How do you get consistent cheek weld?

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mooger31

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Hey guys, was just out doing a ladder test and let's just say the results were less than exceptional. I was shooting out to 300 yards for the test. The reason I think my group was kind of all over the place is because of inconsistent cheek weld changing my POA.

What tips or tricks do you have to keep a consistent cheek weld?
 
I have mine sit under the cheek bone. I make sure I feel it on cheek bone. That way I know if I'm in same spot. If its my teeth touching I know I'm not low enough.
 
I shoot with my mouth slightly open. This allows my jaw to relax and my head to settled more firmly on my cheek riser. If your cheek is not at the right height you will not have a good weld as your eye fights your position. Ensure you have proper eye relief as you may be unconsciously making minor corrections to make up for it.

Lots of practice glassing and shooting will allow you to eventually find position by muscle memory
 
If I sit for much more than 10 minutes I get cheek weld. Just standing up and stretching breaks the seal. :redface:
 
Ganderite said:
I don't shave on shooting day. I let my whiskers touch the stock, but not my skin. A very consistent feel.
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This is really ironic , as I make sure I have a fresh shave the night before a match. I attain a better feel with no facial hair. I do use a 3/8" dot of moleskin as a reference point on the comb where the cheek bone rests.
 
dryfire said:
This is really ironic , as I make sure I have a fresh shave the night before a match. I attain a better feel with no facial hair. I do use a 3/8" dot of moleskin as a reference point on the comb where the cheek bone rests.
Click to expand...

Hey - I like the moleskin idea - going to try that! ... I cant grow facial hair fast enough on my cheeks
 
Let me try again. "Cheek weld" to me is an issue for target rifle or other shooting events where the head (cheek) has to be rested on the stock.

When you mentioned a ladder test, I was thinking in terms of shooting a scoped rifle off a bench or in F-Class. A precision rifle loaded with precision ammo will show the effect of every variable in the system. In a ladder test you are trying to see the effect of one variable - powder charge. All the other variables should be reduced as close to possible to zero.

Your head can be a HUGE variable and the OP was astute in identifying it as an issue.

In a typical shooting rig, the rifle is supported under the forend and at the heel. By resting your head on the rifle, you are applying a variable weight of several pounds on the unsupported part of the rifle. This induces some flex on the stock/bedding and also creates a variable to the way the rifle moves on recoil.

To make the rifle react as much as possible the same way on every shot, the head should not touch the stock. As mentioned, I control this with whisker pressure to position my head in the exact same position, without any pressure on the stock.

Most rifle are heavy enough that they can be shot "free recoil". That is, the butt is positioned a half inch or more off the shoulder, so that the rifle recoils without any influence of either cheek pressure or shoulder pressure.

By removing these large variables, subtle variables like 0.3 gr more or less powder can be seen.
 
In talking with some really good shooters last weekend, I got the general idea that as little pressure as possible works for most.
So I've made a few adjustments to try out next time.
 
Double check your parallax on your scope, as a poor parallax setting will amplify a bad or non existant cheek weld.

If your scope is mounted to high, making your own cheek piece or buying one will help. Ifnthe scope isnt the right hieght without a cheekpiece then it doesnt matter what whisker or cheekbone touches the riflestock, it wont be consistent.
 
As noted, having your stock set up properly Weill make constant cheek weld easier and more comfortable.

Sit behind your gun in prone looking at a target for ten straight minutes without breaking cheek weld. Sore or uncomfortable a short way in? Your stock probably needs a riser on it to get you to the correct height.
 
I stuck a cut wood match stick in a lil rubber bumper on my cheek rest and my nose touches it when im perfect :p as stupid as that sounds

when it kicks I may have to stick it in again or replace it occasionally if it breaks but the lil rubber Bumper thing has a hole in the middle
 
Good thread. My experience is similar to Ganderite's. The less pressure I put on the stock with my shoulder/cheek, the more consistent my groupings. Nice to have it reinforced as I've been experimenting with more and less pressure on both. On another note, I have been noticing that my rifle torques left on all shots due to the right hand rifling. I was thinking of trying to counteract the twist, but think I'll leave it alone to be as consistent as possible. Has anyone designed/manufactured a muzzle brake built in a semi-spiral to counteract rifling twist? Combined with ports angled slightly upward, that should create a brake that basically held the rifle steady with little to no interraction with the shooter. It would have to be designed taking into account the the length of barrel, the calibre and the twist rate. Just a thought.
 
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