Chin Weld

[roypark]

At the A clinic I found out I was getting behind the rifle wrong all this time. Randall helped me realize that I needed to line up behind the rifle better. It felt awkward at first, but I'm getting used to it with dry fire practice at home. But now that I'm getting behind the rifle differently, my cheek weld feels more like a chin weld. Am I doing something else wrong now?

[DirtRacer151]

At the A clinic I found out I was getting behind the rifle wrong all this time. Randall helped me realize that I needed to line up behind the rifle better. It felt awkward at first, but I'm getting used to it with dry fire practice at home. But now that I'm getting behind the rifle differently, my cheek weld feels more like a chin weld. Am I doing something else wrong now?

Sounds like maybe you need a stock pack or need to add foam to your existing pack.

[roypark]

The stock pack and foam are pretty high already. Do you think I need to build it higher? It feels too high already. I can get my cheek on it but then my head ends up canting to the side. I don't have high cheek bones like you anglos. I have a big Korean face. Hahaha. I end up with the chin weld in an effort to keep my head vertical. Should I just cant my head to the side and use my cheek?

[DirtRacer151]

The stock pack and foam are pretty high already. Do you think I need to build it higher? It feels too high already. I can get my cheek on it but then my head ends up canting to the side. I don't have high cheek bones like you anglos. I have a big Korean face. Hahaha. I end up with the chin weld in an effort to keep my head vertical. Should I just cant my head to the side and use my cheek?

I tilt my head just a little. I don't see any other way to get your eye directly inline with the scope unless you tilt at least a little. Your cheeck should be smashed in against your pack which will minimize the tilt as much as possible.

[Juice5610]

See avatar I tilt just a bit.

[shooter65]

[Big Dang Bang]

Roy
I had the same head tilting issues as you but after Seth's info at the A clinic I was trying the get my head more straight up and down as he had mentioned. What I found out in adding more padding to my stock to get my eye level with the scope was that I was wrapping the padding around the top of the stock which moved my head up but was also moving it out to the side which caused me to tilt my head even more. I ended up cutting some new padding and laying it only over the top edge and over the opposite side of the stock then using some electrical tape to hold it in place then covered it with a stock sleeve. This allowed my head to be at less of a tilt but still elevated enough to line up with the scope.

Hope this helps.

[Juice5610]

What you guys seem to be forgetting is that everyone is different. What works for one guy will not work for the other guy. I think as long as you make sure that your not "craining" or straining your muscles in anyway to keep your head up you should be good. Its not set in stone guys. Do what works for you BUT do it consistently. Which is where the cheek bone to stock comes into play.

[johnlee]

The stock pack and foam are pretty high already. Do you think I need to build it higher? It feels too high already. I can get my cheek on it but then my head ends up canting to the side. I don't have high cheek bones like you anglos. I have a big Korean face. Hahaha. I end up with the chin weld in an effort to keep my head vertical. Should I just cant my head to the side and use my cheek?

I have a fat face and I like to shoot with my head as vertical as possible:



There's some tilt but not a lot:



My comb is set up as low as it will go. The AI stocks are straighter than most factory stocks though. Top dead center of my comb is just a hair below the bore's axis. I can't even get a cleaning rod straight down the bore without removing the comb.

I'll often ask other club members if I can take a peek through their scopes, and most of the rifles are set up such that I can't even look through the scope if I use my usual head position. Just to peek through the scope, I have to tilt my head to the side like this:



I notice Steven shoots with his head tilted as well:



Here's Seth from pretty much the same angle:



You can how much more vertical Seth's head is compared to Steven's and how much straighter his body is behind the rifle.

Everyone's different. I prefer my head vertical. Forward tilt doesn't bother me but sideways tilt does. I like having the landscape level with my eyes for some reason.

[Gnzrme]

I have to keep correcting myself from canting behind the rifle... Straight back is better for less jump and lining up shots....

[johnlee]

I can't believe you can get behind the rifle at all. I was stunned when I saw your comb:



That may or may not be the tallest comb I've ever seen, but it's definitely the widest. I think you have a few inches of cast-on effect for your face. You have to tilt your head over to peep through the scope:



I'm not Joe Expert Sniper Killer Marksman, but it looks to me as though you subconsciously angle your body away from the centerline of the rifle to make your head more comfortable when angled to the side like that.

[Gnzrme]

I can't believe you can get behind the rifle at all. I was stunned when I saw your comb:



That may or may not be the tallest comb I've ever seen, but it's definitely the widest. I think you have a few inches of cast-on effect for your face. You have to tilt your head over to peep through the scope:



I'm not Joe Expert Sniper Killer Marksman, but it looks to me as though you subconsciously angle your body away from the centerline of the rifle to make your head more comfortable when angled to the side like that.

Have you seen my hair or lack there of.... Which, btw, you always manage to get a good shot of my bald spot.....

[johnlee]

Your hair looks just fine to me. But you don't look too comfortable behind your rifle. I think your comb is too wide.

I also notice you don't like position shooting. One reason might be because the head is more erect in standing and kneeling than than in bipod prone, and it's really hard for you to get your eye behind the scope with that wide of a comb.

