Adjusting pistol during competition?

[Mtl_Biker]

I've been watching a lot of the ISSF pistol competition videos on Youtube lately and I'm curious about something... Just about all the shooters, regardless of the make/model of pistol they use, have screw drivers and other tools on their tables. And I've seen, even during the competition, shooters make some sort of adjustment to their pistols. What might this be? Do the pistols easily get out of adjustment? Could it be trigger adjustments? Velocity? I would have expected Olympic class pistols to not need any adjustments during competition.

(Don't yet have a match pistol myself but am waiting for the arrival of my new Steyr EVO 10 any day now.)

[dschaller]

Not having watched the same videos, most likely it is sight adjustments.

[Mtl_Biker]

Not having watched the same videos, most likely it is sight adjustments.

Admittedly I'm a novice with this, especially match pistols, but I really would have expected top-quality air pistols to not require sight adjustments DURING a competition. I would have thought any needed adjustments would be made LONG before competition starts, or at the very least, in the warm up phase. Not during the actual competition. But on the Youtube videos I've seen competitors making adjustments often enough to notice it and wonder about it. Hmmm.

[dschaller]

The guns don't need adjustment, the shooter does. Due to changes in the shooter, they see groups move on the target and make small sight adjustments to keep shots centered on the target. If the gun was clamped in a vise, no sight change would be needed. However, even the best shooter out there is not a robot. If you watch air rifle matches, top shooters frequently make sight adjustments following almost every shot. Some coaches say to make a sight adjustment every shot that is called good that is not at least a 10.5 (typically just one click). Whether this actually helps the score or not is not clear, but it does help overcome the false idea that once sighted in, no sight adjustments are necessary.

[Gwhite]

With open sights, the lighting in a range can also have a small effect. The nominal light levels are specified, but they won't be identical, and the direction the light comes from can have an effect. I wouldn't expect this to require more than a click or two correction. That should be taken care of during the sighting period.

I can't speak for elite shooters, but I've seen a lot of shooters constantly tweaking their sights when they should be working on fixing (or following) their shot process. I've also experienced situations where I made a small sight change during my sighter series, only to decide later on that my original setting was better. Out comes the screw driver...

[Mtl_Biker]

Thank you both for helping me understand that.

I guess I never thought of adjusting sights with a screw driver since all my guns have click stops where you just turn a knob. I didn't think it would be done with a screw driver, but then again, I haven't yet received my EVO 10. I also didn't believe that with high quality air guns there would be any need to readjust sights during a competition after they had already been set beforehand. Thank you for educating me.

Cheers!

[David M]

During prep time you may need to adjust your grip settings, hands change day to day.
You may need to adjust sights width / depth for ambient light levels.
If shooting Free pistol and the morning is cold I will increase trigger pressure for feel.
Once shooting sighters, sight adjustments are normal for light and wind,
and maybe a small adjust of grip.
During match usually only fine sight adjustments, a couple of clicks only.
Some pistols require screwdrivers others allen keys, all require some tools.

[jerber]

For me,i keep my Allen tool for my grip
Sometimes your hand swells up
Maybe because of the weather or if you just had sugar or coffee, food etc...
I occasionally adjust my sight due to different lighting
But I don't need any tools for that,i have a FWB!

[rmca]

I didn't think it would be done with a screwdriver, but then again, I haven't yet received my EVO 10.

Steyr sights don't require tools to adjust for elevation and windage.
Only for rear sight depth and width, and since it's an EVO, tilt on both rear and front sights. But that's done BEFORE the match.

You should only need to move one or two clicks of elevation and/or windage from time to time.

Hope this helps

[hundert]

In air pistol each time you see athletes grabbing a screw driver, they're not adjusting for windage and elevation, they're adjusting the width of the rear sight.

As for windage and elevation, if one click makes you feel better do it, but you can't adjust based on previous 10 shots, that's just nonsense.

I never adjust my sights, and at the end of 60 shots plotted on one target are exactly centered. Always.

[David Levene]

In air pistol each time you see athletes grabbing a screw driver, they're not adjusting for windage and elevation, they're adjusting the width of the rear sight.

As for windage and elevation, if one click makes you feel better do it, but you can't adjust based on previous 10 shots, that's just nonsense.

I'm sorry but that's just plain wrong.

Of course they might sometimes be adjusting the width of the rear sight, but it's more likely that they will be adjusting the windage or elevation.

Over the course of a qualifying match the body's muscle tension will often change, resulting in a change of zero.

That will then be reset for the final when it might then change again, especially when you get to the last few potential medal positions.

[rmca]

In air pistol each time you see athletes grabbing a screw driver, they're not adjusting for windage and elevation, they're adjusting the width of the rear sight.

As for windage and elevation, if one click makes you feel better do it, but you can't adjust based on previous 10 shots, that's just nonsense.

I'm sorry but that's just plain wrong.

+1

[David M]

Some people are just scared of moving their sights.........
The ten ring is 3 to 4 clicks in diameter and its eyes
and body that change.

[dronning]

Some people are just scared of moving their sights.........

I don't remember which top ranked shooter it was, but when asked if he ever adjusted his sights during a match he said "yes I like to win".

- Dave

[left360]

Morini 162 requires a screw driver to adjust sights...

[PaulT]

Remember that on some pistols, if you adjust the rear sight gap, you are also adjusting the windage as only one side of the rear sight blade moves!

TIP – know how much movement each click gives for each of your guns. The distance one click makes to elevations is usually different to one click of windage.
If your pistol only has one side of the rear sight, move when you adjust the gap, check out in training how changing the gap moves your zero.

[David M]

This is what your shooting diary is for.....
You should have enough information to be able
to take the sight off the gun, strip, rebuild and
then put them back on within a couple of clicks.
Also have your sights marked or engraved with
witness marks, so you know where they are...