Cheek Relief

[trapperjohn]

sdnative13 - I would encourage you to check out the So CAL Skeet Clinics put on by Don Ziegler and Captain Richard. They are the BEST way to learn/re-learn the fundamentals of shotgun shooting (albeit with a skeet purpose), for NOT A LOT of money. They will take the time to explain proper fit, cheek weld, mounting and sighting - then have you shooting a couple of rounds with nearly constant feedback.

If you're coming from San Diego, you could look for clinics scheduled on a Saturday/Sunday of the same weekend, stay the night in the area, and get an unequaled amount of coaching and shooting in!

[LynnJr]

As was mentioned earlier the stock must fit you properly first then your technique is critical.

I have a friend who uses what they call mole skin and some talc so his cheek slides better.If the gun recoils and your face is grabbing the stock you will split your cheek wide open.If its hot and your sweating it gets worse.

On my trap guns I bought a cheap plain stock and built it up with bondo until the fit was perfect then I had it duplicated.

If your lifting your head you are either not seeing the bird or anticipating the bird.

[Thefeeder]

Or if not mount. Then fit.

I'll go with this one

[Thefeeder]

Well... Shotgun go "BIG BOOM" so i figure somebody had to be the voice of reason on this post. Sometimes a day at the range will leave you feeling it. Stop letting the "BIG BOOM" beat your face up.

And... Another :-) for you sensibilities!

Hate to tell ya.....but the wife puts hundreds of rounds in the 12ga Boom Stick and can do it all again the next day....go figure

[actium31]

Hate to tell ya.....but the wife puts hundreds of rounds in the 12ga Boom Stick and can do it all again the next day....go figure

My point exactly! And busting b@!!$ a little...

[midlife]

I'll go with this one

I bet it's your mount. Not the fit. Ask a coach to help you.

[mikey357]

So I took out my new 870 express yesterday and shot 3 round of trap (75 total shots) and at the end of it, my cheek bone had a nice little welt (lump). It didn't affect my shooting but just wondering if there is something I can do differently to prevent this in the future as today my jaw and cheek are a bit sore? Initially I thought I was placing the rifle too low but now I am not sure.

How much pressure are you putting on the stock? Too much and it will hurt, too little and the comb will hit you on your cheek and same results. If you have to put a lot of pressure to get the right look, you may have to drop the comb more. If you have to raise your head and not put any pressure on the comb, you may have to raise the comb some. You can use shims to accomplish this.

[mjsweims]

Sounds like the mount - that is why it is referred to as cheek weld. Your head should not move relative to the stock until after you have fired. If you are still getting beat up then have the fit checked.

[r1ghtw1ng]

I too got bruised cheeks when I first started trap. The best advice I received when mounting was to bring the shotgun up to your face, and not your face down to the shotgun. You should exaggerate the chicken wing of your trigger arm as well. Mounting a sporting shotgun is much different than mounting a rifle.

[savannah]

Your cheekbone (zygomatic arch) should be firmly welded to your gun. When raising your gun up to your face, weld it to your shotgun and don't lift your head even a little. My husband gets the cheek slap sometimes. It was very hard to tell that he was lifting his head just a little because, his face was still on the gun, but he had released the weld of the arch of his cheek just slightly. The second shot would slap him.

Practice raising your shotgun to your cheek over and over and get the muscle memory of mounting your shotgun to your cheek comfortably. Raise your gun from ready position to having the gun welded to your cheek. If you are seeing the back of your receiver, you may need to raise the comb a bit so you are seeing straight down the rib of your gun. You may being raising your head because you need a higher comb.

I got a "Scope Eez" on my Beretta to raise the comb 1/4".