Mitigating Cheek Slap

Ride5C2 · 03-06-2011, 11:01

OK, so a buddy of mine got me into sporting clays and now I'm using my 930 SPX a lot. I now have the hang of clays (more or less) and really enjoy it, but after a day of shooting (75-100 rds), my jaw is sore. The recoil is not bothering me at all, but can't seem to find a way to lower the impact to my right cheek.

The sore / stiff jaw lasts about 2-3 days. Any ideas on how to alleviate? I've heard that adjusting pull can help, but where / up / down , etc., is unclear to me.

***faawrenchbndr*** · 03-06-2011, 11:14

Will be watching this one,.........

LilWolfess · 03-06-2011, 12:12

I shoot a Remington 870 youth, and I guess my face doesn't touch the gun when I shoot. It gets really close, but never really makes any contact.

Feanor · 03-06-2011, 18:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ride5C2

OK, so a buddy of mine got me into sporting clays and now I'm using my 930 SPX a lot. I now have the hang of clays (more or less) and really enjoy it, but after a day of shooting (75-100 rds), my jaw is sore. The recoil is not bothering me at all, but can't seem to find a way to lower the impact to my right cheek.

The sore / stiff jaw lasts about 2-3 days. Any ideas on how to alleviate? I've heard that adjusting pull can help, but where / up / down , etc., is unclear to me.

The LOP on the 930SPX, whether with the pistol gripped stock, or straight stock, is already quite short as it is, and frankly it's not really much of a skeet machine in it's 18.5" SPX tactical dress. Modify your technique.

byf43 · 03-06-2011, 19:39

Get rid of the Mossberg and get a Remington 1100. Cheek slap and the pain will go away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by faawrenchbndr

Will be watching this one,.........

TwiztidKlownzTX · 03-06-2011, 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by byf43

Get rid of the Mossberg and get a Remington 1100. Cheek slap and the pain will go away.

Chevy vs Ford

Big Bird · 03-06-2011, 20:33

Cheek slap is caused for one of two reasons. You are not getting a good stock weld either because you have bad form or because the gun doesn't fit you. Or because you are pulling your head off the stock just before you break the shot. I can't comment on your form or stock fit since I can't see how you hold the gun etc. However, don't discount the likelihood that you are pulling you head off the stock just before you break the shot. This is VERY common because you want to see what happens down range! Most all shotgunners will be guilty of this at some stage of their development. Happened to me. I've seen it happen to lots of other people. the correction for it is you mentally have to will yourself to keep your head down. The easiest way to do that is to exaggerate your follow through....look for a broken piece of the target and continue to follow that after you break the shot etc. Follow through is critical when shooting moving targets just like when you swing a tennis racket or baseball bat. Not only does it keep you from shooting behind the target (because you stopped swinging too early) but it also forces you to keep you head down on the stock.

Since your new to shotguns I'm guessing your form is off. Have someone who knows their way around a shotgun at the local skeet club watch you shoot a round with you and ask them for their observations.

Ride5C2 · 03-07-2011, 09:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Bird

Cheek slap is caused for one of two reasons. You are not getting a good stock weld either because you have bad form or because the gun doesn't fit you. Or because you are pulling your head off the stock just before you break the shot. I can't comment on your form or stock fit since I can't see how you hold the gun etc. However, don't discount the likelihood that you are pulling you head off the stock just before you break the shot. This is VERY common because you want to see what happens down range! Most all shotgunners will be guilty of this at some stage of their development. Happened to me. I've seen it happen to lots of other people. the correction for it is you mentally have to will yourself to keep your head down. The easiest way to do that is to exaggerate your follow through....look for a broken piece of the target and continue to follow that after you break the shot etc. Follow through is critical when shooting moving targets just like when you swing a tennis racket or baseball bat. Not only does it keep you from shooting behind the target (because you stopped swinging too early) but it also forces you to keep you head down on the stock.

Since your new to shotguns I'm guessing your form is off. Have someone who knows their way around a shotgun at the local skeet club watch you shoot a round with you and ask them for their observations.

Big Bird,
Thank you. I appreciate the detailed advice. I'll give the shot follow-thru a try next time I'm out. Looking into finding a traps range to get the advice you mentioned as well.

Ride5C2 · 03-07-2011, 09:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feanor

The LOP on the 930SPX, whether with the pistol gripped stock, or straight stock, is already quite short as it is, and frankly it's not really much of a skeet machine in it's 18.5" SPX tactical dress. Modify your technique.

It's definitely not a skeet gun, I'm with you. But for sporting clays, it is a lot of fun and with the added poly choke, it's pretty effective.

vafish · 03-07-2011, 15:35

I agree with big bird. If you are keeping your head down on the stock you shouldn't be getting any slap.

David Armstrong · 03-08-2011, 12:03

As BigBird said, watch the stockweld. The most common cause of cheeck slap is not keeping the cheek firmly against the stock. FWIW, a thin sheet of sorbothane (available from Brownells) is a nice addition. It has a little give to it so you tend to push into it a little harder than you might otherwise.