Windage Adjustment on an M44

[zrunr]

Does anyone have any advice on how to adjust the windage on an M44? The one I got from Big 5 is way off to the left as is. I tried pounding the front sight with a rubber hammer but could not move the dovetail at all to the right. Is there a better way? Do I need to go to a gunsmith? Is there a tool for this adjustment? Otherwise, I will have to try and buy another one (unless they are all like this from Big 5)

Thanks,

[.22guy]

Try extending the bayonet while shooting. They were sighted in with the bayonet extended.

[Beetle Bailey]

The one I got from Big 5 is way off to the left as is. I tried pounding the front sight with a rubber hammer but could not move the dovetail at all to the right.

Well, if the rifle is shooting to the left of your point of aim, you want to move the front sight to the left, not to the right! So it's good that you weren't able to move it. You need to get a brass punch, a pencil, and something to hold the rifle steady, like a rifle cleaning vise.

The problem is that the front sight might be staked so it's hard to get it loose. In my experience, once you get it loose, it is a little bit easier to move. Make sure the rifle is unloaded, then put it in the gun vise or have a friend hold the rifle down. Make a little "witness mark" with the pencil where the front sight dovetails into the barrel. That way, you have a reference point for how far you are moving the sight.

Use the brass punch and your rubber hammer to move the front sight to the left, breaking it free. The brass punch allows you to concentrate the force of your hammer blows, and really is the only way to move the front sight. You can check your witness mark to see if the sight has moved. Shoot a three-shot group at a very close range, like 25 yards. Use sand bags and a shooting bench if possible. If no bench is available, shoot from the most stable shooting position you can (for most people, it is the prone position).

Make sure the rifle is unloaded, then check your target to see where you are printing. If you are now printing to the right of your POI, it is a little bit easier, since now all you have to do is move the front sight back to the right a little (remembering to check the witness marks as a reference point). If you are still printing to the left of your POI, keep moving the front sight to the left. Again, make sure the rifle is unloaded and use the brass punch and hammer to do your thing.

Keep shooting and making your adjustments until you are satisfied with the results. Take the target out to 50 yards and repeat the process. In my experience, when windage is zeroed at 50 yards, it's usually good for 100 yards also, but you can check that as well, if you like. Oh, I forgot to mention, sometimes the front sight is covered with grime, so you should clean it off before you try to move it. Hope this helps and enjoy that rifle.

[zrunr]

My mistake. I should be moving the sight to the left. It already has a notch cut into it to indicate where the sight is relative to the barrel. I do not have a bayonet for it to see if that would explain why it is off to the left.

How is it staked in place? If I can actually move the sight, do I need to stake it back in place or will it be quite stable as is

[jmlivingston]

I do not have a bayonet for it to see if that would explain why it is off to the left.

Are you sure this is an M44? Unless it's been modified the M44 has an attached bayonet which folds from the side to extend it. Maybe you have a different model Mosin?

John

[OptionX3]

I think you have a M38. It looks like the M44 w/o the bayonet. I have a M38

[Beetle Bailey]

How is it staked in place? If I can actually move the sight, do I need to stake it back in place or will it be quite stable as is

Maybe "staked" isn't the best word for it. The "notch" cut into it kinda makes moving it a little harder, but it's still totally do-able. I have two M91/30's and they have been fine (shot about 1K rounds in one, and about 200 rounds in the other). Once you get it adjusted, it should stay in place. Remember, you already tried hitting it with a rubber hammer, and it didn't move, right?

[Morales]

Beetle's right. Use a punch tap and rubber hammer. But first you have to shoot the rifle to see where it hits. Take the tap and hammer to the range with you and shoot. Which ever direction you see it hitting, thats the direction you move the sigth. I have a few mosin variants and that is how I set them right. Forget the bayonet thing, you can sight it in properly and not have to bother with extended bayonets unless you like them.

[M. Sage]

I used a flat-ended steel punch and steel hammer. As long as you have everything nice and square and the rifle won't move when you hit it, it won't slip and scratch your rifle. Might be a bit hard to get it to move with a rubber hammer. I can't get satisfactory amounts of force out of one. You're more likely to slip, IMO, because you have to swing a rubber hammer so freaking hard.

Make sure you hit as low to the pedestal as you can without actually hitting the pedestal.

The notch didn't seem to be cut. It was stamped in. That's partly why the first adjustment is hardest.

Soak the area between the pedestal and the sight with Kroil the night before, that might help.