# shotgun beating cheek



## BeaverPilot (Jan 2, 2003)

hey guys, got a question???? I have an ol beater mossberg 88 maverick, anytime I shoot it, it beats the livin daylight out of my cheek or nose! seems like I read or seen a show somewhere that says if you have this problem to shimm the buttstock on the bottom where it attaches to the main frame? am I correct with this? also if I am, what can I shim it with? thanks


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

The stock has lots of drop most likely...meaning it is far lower than the plane of the barrel. Shimming can help but not always. With a low stock, one has a tendency to lift there head slightly (or a lot depending on the drop). When this happens, the gun literally slaps you in the face. Poorly designed stocks can make even light kicking guns seem like magnums. Hard to really gauge what needs to be done in this case without seeing pictures of you shooting it....a good smith can take measurements and fit the gun to you but the expense in this case may not be worth it. Try Midway for stock shims or Brownells...both offer lots of gunsmithing items.


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## arrigo1 (Nov 16, 2007)

If the issue is stock drop, and it's not too severe, you can try this. I laid a bunch of strips of Dr Scholls Moleskin to the stock to raise it slightly. I wouldn't recommend this method if it needs to come up too far, but I raised my Rem 870 about a quarter inch. It is a cheap fix and it looks funny, but it is very comfortable. It won't help you shoot better if you keep raising your head, but it will hurt less.

I will try to send a photo.


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## SPH (Jan 20, 2004)

I have the same issue with my mossberg turkey gun. If any 3 or 3-1/2 inch is beats the tar out of my cheek. This is the only shotgun I have that does this so I just suck it up for sighting and 1 shot at a turkey each year.

I would be curious to see some other solutions for this.


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## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

I had similar ill-fitting stock on a 'beater' EAA single shot 12 ga except the comb was too high.

I finally realized that the length of pull was too short - if I slid my cheek back on the comb it fit. A cheap slip-on rubber buttpad extended it by 1" or so and made it a perfect fit.

Comb height will change with length of pull as most combs are tapered. To raise it though you would likely need to shorten your buttstock - sounds like you should just buy a slip-on comb height spacer kit, you can also use a cheapo slip on shell carrier and make your own 'stuffing' out of a neoprene mouse pad, pipe insulation, or similar foam. 

Cheap, ugly, and effective.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

jmoser said:


> I had similar ill-fitting stock on a 'beater' EAA single shot 12 ga except the comb was too high.
> 
> I finally realized that the length of pull was too short - if I slid my cheek back on the comb it fit. A cheap slip-on rubber buttpad extended it by 1" or so and made it a perfect fit.
> 
> .


Thats good advice right there as well...likely a cheap an easy fix.


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## Big Nic (Apr 23, 2004)

As another quick fix that is not too expensive I would recomend is a check pad over the comb of the buttstock. They are similar to what arrigo described but commercially made.

I like the cheek pad made by Kick -Ezz. It is a 1 /4 inch thick piece of sorbothane ( one of the best materials in the world for taming recoil punch)
that has a self adhesive backing. Just peel and stick over the comb and it comes down over the buttstock to offer a cheekpad that not only helps out deadening recoil but also slightly raises comb height. About 20 bucks last time I bought one.


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## dogwhistle (Oct 31, 2004)

i used to have to qualify with a mossberg pump with slugs and buck right before grouse season. i always dreaded it and was afraid of developing a flinch. what a P.O.S. that thing was.

i'd go with the final solution. unload it on some unsuspecting citizen and buy something decent


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## BeaverPilot (Jan 2, 2003)

well, I talked to a buddy the other day that said " I remember watching a gun show ( cant remember which one) and the tech tip was to shim with coins till you find the proper thickness" ding--- now I remember I seen the same show!!!!!!! so in keeping with the "cheap p.o.s. that the gun is I used pennys!!!! it worked ! I put one on each side on the bottom to raise the stock, shoots like a 391 now, well maybe thats a little to drastic, but it sure did help the recoil! thanks for the input guys!!!


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## shockwaves (Jan 4, 2008)

hmmmm.. mossberg, seems to be a reacuring problem with mossberg. i would say the best solution would be to throw the thing in the dump and get something new!!! other than mossberg


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## Anderson (May 17, 2005)

Don't want to hijack the thread but here goes anyway. I use to have a Savage 720 that thumped me everytime I shot it. The worst part was the area between my trigger finger and my thumb would be sore for two days after shooting it. I finally unloaded it at an auction. Could that gun be fixed?


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## Zarathustra (Oct 5, 2005)

This helped me:

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0010018223766a.shtml

in addition to aligning your eye better, the padding makes it easy on the cheek.


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## omega58 (Sep 3, 2003)

shockwaves said:


> hmmmm.. mossberg, seems to be a reacuring problem with mossberg. i would say the best solution would be to throw the thing in the dump and get something new!!! other than mossberg


Well, I shoot my Mossberg 930 better than my Beretta or my Benelli. . .and I have yet to have a problem with any of them. . .sorry, nothing wrong with Mossbergs. 

I've noticed that the Mossberg 930 and 935 that I own have a shorter LOP than my other semis when the shims are not installed. . .so, when you use the shims it increases LOP along with drop/raise and with a little dremel you can adjust cast. Being a lefty, I like to be able to adjust the cast of the gun so it actually fits me. Correct fit of a shotgun is not something to be overlooked. I would much rather have a $300 shotgun that I can shoot, than some $3000 gun that looks nice and I can't hit a thing with.

As far as cheap ways to shim, toothpicks work well for a quick and easy fix. . .and I see you used coins, which can work as well.


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## DHughes (Jan 22, 2005)

Keep in mind that when you add anything to the comb, you will raise the eye and therefore also raise the point of impact. The most common cause of "cheek slap" is an improper angle of the recoil pad. In other words,, when you shoulder the firearm, the recoil pad should make full contact with the shoulder top to bottom. Cheek slap occurs when there is an open space betweeen the top of the pad and the shoulder, allowing the gun to pivot up into the cheek upon firing the gun. 
Another thing that causes "cheek slap" is an improper gun mount. When the shooter actually lays the head/cheek over the stock instead of keeping the eyes level. The eyes should be kept level when mounting the shotgun. 
Mount the gun (make sure it's not loaded) while looking into a mirror and see if the head is laying over the stock. If the eyes are tilted, then you're laying over the stock.

About getting hit in the nose. The length of pull is probably too short. When the gun is mounted, there should be about 1 1/2 -2" of space between your thumb and your cheekbone.
A proper gun mount is the first thing that shoul be certain before changing anything else.


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