[buffybuster]

I can't believe you can get behind the rifle at all. I was stunned when I saw your comb:



That may or may not be the tallest comb I've ever seen, but it's definitely the widest. I think you have a few inches of cast-on effect for your face. You have to tilt your head over to peep through the scope:



I'm not Joe Expert Sniper Killer Marksman, but it looks to me as though you subconsciously angle your body away from the centerline of the rifle to make your head more comfortable when angled to the side like that.

Steven,

Is this your comb? WTF dude. I can't believe how much you have built it up, considering you don't have a thin face.

Looking that these pictures, you don't look comfortable behind the rifle. My advice: Take all that shit off and start over..........

[Gnzrme]

I think you are correct... I so cannot wait until my manners stock gets here.... Maybe in the meantime, I will just shave the sides of the foam, maybe that would take some of the width out....

[roypark]

I had a similar ghetto set up to Steven's with shop towels folded up under my cheek rest. So this week, I went to Home Depot and picked up some pipe insulation to cut down on the build up of material on the sides of my stock. I am now able to get my head more vertical but rather than resting the stock high up on my cheek, it feels more comfortable resting it right on my TMJ. That's why I was calling it a chin weld.

I went to the range this afternoon after court to zero my scope since I had to move it forward. It definitely feels more comfortable like this and I was able to, more or less, stay on target even when shooting off the concrete (most of the time).

I know shooting for groups is pretty pointless in this game we play, but its how I measure my progress. So I end every range session with a group. This group could have been pretty good until the 5th shot. I don't know why that 5th shot ALWAYS messes with my head.



I think I'm pretty close to having a good zero. Now I can spend Saturday gathering some DOPE for this scope and practicing positional.

[Juice5610]

I don't know why that 5th shot ALWAYS messes with my head.

Don't you just HATE that lol

[Gnzrme]

if I dont build it up that high, then I cannot get a good site picture.....and my bell is just clearing the top of the bbl, so I really cannot get lower rings....

[buffybuster]

if I dont build it up that high, then I cannot get a good site picture.....and my bell is just clearing the top of the bbl, so I really cannot get lower rings....

I've seen your face ...... You shouldn't have to build up the comb that WIDE to get a good sight picture. Maybe we need to spend some time and get you fitted properly to your stock.

[GforceJunkie]

The width is what kills me. I need my pad pretty high, but I want ZERO added to the width. I've even slit open the back of the blackhawk stock pack and removed the 1/8" foam in the side of it. Seth had a good method he mentioned at the A clinic, cut a mouse pad or 1/4" foam sleeping pad into 1/2" wide strips and tape them down to the top of the stock. Build to the height you need, put a stock pack over it if you want it to look nice. If I knew I would not have to shoot weak side...I'd build an offset cheek piece!

[Juice5610]

The width is what kills me. I need my pad pretty high, but I want ZERO added to the width. I've even slit open the back of the blackhawk stock pack and removed the 1/8" foam in the side of it. Seth had a good method he mentioned at the A clinic, cut a mouse pad or 1/4" foam sleeping pad into 1/2" wide strips and tape them down to the top of the stock. Build to the height you need, put a stock pack over it if you want it to look nice. If I knew I would not have to shoot weak side...I'd build an offset cheek piece!

Ive said it once I'll say it again Hook and loop tape(velcro tape) Builds it straight up without the width and doesn't move around on you.

[GforceJunkie]

I tried that and it wasn't stable enought. But then again, I need about 1" of rise plus what the stock pack adds. Right now I have a karsten adjustable cheek rest under the pack, but It is too wide for my liking. Now that I'm set with this new scope, I'll be making a more permenate, rock solid riser.

[johnlee]

if I dont build it up that high, then I cannot get a good site picture.....and my bell is just clearing the top of the bbl, so I really cannot get lower rings....

I think what's happening is that you're so accustomed to leaning your head over and laying it down on the stock canted that you don't like it when the comb is standard width. As Yoda said, "you must unlearn what you have learned". It might help if you pointed in at a full-length mirror in your house and looked at your head angle. It probably will look very tilted.

I like this pic of James:



I'm sure his head is tilted a little, but it's looking very verticalish from that angle. For sure, there's no mega tilt of his head to the side. Here's another shot:



Once again, it's very verticalish.

Like your scope, James' scope is mounted very low to the bore. It looks to me as though his comb is about as high as the boreline:





However, James' comb is standard width. There's no side padding there at all.

Randall's comb is at about the same height:



Just as on James' rifle, the comb is standard width and not built up sideways.

I'm not saying you should configure your weapon exactly as James and Randall have done, but rather just giving examples of two rifles that fit the shooter well. Neither one of them has side padding like this:

[Gnzrme]

guess I never realized that it was that thick....It just seems to fit me right where it needs to be...even standing....thats what I used when I fitted it and then tried it in prone and it seems to be fine....

[oni]

guess I never realized that it was that thick....It just seems to fit me right where it needs to be...even standing....thats what I used when I fitted it and then tried it in prone and it seems to be fine....

Why did you test it standing?

You want it to fit you perfectly from prone as that is where most of the shots are taken from and the most stable position.

[Gnzrme]

because that is the place where I seem to have the hardest time getting a good sight picture...and it was just as good in prone as standing....

[roypark]

Steven, I have some extra pipe insulation after I did my stock. I can bring it to the match if you want to try to fiddle with it. I just used double sided tape to stick it to my stock. Its a lot narrower than the folded shop towel I had in there before AND I was able to make it higher than the shop towel.



Let me know and I'll bring it.