Cheek Weld Pressure Help - POA changes

[WildcatHill]

Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster on the Forum. Being from and hunting primarily in New England all my life, and being new to long-range shooting, I've realized very quickly that things that don't make much of a difference at 100yds have dramatic accuracy effects at 250+yds. Had a question that I'm having trouble finding an answer on by searching threads... will try to explain this clearly...

I noticed while shooting bipod/prone with a small bag under the stock last weekend that my cheek pressure/cheek weld on the stock has an effect on the rifle's point of aim in the sense that, all other movings parts and joints held as motionless as possible, my crosshairs drift about 1MOA down and 2 MOA left when I apply my cheek weld on the gun vs. it not contacting the gun (i.e., the shift is observed while the gun is supported by bipod and shoulder/bag only while keeping my eye on plane with the scope, and just rotating my head minutely to apply/relieve stock pressure).

I was shooting consistently about .75MOA with the rifle (which is pillar and epoxy bedded) at 100yds and this has never presented a noticible problem, but I just happen to notice, and my question boils down to this... Is that okay, or am I doing something wrong (albeat consistent and repeatable) that is putting stress on the gun in an underisable way?

Thank you to anyone that can provide some insight.

 

[kraigWY]

It's about consistency. If it's constant it wont change your point of impact. Don't push your head down, don't hold it up. Rest your head, or cheek on the stock to the point you have a chip monk look at your cheek. But its about consistency. If you just rest your head the same way, it will be consistent.

 

[RobertB]

And always make sure your parallax on your scope is set right.

When set up correctly you can move your head behind the scope and your reticle appears to stay in the same spot rather than moving around.

Consistent cheek welds are important to but parallax can and will help.

Good luck

 

[sobrbiker883]

POA shift=parallax
POI shift=inconsistend cheek weld (including pressure)

 

[trailrider121]

Wildcat,

Thanks for post this question. I have been thinking about cheek weld pressure and how much to apply. Also thanks to the guys that replied with cheek weld pressure.I will try to just rest my cheek and make sure its consistent. I will try not to induce stress, as this maybe my cause.

 

[WildcatHill]

It's about consistency. If it's constant it wont change your point of impact. Don't push your head down, don't hold it up. Rest your head, or cheek on the stock to the point you have a chip monk look at your cheek. But its about consistency. If you just rest your head the same way, it will be consistent.

This is what I figured - thank you for clarifying!

Like I said, been shooting many many years but rarely longer than 150 until recently, so finding myself questioning some things I hadn't given much thought to before.

 

[kraigWY]

Forgot to add, or stress, the head has to be straight up, not tilted.

 

[WildcatHill]

Forgot to add, or stress, the head has to be straight up, not tilted.

Aha - THAT makes a big difference. I think I've been doing this with a slight tilt, thanks for the input - time for some dry fire practice then hit the range.

 

[Punisher3]

Consistency = Accuracy

Try this as a starting point..Line up behind the gun with the scope caps closed. Get comfortable and use a rear bag to keep pulse off of the weapon. When you lay your cheek on the comb, pretend as if you are laying on it to go to sleep - completely relaxed. No neck tension, and no downward pressure. Than, assuming your scope is mounted in the correct spot and your eye relief is correct. If it is, move onto parallax - which should be done every time you get behind glass (in my opinion).

How to adjust for parallax:
Get in a good, proper relaxed position, pop open caps and check for scope shadow. If present, move head until it’s gone (if you have to move your head forward, you can either move scope, or collapse butt stock). Then, aim on target and adjust ocular lens until reticle is super crisp (@ full magnification). Then, turn parallax knob until target is crisp. Once target is nice and crisp, aim at specific POA on the target (find a straight line or something small that you can identify a very specific POA) and move head up and down slightly to see if POA shifts. If it does, slightly adjust ocular lens until crisp again, then make target crisp again using parallax knob and try again. Repeat until no or VERY minimal movement is present.

Remember, consistency is everything in precision shooting. Good luck, hope this helps!

