Bradley Cheek Rest ... ever any coupons or promo codes?

[GBExpat]

I would like to buy a Bradley Adjustable Cheek Rest but, quite frankly, I am a little bit put off by the $113 price tag ... followed by the additional $9 for shipping ... so ...

... I figured that if they historically offer deals at certain times of the year, someone reading this forum may just be aware of it and share the information with me/us.

Thank you.

 

[Varminterror]

You dead set on a Bradley? Less expensive, less hideous options do exist.

 

[GBExpat]

You dead set on a Bradley? Less expensive, less hideous options do exist.

Hahaha ... no, it does not have to be a Bradley.

Just looking for something reliable & adjustable that I can (relatively) easily move among a number of longguns without having to mod any of the stocks ...

... and, actually, I do not much care what the item looks like so long as provides a decent cheekbone weld at the right height above the comb. .

 

[Varminterror]

If you are willing to modify your stocks, meaning screw holes in the top of the comb in wood and sinking threaded pillars into polymer/composite stocks, then you can buy a BUNCH of Victor Company cheek risers for the price of the Bradley. The victors are more solid and don’t have the hideous cyborg prosthetic look. The Victors are $25, well made, and include shims for adjustment.

Here’s a link to one of the installs I have done with them in a composite stock:

HNI.com Victor Company Cheek Riser Thread

 

[rbernie]

I have no experience with the Bradley - I use this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O0IOKOA/

Drilling the holes isn't difficult at all.

 

[25-5]

Tell you what. Go to https://m14forum.com
Do a search on Bradley and Basset.

 

[GBExpat]

Thanks for the response, guys!

(Currently) I plan on staying away permanent stock mods on any of the rifles in question ... with a couple of exceptions.

I have 2 Marlin XS7 rifles (.243 & .308) with black synthetic stocks that I have outfitted with Beartooth elastic sleeves & foam pads underneath. Since I will never use irons on those rifles, it makes sense to me that a permanent solution would be better.

For the two s/a M14s that I built and like to shoot over irons, I have one Bassett mount + scope. For scope use I have one of my USGI fiberglass stocks configured with a velcoed-on cheek riser ... thing. Replacing that with a permanent solution also makes sense to me.

I now plan on ordering one of the Victors to try on the XS7 & M14 FG stocks.

=========

Varminterror, re: your suggestion in the HuntingNet Thread that you linked ... at the end you suggested, in effect, pooling a quantity of 2-part epoxy inside the comb of a hollow stock to create an interior base. The curing of such epoxy is quite exothermic and produces a surprising amount of heat. Most folks do not know that unless they have tried it (like me ) and what comes to my mind is the possibility that a relatively large pool of epoxy poured into the comb of a hollow synthetic stock might be enough to melt/gloss the stock plastic.

Just something to consider.

Thanks, All, for the suggestions!

 

[Varminterror]

Varminterror, re: your suggestion in the HuntingNet Thread that you linked ... at the end you suggested, in effect, pooling a quantity of 2-part epoxy inside the comb of a hollow stock to create an interior base. The curing of such epoxy is quite exothermic and produces a surprising amount of heat. Most folks do not know that unless they have tried it (like me ) and what comes to my mind is the possibility that a relatively large pool of epoxy poured into the comb of a hollow synthetic stock might be enough to melt/gloss the stock plastic.

Just something to consider.

Thanks, All, for the suggestions!

Great theory - go do it sometime. I typically put 2 or 3 of the 0.85oz tubes into any stock I do like this to create the “bedrock” for the threaded pillars. It gets hot, but never hot enough to cause the stock to melt. I’ve done cheek risers like this on dozens of stocks over the years.

I have also poured 4-8oz of epoxy into stock forends to stiffen and add weight to flexible polymer stocks, as well as into buttstocks to anchor ballast (lead weights, typically). I’ve done a couple hundred stocks like this in my shop as part of bedding jobs. Never melted one yet.

 

[GBExpat]

Good to know, thanks!

About a decade ago I decided to fill-in the underside spaces of an old, plastic SHOP-VAC mobile base that was showing some age-brittleness & a bit of cracking. I set myself up to produce the epoxy quickly in large quantities and started filling up those spaces as fast I could.
By the time I was done and cleaning up I realized that I able to feel HEAT radiating off of the assembly. That was when I first realized the exothermic nature of the reaction. As I recall, it was too hot to touch. I directed a box fan on the base overnight and was happy to see, never morning, that no problem had been caused to that old unknown plastic by the generated heat.

A bit later I also filled-in some hollow mystery-plastic clamp-on arm-lamp blocks. I started by doing only one to make sure that the plastic could handle the process.

---

I am especially interested in your experience using epoxy in synthetic stock forearms. I have some carbon fiber arrows that I want to use as stiffener material and it is nice to know that epoxy will work (when/if I get back on that project track and after I decide upon the best method for roughening the interior plastic to guarantee adhesion).

================
EDIT: BTW, I have a "Victor" from Brownells inbound.

 

[Varminterror]

I wouldn’t count on the arrows adding any greater stiffness than the epoxy. One great attribute of carbon arrows is flexibility and resilience. Great stiffness per weight, but not necessarily ultimate stiffness. A piece of aluminum angle in a groove in the forend will make it rock solid. I’d be very confident saying filling the same volume solid with epoxy would yield greater stock stiffness than bedding a hollow carbon arrow. I’ve done all-thread rods, rod stock, and aluminum angle stock, as well as simply filling the lattice form of the stock solid full with epoxy, all of it works, but the angle works the best for the least weight and epoxy used.

But to your original concern of melting the stock, consider - anything over about 120F will cause burns after prolonged exposure. Anything over 180F can cause burns on immediate contact. Polyester’s melting point, however, is about 480F. So “too hot to touch” is a LONG ways from “hot enough to melt my stock,” about 300F difference, in fact. Lots of us pour LOTS of epoxy into rifle stocks and don’t melt stocks, there are YouTube videos all over as evidence as well.

There ARE instances where the exothermic polymerization will damage the work piece, but stiffening rifle stocks or bedding cheek pillars isn’t one of them.

 

[Skylerbone]

I’ve tried a number of non-permanent solutions over the years, my favorite being Cheek-Eez stick on pads, https://kickeezproducts.com/recoil-pads/cheek-eez/ They come in different thicknesses up to 1/4”, are soft, and long lasting if you don’t hunt super thorny areas.

Tried one of these as well for a rifle that needed more height, https://www.accu-riser.com/accu-riser-ambidextrious-comb-raiser-cr-6000/ Functions reasonably well but found bolt removal required disassembly of the insert on a compact (reduced LOP) stock. Not as comfy as a Beartooth but a worthwhile option with the double-sided tape and multiple heights provided.

I’m liking the aforementioned permanent pillar system vs kydex risers with oversized knobs on a field rifle.



Cheek Eez pads. The ads always show them applied lattitudinally but they’re wide enough for a good weld as shown, which also keeps them ambi-friendly for when mom or dad join me at the range.

 

[GBExpat]

The Victor Cheek Riser was delivered today.

First Impression: Very nice! I think that they will work well on the FG M14 stocks and, perhaps (hopefully) on the XS7s (I first have to remove one of the Beartooths before I can check the fit).

I am also going to investigate the possibility of modding one of these into a portable configuration.

 

[Skylerbone]

You can drill, use the included double-sided tape, or included Velcro strap (portable or permanent).