Help Me Choose A Cheek Riser

Joined
Apr 22, 2024
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I own a Tikka T3x in 30-06. Running a 20MOA rail with Warne Mountain Tech Rings and a Vortex SE 5-25x56. I will need between 0.5-1.0 inch (13mm-25mm) of cheek rise potentially (I haven't really measured).

I'm looking at a selection of cheek risers. Most of these require drilling, one I'm unsure (the Accu brand). Curious to know anyone's experience with these.

My major concerns with cheek risers:
1. Too thick/wide of a cheek piece. This would push my head to the side and require that I tilt my head further to get proper eye-box. This rifle doubles up as a long range precision rig, so this is important.

2. Trapping the bolt on the rifle from being removed. This needs to be easy, even in the field. If I'm in the field and need to pull the bolt out, either the cheek riser needs to be easily adjustable or not in the way in the first place.

3. Sleekness and comfort. The Victor Company (for example) has the "Grippy Universal" which would seem to provide a nice soft cheek weld and includes plugs for the holes such that my cheek isn't rubbing against them.

4. Ease of install. I'm handy but OCD as hell. I would not feel too comfortable doing a drill job on my own unless I had a precise vise and drill press. Is this something I should chill out about and just go for it, or find a gunsmith? How much do gunsmiths charge for this work typically? I live in North Utah if anyone has a gunsmith they recommend to do it right.

Kalix Teknik ($145+): https://www.kalixteknik.com/adjustable-cheek-rest-from-kalix-teknik-ab,-sweden.html#cr1

Victor Company USA ($35-$50): https://victorcompanyusa.com/universal-cheekrest-kits

Accu Long Range ($26 USD): https://acculongrange.com/online-shop/accessories/rifle-cheek-riser-with-bolt-removal-feature/

Bradley Cheek Rest ($120, least interested but no drilling): https://bradleycheekrest.com/shop/ols/products/black-tracks-adjustable
 

robtattoo

WKR
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Aug 16, 2020
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The victors are nice. I’ve never noticed the screws while using them. They do trap the bolt tho. You might be able to install it far enough back to get it out, but it wouldn’t be ideal placement.
 
OP
A
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Apr 22, 2024
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at first looked too good to be true. Further investigation reveals that the install involves a bunch of rigging to get right... not sure if I really trust this system despite the price tag.
 
OP
A
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Apr 22, 2024
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The victors are nice. I’ve never noticed the screws while using them. They do trap the bolt tho. You might be able to install it far enough back to get it out, but it wouldn’t be ideal placement.
The victor would be my first choice given how simple and sturdy it looks (plus the low price point), but yeh trapping the bolt and not being able to get it out without manually unbolting the riser would be a headache (imagine such nonsense in the field). I was also wondering about just mounting it further back, but if that placement makes it not ideal that sucks too :/
 
Joined
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I mean how many times have you had to remove your bolt in the field? If you’re worried about it just carry a Phillips screwdriver of some kind with you. It’s basically just two drywall screws so it’s not hard to take off.
 
OP
A
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I mean how many times have you had to remove your bolt in the field? If you’re worried about it just carry a Phillips screwdriver of some kind with you. It’s basically just two drywall screws so it’s not hard to take off.
thanks for this info. Good to know it's easy to field strip if necessary. I'm actually going with the Kalix Teknik. The US distributor of the Kalix Teknik mounts them for free if you buy from them. That's basically $165, as opposed to getting a gunsmith to mount the $35 Victor for $100-$150 (I don't trust myself for shite to drill into my stock).
 
Joined
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thanks for this info. Good to know it's easy to field strip if necessary. I'm actually going with the Kalix Teknik. The US distributor of the Kalix Teknik mounts them for free if you buy from them. That's basically $165, as opposed to getting a gunsmith to mount the $35 Victor for $100-$150 (I don't trust myself for shite to drill into my stock).
Just so you know, all you do with the victor is tape it in place and drill straight down through the screw holes. Couldn’t be any easier. And it drills really easy into the plastic tikka stock
 

dallen

Lil-Rokslider
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Sep 23, 2016
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Wasilla, AK
The victor would be my first choice given how simple and sturdy it looks (plus the low price point), but yeh trapping the bolt and not being able to get it out without manually unbolting the riser would be a headache (imagine such nonsense in the field). I was also wondering about just mounting it further back, but if that placement makes it not ideal that sucks too :/
I use the Victor on a couple of my rifles. Installed them just far enough back to be able to remove the bolts (they do touch the riser on removal but not a problem). Easy install, even for OCD.
 
OP
A
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Apr 22, 2024
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I use the Victor on a couple of my rifles. Installed them just far enough back to be able to remove the bolts (they do touch the riser on removal but not a problem). Easy install, even for OCD.
This is good to know. I might go this route for my Tikka T1x in the future. I ended up doing the order2install route with the Kalix Teknik. I'm def gonna enjoy the clean integrated platform and adjustability in the field.

Question: How wide is the Victor? One thing that has deterred me from many of these cheek risers is how wide they are. They tend to push your line of sight to the side of your scope requiring a much more aggressive head tilt.
 

dallen

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 23, 2016
Messages
103
Location
Wasilla, AK
This is good to know. I might go this route for my Tikka T1x in the future. I ended up doing the order2install route with the Kalix Teknik. I'm def gonna enjoy the clean integrated platform and adjustability in the field.

Question: How wide is the Victor? One thing that has deterred me from many of these cheek risers is how wide they are. They tend to push your line of sight to the side of your scope requiring a much more aggressive head tilt.
Mine is not too different than the contour of the Tikka. It certainly doesn’t change my sight picture
 

sdupontjr

WKR
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
496
The victors are nice. I’ve never noticed the screws while using them. They do trap the bolt tho. You might be able to install it far enough back to get it out, but it wouldn’t be ideal placement.
I have the victor and have no issues with the bolt. Both of my optics have very good eye relief, so I was able to set mine further back without any issues.
 
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