 

[ShtrRdy]

Doing a search for a "cheek weld pressure" discussion brought me to this old thread. I'm still struggling with cheek weld both in terms of Point of Impact and where the scope ends up pointing after firing a shot.

1. I've noticed for quite a while now that if I get behind the rifle and fire a few shots they might end up about 1/2" to the left of the aiming point. The next time I get behind the rifle and fire a few shots they could end up 1/2" to the right of the aiming point. They can also end up high, low, and a combination. What are the things I should look out for that might cause this?

2. When I fire a shot most of the time my crosshair will end up high and left. Sometimes to a large extent like 10 moa off. Recently I tried reducing the amount of pressure I'm applying with my head. I allowed my cheek to contact the cheek rest but wasn't applying much pressure. The crosshair ended up high a little and to the left very little. So now I'm thinking my head placement on the cheek pad is causing the back end of the rifle to go right and down when the shot is fired. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks --- Todd

 

[CharlieNC]

POA shift=parallax
POI shift=inconsistend cheek weld (including pressure)

Yes. To elaborate, cheek pressure is a component of NPA. Upon pulling the trigger and recoil is initiated, the muzzle will be directed based upon those factors violating NPA. I have a tendency to use heavy cheek pressure to achieve a steady aim, but then do not maintain squeezing the rear bag sufficiently so shots go high. Good NPA trumps the criticality of consistency.

 

[Precision Underground]

Searching for an answer to this and came across this thread. How does cheek pressure fit into recoil management? Heavy cheek pressure gives me a super steady hold but i can see how that could push the rifle sideways in recoil. I don't want to start any bad habits. Is heavy cheek pressure ok as long as the rear bag and the squeeze on it remain constant and firm?

 

[lash]

Searching for an answer to this and came across this thread. How does cheek pressure fit into recoil management? Heavy cheek pressure gives me a super steady hold but i can see how that could push the rifle sideways in recoil. I don't want to start any bad habits. Is heavy cheek pressure ok as long as the rear bag and the squeeze on it remain constant and firm?

See this post for your answer:

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...essure-help-poa-changes?p=3084717#post3084717

Consistency = Accuracy

Try this as a starting point..Line up behind the gun with the scope caps closed. Get comfortable and use a rear bag to keep pulse off of the weapon. When you lay your cheek on the comb, pretend as if you are laying on it to go to sleep - completely relaxed. No neck tension, and no downward pressure. Than, assuming your scope is mounted in the correct spot and your eye relief is correct. If it is, move onto parallax - which should be done every time you get behind glass (in my opinion).

How to adjust for parallax:
Get in a good, proper relaxed position, pop open caps and check for scope shadow. If present, move head until it’s gone (if you have to move your head forward, you can either move scope, or collapse butt stock). Then, aim on target and adjust ocular lens until reticle is super crisp (@ full magnification). Then, turn parallax knob until target is crisp. Once target is nice and crisp, aim at specific POA on the target (find a straight line or something small that you can identify a very specific POA) and move head up and down slightly to see if POA shifts. If it does, slightly adjust ocular lens until crisp again, then make target crisp again using parallax knob and try again. Repeat until no or VERY minimal movement is present.

Remember, consistency is everything in precision shooting. Good luck, hope this helps!

 

[Precision Underground]

See this post for your answer:

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...essure-help-poa-changes?p=3084717#post3084717

Thanks for the reply. I saw that one and it seems my cheek rest needs to be larger to get my head back to the left some per the test. I'll rig up a higher comb and see how it works. I guess it does take the amount of pressure out of the equation if its just resting there. It still seems like that could be a non-symmetrical pressure on the rifle for the recoil to exploit considering how heavy a head is.

 

[lash]

Just keep in mind that you are not sleeping on the cheek rest like a pillow, you are resting your cheek on it with your head pretty much vertical.

 

[Dougie308]

On my 700 I actually have a foam earplug glued on the stock pack where my cheek should sit so I am in the same spot every time. Took a little trial and error, but it works for me.