Longbranch experimental cheekpiece

[Tymber]

I've been looking for info on these.
Other than being adjustable , I have no other knowledge.
Obviously didn't get past the experimental stage for a reason.
Can anybody shed any light on this ... ?

Information

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[breakeyp]

I seem to remember a wood aftermarket cheekpiece was offered in the 1960's. Magazine ad or Stoegers??? Just a thought.

[Surpmil]

Interesting, but not one documented in the literature ("Without Warning")

Does it have any military markings? How is it attached to the butt? Can you post a few more photos?

[jmoore]

I HAVE seen that pad before! It came to me a little while ago. The one I saw was NOT military as far as anyone could tell. More or less uniform thickness. Scabbed onto a regular stock. Almost, but not quite crude in apperance.

[Roger Payne]

It's got me too. Never seen one like it before. I have owned LB 4T's with three distinct types of (original) cheekpieces over the years, but all were essentially similar to the UK patterns, barring minor dimensional/contour variations.

Re the second set of photo's - It just doesn't look right to me for military issue with those sharp (splinter inducing) edges & the unfilled knott-hole...

But just my .02 FWIW.

[read6737]

Look on page 35 of Without warning. Looks very similar.
One was sold on ebay a few months ago.
Bid, but the price went too high for my likings.

[Peter Laidler]

From my limited experience in these things, the Military interest seems to quickly wane at the mere notion of anything complicated in its form or fitting. They try to stick to the well tried and trusted format of Keep It Simple Stupid. This speaks volumes for the well tried and tested No4T cheek piece that we all now and love.

The cheek piece shown just shouts out to me '......given a saw and a file, anything is possible'

[Surpmil]

Look on page 35 of Without warning. Looks very similar. One was sold on ebay a few months ago. Bid, but the price went too high for my likings.

I stand corrected; it does looks similar. No doubt an idea that was tried before Long Branch produced their "Monte Carlo" buttstock. As it is described as "moveable" in the book, perhaps it had inset threaded plugs in the butt to enable the user to move it without resorting to the services of an armourer. Just a guess, but there would be little purpose otherwise, although to my eye, it would do a better job of supporting the shooter's cheek between the 9 and 11 O'clock positions, so to speak, as well as not interfering with the right hand grip as much as the standard cheekrest did.

I could never get a proper grip on wrist of the butt on the T's I own(ed) with the the standard cheekrests as they prevent the ball of the thumb from getting over the top of the wrist, unless moved back so that the front of the rest was level with the heel of the wrist. Why they were placed so high up the wrist I've never been able to figure out. What do you think Peter?

The LB "Monte Carlo" stock was very well liked in the 1944 trials in the UK, so why it was not adopted is uknown; officially at least.

The greater comfort and control is obvious, particularly with the hard rubber butt pad. It seems everyone got to use one from target shooters to hunters, but the poor old snipers never did, outside Canada. SILE made tens of thousands of copies, as did others, so they were available all through the 50s and 60s from Parker Hale etc.

As it would have done away with cheekrest fitting and one part and two screws, it would have been a considerable simplification and savings in time. Would have been simplicity itself to provide a couple of spacer blocks to adjust stock length, or just keep a stock of butts of different lengths of course.

My $.02

[Peter Laidler]

As I often say Surp - and they tell them on day one of the sniper courses, the difference between snipers and hunters and target shooters is that snipers are the only ones where the quarry are/is liable to shoot back. That's the reason why target rifles and hunting rifles never (?) make it past the first hurdle during sniper trials.

I think I can say without fear of contradiction that the only time we have allowed a bit of user control over the rifle is with butt length and the shape of the cheek piece/rest. Just recently we have allowed a bit of autonomy with the trigger adjustment. But even then, the Armourers ALWAYS have the last say