A5 stock mods. With pics.

[Keith Johns]

I shoot A5s and love the ability to offset the cheek piece so my head can be more vertical behind be scope... and with your head leaning less, what you’re looking at looks more level/plumb.

It’s the whole reason these cheek pieces offset left and right.


Problem with that is, when you go to shoot support side, you get screwed by the offset cheek piece.


If the cheek pieces were offered narrower as an aftermarket option, it would be like having both sides magically offset at once.
I’ve looked at it and it’s obvious it can be done and be cosmetically appealing.

Would anyone else be interested in a narrower cheek piece to fit mcmillan A series stocks?


Thanks!

 

[Vaportrail22]

I would

 

[AverageGrunt]

No

 

[Keith Johns]

I’m saying as an option. Not standard. So why “no”.

I’m considering making a mold and giving it a shot. I think it would take me quite a while to get the quality high enough to offer to anyone else though.

I would personally love one about 3/8” narrower than normal. Angled slightly like the top of the A6 cheek.

A guy could still favor one shooting side and both would be improved.

 

[Keith Johns]

If I make one I’ll size it to fit not only A series but Manners Stocks as well.

Brands aside, I’m curious how many other people would want one for their fiberglass stock using similar hardware. If enough people want one it will encourage me to make the mold and invest my time/money. I’m not under estimating the difficulty of molding a good cheek piece, so I’m not taking it on lightly.

I could mold myself a cheap hunk of epoxy, for a heavy fragile prototype, but the final product has to be much like the ones already proven to hold up in the field. I’m not reinventing anything. Just trying to get an option I’ve longed for.

 

[AverageGrunt]

That’s a big reason what makes manners a manners. I have a bergara and I hate how skinny that cheek piece is. Like the rifle but love love my manners

 

[Keith Johns]

Amazing!!!

 

[Keith Johns]

Ill be doing this to all mine.

Head can be vertical from both sides of the rifle.

I’ve wanted this for quite some time.

 

[Krazy_jim]

Looks a little off with the sharp shelf.

 

[Keith Johns]

I will finish this trial piece up soon.
I’m going to countersink carbon rods down each side and dish it out enough to cover with epoxy and sand it back down flat/flush/smooth, yet still have a lot of strength and some thickness to the epoxy shell. This will make it as strong as ever.

 

[Keith Johns]

What sharp shelf?

Good thing about fiberglass is I can do a lot with it. Anything, really.


This is a test piece I made in 10 minutes. The final product will be top notch and cosmetically every bit appealing as the original.

 

[Keith Johns]

I think the finished prototype will do the most justice. I’ll get it done soon.

These stocks are incredibly workable. I’ve chopped up more than a few stocks in the learning process but anything can be done with fiberglass.
Carbon shells with weak fills are another animal. But the way mcmillan molds their stocks you can do a LOT with them. It’s one of the reasons I’ve always preferred mcmillan stocks.


That sharp shelf I think you’re talking about below the cheek piece can be altered to blend perfectly. I can work below the gelcoat epoxy shell by simply going adequately past(deep), and refilling with the proper epoxy/glass mix. It doesn’t crack and is as strong as original when done right.


I can also shape the top of the cheek piece anyway I want and will be experimenting with that.



Here’s pics of the carbon cross bolts we put in almost every bed job we do. We have been experimenting with carbon reinforcing for years.

 

[Keith Johns]

It doesn’t feel any different to the cheek. Feels like just like the original, cause it is, just smaller.


I’m diggin it so far.

 

[Keith Johns]

Two of them ready to be tested tomorrow. One is .340” narrower, and the other is .360” narrower than factory, with the top angle left at the same angle, just brought in to thin the top and better achieve the goal here.

I damn near free recoil when shooting off barricades and similar obstacles, and having too long of a LOP or too large a cheek piece makes that difficult.
Along with my shorter than normal LOP (which I won’t get into right now), I think this narrower cheek piece will make that a little easier too.


We(Phoenix Custom Rifles LLC and our rifle team) will be taking some videos of our practices, the matches, and talking about our gear choices more on our YouTube channel.

I haven’t touched our YouTube channel in years so it’s in need of a revamping ASAP.
It won’t happen overnight but in 2019 we will be increasing our online presence, especially on YouTube.

 

[Keith Johns]

And btw, this “narrow” cheek piece now more closely matches many on the market. A lot of the chassis have cheek pieces sized more like this than the big fiberglass stocks.
It seems to me the wide cheek pieces on the fiberglass stocks are made with more attention being paid to matching the width of the stock below it than making it the best width for shooters to see well from BOTH sides of the rifle . (Its made to match the width of the stock), and making the stock itself thinner would give up stability and strength.

Next weekend there are two matches back to back so I’ll have a chance to measure a lot of different stocks cheek pieces and I’m curious to see the range of sizes. (I haven’t looked closely in the past and it’ll be nice to see them all at once).

Im not inventing anything new here guys. Just giving an option that already exists on other platforms. I’m surprised no one offers a variety of cheek pieces for them. Balancing weights would be a nice option too.

 

[Keith Johns]

The stock needs weight at the rear to balance right on barricades and such. So I added as much as possible to the rear of the stock.
The grip area was able to take more than it looks like cause there was a cavity in it I discovered, and the rear area was stair-stepped to avoid the cheek piece hardware but still take as much lead as possible.
Should balance better now with my new(heavier) barrel.

It’ll make it pretty later. With pics to follow.

 

[kabarNC]

Looks great! My A5 cheek piece is downright bulbous with a Wiebad cheek pad, good luck with this!

 

[Keith Johns]

Thanks. I’ve always loved A5s and they’re all I currently use.
We’re lucky to be an hour from mcmillan, and they have great service and have always been very helpful.
This, and how great their stocks are to work with, is why we always suggest Mcmillan.

There are quite a few good stocks out now, but the McMillans really are great to work with. When customers need their inlets changed or want hardware added, the stocks are just so easy to work with and make look like new no matter what happens.

 

[Keith Johns]

I’ve installed ingenuity and Area 419 rail systems on my A5s. Trying out both types.

The rear, angled, ingenuity block I cut teeth into to make it grip better. It’ll chew up barricades but man is it grippy.

I put lead in all my A5s to balance them better. Highly suggest it if your rifle is muzzle heavy.

And the narrow cheek pieces are a clear win. If more people tried it I believe they’d be sold. I see some guys shoot with their heads at damn near a 45 degree angle behind their scope. So much nicer with your head vertical. That’s the whole point of the cheek pieces being adjustable left and right... except mine is magically offset on both sides. If you ever shoot support side(weak side) it’s very nice.