Canted Front Sights

[Tampstick]

If you can't zero the sights by moving the windage all the way left or right. You could buy and install a windage adjustable RPK rear sight for about 20 to 25 dollars or drive the two 3mm pins out of the front site base. Whack it straight with a rawhide hammer and redrill the holes and install the 3mm pins. If you try to bend the front site base without removing the pins it will probably pop in two pieces.

[RCBARLOW]

I just received a Maadi Misr 90 with pistol grip. The front sights (post & blades) are canted left several degrees. One gunsmith told me he would have to redrill holes & move sight because it was caused by headspace error. Another told me he can just bend the sights using so many foot pounds of pressure.

How have others dealth with this problem?

[This message has been edited by RCBARLOW (edited 10-31-1999).]

[RCBARLOW]

Thanks a lot for the information. I thought the best way to handle it was to redrill. It does not have adjustable rear sights.

[ChrisFormula355]

I wouldn't recomend screwing with the site till you've shot it. Cuz my Maadi's front site wasn't perfectly straight, but it was dead on accurate out of the box.
Chris

[jim haugh]

That guy that wanted to bend the sights knew what he was talking about. The major problem is if it's bent too far. If he's really "good" he can do it.

[jim haugh]

Tampstick knows his Sh too.

[Tanstaafl]

RCBARLOW-

I have a theory about the canted front sights. I've now purchased two of the recent Misr S/A hi-cap models. The front sight bases were canted on both.

On close inspection it looks as though the barrel threads are turned down after the barrel assembly is built up, perhaps even after the rifle is assembled, depending on its destination country. Look closely at the muzzle – on mine there are thread remnants at the front of the sight base. The muzzle side of the sight base looks roughly machined in a circular pattern as well, precisely where the thread remnant ends.

If the threads were turned down with the sight base on, then the machining operation may have stopped at the sight base, causing it to move off center. If this were the case there should be enough “slack” in the pins to allow the sigh base to be brought back to the original vertical position.

I’ve successfully corrected both by carefully moving the sigh bases back to vertical. All that was needed was a bench vise to hold the receiver at the barrel trunnion and a large Crescent wrench with some padding to protect the finish (being a recent Maadi I was protecting the finish of my tools – just kidding.) Use the wrench from below and snug it against the sight base.

Not a big deal really.