TargetTalk

I have a Hammerli 104, which I have been using for the last 20+ years.
I used to shoot a good A grade score - 530+. However, over the last 5 years my score has dropped. I have a new lens in my shooting glasses every 2 years.

Everyone is telling me that I should make the rear sight much wider. My front sight is 4mm wide, and the rear sight is 3.1mm.

Our ranges have very good light, so there is no problem there.

I know I have much more body & arm movement these days - Old age is catching up fast! I will be 75 in a couple of weeks, but I am determined to contine with my shooting.

At 25 metre shooting I can score around 90+ per 10 shots. In Air pistol I can score similarly. However at 50 metres it is a different kettle of fish.!

The Hammerli rear sight is Not adjustable, so has to be filed down. That makes any alteration Irreversable. Spare parts are very scarce.
My front sight lines up nicely, but I am open for suggestions as to whether I should cut the rear sight wider or not.

What is your advice, please?

Alex,

It's always scary to take a file to a sight, especially when parts are so scarce. Here are a couple of suggestions for what you might try before pulling out the file:

1. Since you are still aligning your 25M pistol well, why not try it at 50M? If your scores are as good or better than your Hammerli, that might tell you something.

2. Perhaps you can make a temporary rear blade out of plastic or even cardboard. You could tape it to your current rear and try different gap widths to see if you group better (there may not be enough elevation adjustment in your rear sight to allow you to shoot for score that way).

If you determine that a wider gap is called for, go for it - I doubt a gun with 20 years of use has a lot of collector value.

And kudos for being determined to continue - I fell your pain, and I'm "only" 69!

Regards,
FredB