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Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2024 10:35 pm
by Arisaka_Enjoyer
I don't own a Mosin nagant, however; I have noticed that their front sight base is quite thin (I believe this is done on purpose so the spike bayonet could be attached). Plus the sight block is relatively quite tall.

For this reason, shouldn't it be quite weak/malleable? Are Mosin front-sights known to bend/break off?

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 5:00 am
by millman
Not that I've seen.

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 7:48 am
by Arisaka_Enjoyer
millman wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 5:00 am Not that I've seen.
I mean, if you compare it with an Arisaka front sight, it does look very weak/fragile
https://www.nambuworld.com/t2muzzle.jpg
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Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 10:02 am
by millman
Maybe, but I still don't think I have seen a broken one.

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 12:02 pm
by SA1911a1
They were tough enough to survive two world wars. I have never seen a broken one either and at one time I owned 75 of them.

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 2:20 pm
by Kiel_23
The front sight was used as anchor point for the bramit silencer as well. It would have been a very bad idea if the front sights weren't strong enough.
I haven't seen, or heard about a broken one as well...

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 3:34 pm
by Junk Yard Dog
Kiel_23 wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 2:20 pm The front sight was used as anchor point for the bramit silencer as well. It would have been a very bad idea if the front sights weren't strong enough.
I haven't seen, or heard about a broken one as well...
Oh I have, but that one was the result of someone hitting it with a hammer trying to loosen the front sight slider to adjust the windage. The front sight is staked in place and can be difficult to dislodge without the proper tools.

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 8:07 pm
by Arisaka_Enjoyer
Junk Yard Dog wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 3:34 pm
Kiel_23 wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 2:20 pm The front sight was used as anchor point for the bramit silencer as well. It would have been a very bad idea if the front sights weren't strong enough.
I haven't seen, or heard about a broken one as well...
Oh I have, but that one was the result of someone hitting it with a hammer trying to loosen the front sight slider to adjust the windage. The front sight is staked in place and can be difficult to dislodge without the proper tools.
Wouldn't have happened it if was an Arisaka front sight, lol

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:15 am
by Junk Yard Dog
Arisaka_Enjoyer wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 8:07 pm
Junk Yard Dog wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 3:34 pm
Kiel_23 wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 2:20 pm The front sight was used as anchor point for the bramit silencer as well. It would have been a very bad idea if the front sights weren't strong enough.
I haven't seen, or heard about a broken one as well...
Oh I have, but that one was the result of someone hitting it with a hammer trying to loosen the front sight slider to adjust the windage. The front sight is staked in place and can be difficult to dislodge without the proper tools.
Wouldn't have happened it if was an Arisaka front sight, lol
Of course it would have, it's what happens when idiots attempt to use tools and work on things without two working brain cells in their heads. Over the years I have seen more butchered Arisakas than any other one type of rifle. Back after the war the Arisaka could be had for a few dollars at the hardware store assuming it wasn't brought home from the war for free. Home gunsmith Bubbas had at them in every way imaginable. It took me years to acquire the unaltered examples that I have because of it. I was buying Arisakas when they were forty or fifty bucks, sometimes less, and that's with slings even bayonets included, they just didn't have a collector following like they do today. I rescued quite a few of them back in the day to keep them out of Bubbas hands. Now they are expensive enough that few will think about butchering them up into some sort of " hunting rifle"

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2024 3:32 am
by WeldonHunter
Junk Yard Dog wrote: Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:15 am
Arisaka_Enjoyer wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 8:07 pm
Junk Yard Dog wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 3:34 pm
Kiel_23 wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2024 2:20 pm The front sight was used as anchor point for the bramit silencer as well. It would have been a very bad idea if the front sights weren't strong enough.
I haven't seen, or heard about a broken one as well...
Oh I have, but that one was the result of someone hitting it with a hammer trying to loosen the front sight slider to adjust the windage. The front sight is staked in place and can be difficult to dislodge without the proper tools.
Wouldn't have happened it if was an Arisaka front sight, lol
Of course it would have, it's what happens when idiots attempt to use tools and work on things without two working brain cells in their heads. Over the years I have seen more butchered Arisakas than any other one type of rifle. Back after the war the Arisaka could be had for a few dollars at the hardware store assuming it wasn't brought home from the war for free. Home gunsmith Bubbas had at them in every way imaginable. It took me years to acquire the unaltered examples that I have because of it. I was buying Arisakas when they were forty or fifty bucks, sometimes less, and that's with slings even bayonets included, they just didn't have a collector following like they do today. I rescued quite a few of them back in the day to keep them out of Bubbas hands. Now they are expensive enough that few will think about butchering them up into some sort of " hunting rifle"
And that's starting to be the way with Mosin Nagants now that they're in the $300+ range. I don't see many of those "Look at my Nugget that I sporterized" posts like I used too. Probably a lot of guys out there that wished they'd have never hacked up the ones they did to also.

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:32 pm
by racerguy00
I've seen a couple of m91s and 91/30s that had half of the front sight base broken off. It was from someone trying to force an oversize sight into the dovetail with a big hammer or accidently striking the base instead of the sight when driving the sight out of the dovetail. Since the front sight base is part of the barrel and not part of a ring or sleeve that slips on it tends to be pretty strong. They even had mine dectectors that attached to the barrel the same way a bayonet would and the sights held up fine.

Re: Are Mosin front-sights durable?

Posted: Tue May 14, 2024 6:28 pm
by mogunner
racerguy00 wrote: Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:32 pm I've seen a couple of m91s and 91/30s that had half of the front sight base broken off. It was from someone trying to force an oversize sight into the dovetail with a big hammer or accidently striking the base instead of the sight when driving the sight out of the dovetail. Since the front sight base is part of the barrel and not part of a ring or sleeve that slips on it tends to be pretty strong. They even had mine dectectors that attached to the barrel the same way a bayonet would and the sights held up fine.
If they had purchased on of my sight tools that could have been easily avoided lol. :chuckles: