So my mosin 91/30 hex is literally falling apart

[lawrnk]

Bought this rifle for 79 bucks, so after shipping and FFL its not worth it to send it back. The front sight literally fell off when I unboxed it. Its got a little notch, it slides in fine, and wont stay. Am I missing something here?

[marksiwel]

Bought this rifle for 79 bucks, so after shipping and FFL its not worth it to send it back. The front sight literally fell off when I unboxed it. Its got a little notch, it slides in fine, and wont stay. Am I missing something here?

Sounds like you got your moneys worth.
I say you rebuild it, think of it as a fun project.

[marksiwel]

make it into one of these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNFsUvh0 ... annel_page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[smyrna]

Bought this rifle for 79 bucks, so after shipping and FFL its not worth it to send it back. The front sight literally fell off when I unboxed it. Its got a little notch, it slides in fine, and wont stay. Am I missing something here?

Peen it in place.

Mosins can be fun and good shooters too. The fix is what AndyC said.

Take the hooded front sight out of the dovetail. If the dovetail is real loose, peen the thinnest part of the dovetail on the barrel mount ever so slightly with a hammer to close the dovetail tighter. The front sight should now have to be pressed in. Press it in with a dab of red or green locktite and it will be there. If you don't want to locktite it, press the front sight in, and after getting it aligned, take a sharp center punch a stake it in place by punching a dimple where the sight meets the mount.

As crude as this sounds, lots of parts are staked on guns to keep them from moving or coming loose.Staking is old school, but believe it or not, some manufacturers are foregoing staking in favor of locktite.

[lawrnk]

Well, I had been thinking about using the red loktite on it, but the metal work is really out of my expertise. Any advice on any only video series that could assist with the metal work?

[lawrnk]

Just use a hammer and punch to peen the edges of the metal together, creating what's called an interference fit:



Not my pic, just something I found googling.

Now, I actually have that tool there, and have only used it to add holes to my belt as my waist expanded ( not kidding). Now I know what its for! Seriously....thanks.

[The Annoyed Man]

Just use a hammer and punch to peen the edges of the metal together, creating what's called an interference fit:

.....

Not my pic, just something I found googling.

I'm sure you take better care of your nails than that.

[Griz44]

The original Mosin sights are staked in place. Take a look at it from the front, you can see the original strike mark where it was set.
I have a collection of Mosins, 1915 to 1953. They all shoot good, and you work on them like you would an old truck.
They were not designed to be babied.
You will love it!

[cajunautoxer]

Bought this rifle for 79 bucks, so after shipping and FFL its not worth it to send it back. The front sight literally fell off when I unboxed it. Its got a little notch, it slides in fine, and wont stay. Am I missing something here?

It's crap. I'll give you $50 for it. I'll be in your neck of the woods next wknd