Cheek Rests in Benchrest

[michaelnel]

Hello

When I shoot my Savage 10 FCP HS Precision, I find it much easier to get my eye lined up on the scope when I raise my adjustable cheekpiece. I will be picking up my new Savage 12 Benchrest this afternoon, and it brings to mind this business of the cheek piece. I have seen lots of pictures of competition benchrest shooters, and they never seem to have cheekpieces in spite of the fact that it appears they tend to use scope mounts that hold the scope pretty high off the bore centerline.

Why is that? I do understand about free recoil shooting, which I think is used mostly for 100/200 yard benchrest competition, and I can see why you wouldn't want a cheek weld for that.

Do long range benchrest shooters try to not touch anything but the trigger too?

[sharpshooter]

Yes, you guessed right. The idea is to let the rest do the work, not the shooter. The rifle needs to recoil the same everytime.

[michaelnel]

Thank you Fred.

[acemisser]

[DennisPA]

I know this an old thread but I'll throw my two cents in. My wife and I compete in an 850 - 100 yards steel match. She shoots free recoil I do not. Yes Sharpshooter is right in that there are long range bench rest shooters shooting free recoil. But I think it depends a lot on the caliber. Last year I shot a 7 WSM in the 12lb pound class with a rifle closer to 10 pounds. Free recoil was not fun with that rifle. This year I will be rebarreling and moving up to the 17 lb class same caliber and adding weight to get as close to the 17 lbs as I can so maybe free recoil will be easier. But at the end of the day if I score better without free recoil then that’s the way I'm going to shoot. There is lots "schools of thought" in bench rest but I also think there is just a lot of sheep following the herd.

[yobuck]

Id think rather than follow the herd id be following the consistant winners.
Like learning to recognise the boats that catch fish.

[Fotheringill]

I do not shoot competitively, but the fewer parts of me interacting with the rifle, the better.

Just shoot the way you have been but place your right thumb in a different position than what you have been doing and see the difference in your groups with a little different pressure on the gazillion pound stock. Or, if you are a pincher, pinch a little differently.