How do you get the rear sight off a Mauser k98?

[june6th1944]

See my post: 8mm Mauser Shooting High

How do you get this thing off?  What's the single screw for?  Is there an easy way to get the sight hood back on?  This one is a bear.  I don't have reversible pliers, if that's what they are called.

[John Traveler]

The rear sight base on a K98 military Mauser is soft-soldered in place.  The single set screw is loosened (while heating the rear sight with a propane torch) and the sight simply tapped off with a brass punch and hammer.

When replacement sights are installed, the sight base is fluxed, heated with a torch, the rear sight aligned, and the set screw set to hold the sight base in proper alignment while the solder hardens.

The front sight hood should simply slide on and off.  Try rapping it with something soft, like a block of wood.

[Robert]

If it is like the CZ-52...mine shoots high too, also, I could barely see the rear sight notch, so I took a fine 'V' shaped file, and very carefully opened, and deepened the rear notch...worked excellent.

[savageT]

See my post: 8mm Mauser Shooting High

How do you get this thing off?  What's the single screw for?  Is there an easy way to get the sight hood back on?  This one is a bear.  I don't have reversible pliers, if that's what they are called.

You could use a little background help.  I'm sending along a great site called surplusrifle.com.  Jamie is wonderful and has loads of video and still photos on dismantling and assembling milsurps.  Don't be afraid to send him an e-mail if there are questions you need answering.  Good Luck!
http://www.surplusrifle.com/mauser98k/index.asp


Jim

[savageT]

Do you really want to remove the rear sight from the barrel, or remove the upper ladder portion?  If that is the case, I believe all you need to do is knock out the front hingepin and the ladder falls out.  Get back to us and we'll talk you through it.  I just have a feeling that what you are doing is trying to remove the stock and handguard....could be all wet??


Jim

[june6th1944]

Jim/SavageT:

I have corresponded with Jamie on my Mauser 8mm.  He told me initially about the commerical 8mm ammo shooting high in a lot of Mausers.  His website is very informative.  

I thought I'd look at the sights thoroughly as I reassemble this Mauser.  I don't see anything to indicate it's ANY hardware to make it shoot high, but I want to be thorough.  The front sight is the original b/c the hatch marks match.  I am not going to mess w/ the rear sight after all.  It's not original to the rifle but it's correct.  I've also put bullets into the muzzle and they fit snug, so I don't think slugging is necessary.

More later.  It's got to be the ammo, but 20" high seems crazy.  I'll have to wait until I get the milsurp ammo.

[Mikey]

6/6/44:  You said that the rear sight is not the original?  I wonder if that could be part of the problem?  I would still replace with the front sight - I think a taller one will drop the impact to about where you would want it to be.  Mikey.

[june6th1944]

Mikey:

It's an original k98 rear sight, but it's not the original one on the rifle.  The serial numbers don't match, but it looks fine so I don't think it's the rear sight.