Thanks, Montefeltro Pro. You are confirming exactly what I thought about my Franchi shims. The lower the number, the flatter the shim is at the top, or the less ratio of difference in thickness from the top to the bottom. The shims which are thicker at the top (the higher numbered shims) will tend to point the barrel more downward and thus cause POI to be lower. I called customer service at Franchi, and the extremely pleasant lady who heped me, told me the exact oposite of what you advised - but it seemed as though she was just making up a quick answer, and that answer seemed wrong to me, just from a common sensed approach. ( the instruction manual does not detail the lowering or raising POI procedure ).