marc_j said:
File the leading edge of the rear sight slide. This is how it was done when the rifles were originally zeroed. In any reasonable sized group of Mosins you will be able to find several that have been filed on the leading (forward facing) edge of the slide. Some have subsequently been blued, some are exposed steel.
Click to expand...

Okay, learned something new today. This would explain why my 1931 ex-dragoon shoots at point of aim and my 1938 shoots high with out the bayonet. The 38 has only the leading edge of the rear sight slide filed and the 1931 file marks start in the middle of the slide. Both are exposed bare metal.
 
gewehr76 said:
All Refurbished 91/30s were zeroed for 100 meters with bayo attached and rear sight figure is set at 3 not 1. That way it can hit anything within the 300m range and less and still be zeroed for standard light ball ammo.
Try shooting with that set up and see how it is.
If you still high then you need to figure out where your shots land and then adjust your rear sight half a notch or more.
Other solution is take front sight off and drill the old post from bottom of the globe and stick in higher post that will have to be filed off gradually to zeroe it to the range and ammo you going to be using.
Hope this helps
G76
Click to expand...

If he's already shooting high at 100 meters and he raises the rear sight (to 300 as you say) he will be shooting even higher.
 
Vertical dispersion is very easy to correct. Either one raises rear sight or raises fromt sight. Which one is easier on Mosin? Its rear right.
Also op can move his head closer or further to the rear sight which as well change his point of aim thus his poi will change.

Travis Bickle said:
If he's already shooting high at 100 meters and he raises the rear sight (to 300 as you say) he will be shooting even higher.
Click to expand...
 
gewehr76 said:
Vertical dispersion is very easy to correct. Either one raises rear sight or raises fromt sight. Which one is easier on Mosin? Its rear right.
Also op can move his head closer or further to the rear sight which as well change his point of aim thus his poi will change.
Click to expand...

lol I must be retarded here. He said he is shooting high with the rear sight at the lowest setting (100 mark). He can't make the front post taller by simply adjusting it as the design does not allow it. If he raises the rear sight (the only way he can go obviously) it will make him shoot even higher which is the opposite of what he's trying to do.

If he is lining up the front post in the center and flush with the top of the rear notch (how you have to use said style of sights) what difference does it make how he holds the rifle or puts his cheek on it? It's still going to shoot at the same place. You're saying that you can essentially just look at the sights at a different angle to able to consistently and effectively adjust your POI on a rifle? Then why have adjustable elevation sights at all? :confused:
 
Update. I drifted the front sight out. It looked like the post was drifted in and then peened. I tried at first to drift it up further to no avail. After some pondering and a beer, I decided to try drifting it down and out. One strike and it popped right out.

Have not been able to post pics as of yet, so sorry for that. The front post is actually mushroomed/tapered at the bottom. Then it is shouldered before to tapers to the thickness you see exposed. The hole it goes in is also shaped that way. I was able to file the shoulder down to the same thickness as the post and took a bit off the mushroom/bottom. Test fit and then hammered it back in with a couple of firm taps.

It now sits 1/8 of an inch higher. For now I'll leave the white metal exposed until I take it out to the range this week. Hope it is high enough. I can file it down if it is too high. Thanks again for all the good advice. Hopefully have good news for you guys in a few days.
 
I just want to confirm you aren't shooting with the sight on the "battle" setting?

Which is what appears to be the lowest setting, but is actually for a torso hit on a man sized target out to 300m. Looks like an inverted U
 
statixstorm said:
I just want to confirm you aren't shooting with the sight on the "battle" setting?

Which is what appears to be the lowest setting, but is actually for a torso hit on a man sized target out to 300m. Looks like an inverted U
Click to expand...

I don't believe Mosins have the battle setting on the rear sight Sir.
SKS's and CZ8585's etc yes but I've never seen a Mosin variant with a "battle bump" on the rear sight base. Mosin rear sights have 100 mark as absolute bottom and there is no raised bump ala SKS for the "300 meter minute of man shooting".
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.
 
Finally took it to the range. The elevation is just right i think. Maybe a stroke or two of the file may be needed. I wasn't doing my part too well so i'll see the next time out. After about 35 rounds the post came loose from recoil as expected. I drifted the sight out once more and cut a small piece of lead and hammered it into the void under the post.

Let you guys know how that works. I may have to use epoxy instead of lead down the road, but i hope it will do for now.

Thank you Mr. Bickle. 100 meters is the lowest setting on rear leaf. No battle setting on a Mosin. They were fighting wars differently in 1891.
 
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