Winchester Model 70 Ranger Update

M

Mosin-Marauder

New member
Took My Winchester Out Today, just thought of getting it on paper with some cheap steel case ammo first then fine tune with Federal hunting ammo. Anyway, after Three rounds I was surprised to find my Cheek, not my shoulder, was sore. It seems to have a lot of upwards jump and a HUGE Muzzle flash. I didn't shoot it for groups, but I will tomorrow. Anyway, just figured I would update. Any suggestions or tips are appreciated as always. Thanks for all the help with my last thread as well! I plan to post groups tomorrow as well. Overall the Rifle itself is awesome, wood is a nice light-ish brown, the bluing is very deep and everything functions like a dream. Iron Sights are nice to shoot with too.

Regards,

-Mo.
 
I wonder if the rest you're using is causing the upward torque. Most lighter rifles will have a bit of upward movement but I'm never experienced a sore check from it. Is your check far enough back? I wonder if the back of your thumb is hitting you or is it the stock itself. Try moving your your check further back on your stock and see if that helps. Being apprehensive of recoil may make you bear down with your check too much as well.
 
Lose the steel cased ammo. I apologize; what caliber is the rifle? How tall are you? If you are 6 feet or more, you might want to increase the length of the stock by throwing on a slip-on recoil pad, regardless of caliber.
 
Just a SWAG, but stocks on modern rifles position the head higher up to see through scopes. I believe you may be forcing your head down lower than normal in order to see through the iron sights. Muzzle jump will happen with any rifle, but by positioning your head lower is allowing the comb to hit your face more than usual.
 
What caliber is your rifle? Considering you're using steel cased ammo, I'm assuming it's .308?

Does your stock have a downward comb or is it a straight angle?

What position are you shooting it from?

My thought is that you've got what appears to be a fairly light rifle in .308. If the stock is not properly fitted to you, your body isn't rolling with the recoil the way it should be and any stock angle may contribute to an upward rise. It could also be that you've got your face low on the stock to look through the iron sights, as jmr40 suggested. If you're prone or shooting from a bench, I can only imagine your position exacerbating this.

I would see if the muzzle flash doesn't go away with better ammo also.
 
Everything I said before: That rifle doesn't deserve cheap steel-case ammo, but the Federal is OK. What I like about slip-on recoil pads is that they don't alter the rifle. But they increase the length of pull to get your thumb away from your face. The bench is fine for sighting in and load development/ammo evaluation. After that, consider the bench to be an adversary to good marksmanship. Your rifle is essentially a big-game hunting rifle and thus should be practiced with from positions that can be easily improvised in the field. I recommend sitting, kneeling, and standing-off-hand. For hunting, the standing-off-hand position is the most important to learn well, as it is often the only chance for a shot one might get. Since it is the most difficult position, it is all too often neglected by many shooters; but if you master it and maintain that skill, all other positions become so easy you'll feel like it's cheating. The majority of the rounds I send down range are from the standing position. Others may disagree, but I say, "Don't defile your rifle with a bipod. Stand up on your hind legs and shoot like a man.";) Just kidding, ...... a little.
 
What JMR said Mo, that comb is setup for a scope. I had a 444 Marlin that would knock your fillings lose, rather take it on shoulder than my face. Put a scope on it and it should move your cheek away enough to help.
 
"...surprised to find my cheek..." Stock is too short. Or you're crawling the stock. Either way you're face is too close to the receiver. The Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad mentioned will add about an inch for about $15. They make a 'Decelerator' slip on that runs about $30 from Cabela's too.
Where you rest the rifle matters too. Best place is the rifle's balance point. Usually just in front of the mag under the chamber.
 
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