# Quick question about tokarev rear sight **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758 "2006-09-14T21:47:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758/1 "2006-09-14T21:47:26Z")
Simple one here, I own an old Tokarev tt-33 my grandfather brought back from Europe. The rear sight is out of alignment. Does anyone here know how to adjust this rear sight? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758/2 "2006-09-14T22:37:11Z")
Looks like it’s dovetailed in there (just from the pics I googled), do you know any gunsmiths? I wouldn’t expect much charge for something like that, just re-centering it. Maybe bring some ammo so they can check it, this - “Price does not include cost of ammo, targets or range fees” is fairly common. Leather/plastic mallet and brass punch if you’ve done that kind of thing before. But it’s worth $30 or so to have someone else do. Honestly, I’ve marred a couple of nice pistols thinking that I was an amateur gunsmith. Costs more to fix a screw-up than to do it right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758/3 "2006-09-15T16:50:59Z")
Not to argue over something I am asking for an answer to, but everything I’ve read about this pistol and its sight state that the rear sight is adjustable for windage. Wouldn’t it be kinda silly for a gunsmith to have to make that adjustment each time a soldier wants to adjust his sights? ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758/4 "2006-09-15T17:16:43Z")
[QUOTE=kinoons] Not to argue over something I am asking for an answer to, but everything I’ve read about this pistol and its sight state that the rear sight is adjustable for windage. Wouldn’t it be kinda silly for a gunsmith to have to make that adjustment each time a soldier wants to adjust his sights? [/QUOTE] Certainly would, although it’s rather odd (in my experience) to have adjustable sights on WWII era military handguns. Not an adjustment that should need made frequently, after all. Maybe I found bad pictures? Does it have any obvious screws on the rear sight? [This geocities](http://www.geocities.com/p317/TT33.html) exploded diagram doesn’t look adjustable (I’m guessing the screw forward of the sight is to hold the firing pin, as I see no connection between it and the sight). [More](http://www.a-human-right.com/pistols/tt33right.jpg) and [another](http://www.a-human-right.com/pistols/tt33left.jpg). Am I looking at the right one? [Pic](http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/Colt_National_Match_350.jpg) of non-adjustable vs. [adjustable](http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/nm_condition1_350.jpg) C’mon, there has to be someone out there that can offer better info than I can come up with from looking at fuzzy pictures! ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758/5 "2006-09-15T17:58:48Z")
There is no screw or other apparently easy way to adjust the rear sight, and I’ve field striped the pistol several times looking for any possibilities. I’m guessing that maybe everything I’ve read on the internet might be wrong (shocking, the internet being wrong, I know…) And, under further review, it seems that maybe some of the later reproductions had an adjustable sight, but my 1942 era pistol most definitely does not. Thanks Guys, time to find a good gunsmith. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-tokarev-rear-sight/372758/6 "2006-09-15T18:05:15Z")
“Adjustable” doesn’t necessarily mean “easily adjustable.” You can drift the rear sight, as **Bobo** said. It’s just not “screw-adjustable.” An officer would the weapon only as a last resort and at close range. Target sights were hardly needed.