Homemade Adjustable Cheek Rest for Rifles (Re-upload without so much music)

[@cliffwarmoth9070]

Thanks for a great, easy to understand video!

[@patrickmchenry2217]

We should all revolt against the synthetic stock dominance which is just cheapness on the part of gun manufacturers. If every rifle I buy needs a cheek piece made or swap for a Boyd’s stock than what’s the point? 95% ready out of the box is all I’m asking. Just mount scope.

[@DrThunder88]

Don't be mistaken: Boyds screws this up too. Their combs are set way too low to be useful on scoped rifles. I did shell out the extra $60 for one of their adjustable comb Tacticools back when that's what they called the Pro Varmint, but even that gets maxed out with a modestly sized objective bell.

[@patrickmchenry2217]

Good job on the custom cheek piece. Thanks for reply. I’m still learning and this has been a discovery of sorts. Happy shooting!

[@ActinOut]

@patrickmchenry2217 Not entirely. While I agree that wood stocks are much better and I prefer them as well. Manufacturer's aren't doing synthetic stocks to be cheap. More hunters are asking for lighter weight guns like synthetics than heavier wood stocks and they are seeking to meet that demand. I don't like synthetics because they have more recoil. Which brings up another growing trend. Because lightweight synthetics lead to more felt recoil... more rifle owners who buy them are seeking guns with muzzle breaks and also buying silencers to compensate for the increased felt recoil. While Manufacturer's are reaping the benefits of cheaper to build synthetic stocks, it's also being off set in many cases by increasing demands for accuracy in rifles, so a lot of the "savings" from synthetic stocks are moving over to technology that contribute to accuracy (generally speaking).

[@patrickmchenry2217]

@@ActinOut very good points! I believe “shoot what you have” is really my motto. Good thing they are making wood stocks for off the shelf rifles at the moment. I hope this stays the norm.

[@ChrisLKirby]

Great work! Takes confidence to just drill into a stock like that. I'm wondering if these risers are something that could be 3D printed...

[@DrThunder88]

Thanks! The 3D printing question is an interesting one. It's certainly possible. My own printer is a fairly basic model, and it has a big enough print volume to create the part. Really it boils down to whether it's more economical and whether the materials are comparable. By some fairly rough calculations it seems that a cheek rest like this would need about 100 grams of filament, so just over $2 per piece for PLA or ABS. The kydex sheet runs about $10 per square foot, and I can usually get two rests out of one square foot. So kydex would be $5 per piece. However, I would also say the economy of time strongly favors Kydex. Even starting from scratch with minimal tools, I could whack out a new wooden mold in an hour, and it will be good basically forever. Moreover, a half-round profile on the mold will fit over almost any comb. I've made specific comb profiles for specific rifles, but a universal size and shape will always work. Fabricating the Kydex blank is similarly fast once a template is on hand. Printing a cheek piece would take the better part of a day, especially if it's going to be 100% infill. And a printed cheek piece would need to be solid to take advantage of PLA's only mechanical property advantage over Kydex: its tensile strength. Really though, this isn't a huge advantage, and any errors in printing the layers are going to compromise it. The biggest advantage Kydex has over either PLA or ABS is its resistance to impact, where it's twice as strong ABS and seven times stronger than PLA. It's also harder than the usual printer plastics, making it better for bearing up against the metal hardware used to attach and adjust it. So, I don't think 3D printing is going to replace thermoforming for this type of cheek piece any time soon, though there undoubtedly are a number of applications where it would be useful. In fact, now that you've mentioned 3D printing in this context, it gives me an idea...

[@gregggruse2522]

Would beneficial to know how you cut out the out perimeter of the blank. Very good video otherwise! Thanks!

[@DrThunder88]

Fair point! In truth, anything that can make round cuts in 1/8" thick plastic will do the trick. I've used a jigsaw, bandsaw, and scroll saw. If I were smart, I would have made a wood template and cut the blank out with a router and 1/4" patterning bit. That might make the slots cleaner too.

[@gregggruse2522]

Thanks for the info! What method in your experience would give the cleanest outside edge appearance? Thanks

[@DrThunder88]

@@gregggruse2522 While I expect the router method would be the cleanest, I don't have any firsthand experience to confirm that. I recall the bandsaw cut needing the least cleaning up, but they all required a little hand sanding to get rid of saw marks and smooth out any horns on the edges. Fortunately, Kydex plays well with sandpaper at low speeds. If you use a power sander, things can get a little gummy.

[@gregggruse2522]

Thanks again!

[@DrThunder88]

@@gregggruse2522 You're quite welcome, and thank you for watching!

[@eddieabd8151]

That's a pro work 👍👍👍👍👍 I trying to find a way to make cheek pad or riser for a folding stock on vz2008 !!!!!!! I know my option is limited on that !!!!! But who knows maybe I'll find a way Rather than spending a big buck on a fab stock or magpul . Thanks for the video 👍👍👍

[@OscarLopez-gq4he]

You think magpul is expensive , you should see the prices on a zenitco stock

[@carlosnavarrojr.6912]

What exactly is kydex? How do you spell it correctly so I can get some from mcmaster carr

[@DrThunder88]

"Kydex" is the trade name of an acrylic/PVC blend. Thankfully, all you need to search for on the McMaster-Carr website is "kydex", and it should take you right to the same stuff I used!

[@carlosnavarrojr.6912]

DrThunder88 thanks bud, this was a really neat video and your cheek rests look cooler than overpriced ones I’ve seen online or at stores. I’m gonna make myself one for my M1A

[@DrThunder88]

@@carlosnavarrojr.6912 Good luck with your project! Let me know how it turns out.

[@pearlrival3124]

what you just wrote on dens channel was incredibly well spoken and brutally accurate. new sub for such an impressive comment.