Hey, I am trying to perfect my shot and think that the temperature might be a problem. I have a gaggia baby class and a stepless conical burr grinder. I am consistent with the amount of bean I use, the grinder quality, and the tamp but I still find a lot of variability in my shots. I read online that a temp of 204 degrees is ideal plus or minus half a degree. When I run just water through my machine after letting it warm up for an hour its around 180 degrees right after the boiler light turns off. When I pull a shot the shot is around 145-150 degrees. Should my shots be hotter?

Thanks in advance

That depends on what the coffee is. Often a one degree change can make the difference between a good shot and a sink shot. Unfortunately it can be difficult to hit the specific mark needed by a particular coffee with many of the smaller machines. It also depends on how you measure the temperature. Here are a couple good links to read up on.

Seeking low tech way to measure brew temperature

Grouphead probe temperature vs. cup temperature

This is obviously ignoring the other questions like how old are your beans, how accurate is your dose, etc...