A good cheek weld is repeatable if the rifle fits tightly in the same place every time the rifle is shouldered.

By Dave Morelli

ANYONE REMEMBER the movie Death Hunt with Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin? Definitely one of the better pictures of all time but one thing, other than Angie Dickenson, that I always remember about that flick is the way Lee Marvin settled his cheek into the stock when making the ultimate precision shot.

In portraying a marksman he accentuated the importance of cheek weld to a precise shot. Not only great acting but great shooting, too.

Although the scope has added to the precision of the modern rifle, it also can be the cause for imperfection if not used correctly.

Macmillan offers their stock with a variety of adjustable cheek pieces. This one is fitted with a hood that is adjusted in the field with the knob on the side.

Consistent line up of the eye to the scope with no shadow anywhere around the perimeter of the eyepiece is very important to precise shot placement especially as the distance increases.

Even with open sights or peeps, the correct line up of the eye with the sight picture needs to be consistent from shot to shot for accurate fire. The eye relief must be correct and to keep the sight picture consistent the cheek weld on a properly fitting stock must be addressed.

With the hunting rifle and open sights, the stock should be adequate to press against the shooter’s cheek with his or her eyes lined up correctly with the rear sight.

This allows the hunter to instantly create a sight picture the same as the last shot by applying the same pressure to the stock with the cheek. The same goes for a common hunting scope with low mounts.

A 40mm objective on a rifle with a smooth barrel (a barrel without sights) mounted low will usually have enough stock to give the shooter something to press against to get the proper cheek weld. But there is more to the cheek weld that helps line up the sights.

I like my stocks to fit right up under the cheekbone just under my eye. There is a spot that I can kinda hook the stock under the cheekbone and it is welded in the same place every shot. The angle and the height of the top portion of the stock must be precisely the correct height for this to happen and still have perfect alignment with the sighting device.

As the need for more precision increases, the more important it is to have a stock that is adjustable to the perfect cheek weld. Most precision riflemen opt for a 50 mm objective on their scopes these days.

This usually requires the scope to be mounted higher so it doesn’t contact the barrel. If the barrel is a heavier varmint style and is thicker, the scope might need to be higher still.

As this height increases it becomes difficult to get a good cheek weld and line up the scope so a perfect sight picture can be seen. Usually when the correct cheek weld is achieved, the shooter is looking at the bottom of the rear mount.

Here I am planning the hood placement for the M1A. The high mounting of the scope that is common with this rifle makes an adjustable cheek piece necessary for the high cheek weld. After-market hood from Defensive Edge is a great way to add an adjustable cheek piece on an existing rifle. They look good on the rifle and installation is easy. Notice the level angle of the cheek piece that is parallel to the scope.

Lifting the cheek away from the stock and having a mild weld so a good sight picture is seen is not an option because it cannot be repeated in an instant and with an accurate degree of consistency.

Also, as conditions change and the shooter is wearing heavier clothing for changing climate or changing to a different shooting position, some adjustment might be necessary to keep a consistent and comfortable cheek weld.

There are many ways to accomplish a good cheek weld. Companies like Blackhawk sell strap-on cheek rests that come in a variety of heights so they can be matched to the approximate amount of relief that is needed.

I needed a little more for my tactical rifle (M24 style) that has an HS Precision stock with adjustable length of pull. The scope is mounted low enough, but with the 50mm Nightforce scope on it I need a little lift for a good repeatable cheek weld.

They have a variety of cheek pads made from denier nylon and a non-slip material called Hawk Tex. They come in tie down, strap down, and different heights. I needed about ½ inch and the cheek pad did the trick. I do wish I would have gone with the adjustable cheek weld stock that HS Precision makes.

Precision rifle and stock manufacturers now produce stocks with just about any configuration of adjustable cheek weld stocks. For a precision rifle I would consider only stocks equipped with this adjustment.

Some are built right in and unless they are extended quite a bit they are unnoticeable. Others are a Kydex-type hood and are adjusted with knobs so they can easily be changed in the field, and some are made tight with screws or Allen bolts so they won’t change in the field.

The one thing I like about the hooded cheek rests is that they follow the angle of the top of the stock and when they are lifted they keep that angle. They can be fitted to hold the shooter’s eye straight into the scope. This makes for a more comfortable cheek weld for me.

Another option, especially if you already have a stock like the one on my M24, is an add-on hood. Shawn Carlock of Defensive Edge makes a hood that can be put on any rifle. It is a Kydex hood and comes with the necessary hardware to easily mount it to a stock you already have. It does require drilling two holes in the stock but the hood covers them. Shawn’s website, www.defensiveedge.net, includes articles on properly fitting the hood.

I have an M1A National Match from Springfield Armory. I tested a White Feather from Springfield Armory and one of the things that made the rifle more of a precision scoped rifle was the hood that McMillan put on the stock.

Anyone familiar with M1A type rifles know that scoping them means mounting the scope high on the receiver. The National Match that I bought didn’t have the hood on the stock and with the match sights I got a great cheek weld with it.

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I did want to use the rifle for longer-range precision shooting and mounting the scope made me use something more like a “chin weld” to see through the scope. Shawn’s hood gave me the cheek weld I needed to make precise long-range shots with the rifle.

Many long-range shooters know that not lining up the scope precisely and consistently causes problems that are seldom noticed at close range but jump right out and bite you as the range increases.

The precision marksman also knows that he must be able to quickly put his rifle to the shoulder and instantly and precisely be in the correct firing position for shot-to-shot consistency. The rifle must fit the shooter correctly in both length of pull and where the cheek contacts the rifle to achieve this.

Custom fitting the stock is one way to accomplish this task, but the adjustable cheek weld stock allows the stock to be changed with conditions and also changed to fit your partner if you share duty with the rifle.

This article appeared in the June 7, 2010 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine. To load up on a subscription, Click Here.

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Recommended resources for gun owners:

The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15 Vol. I

The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15 Vol. II

Gunsmithing the AR-15, How to Maintain, Repair & Accessorize

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