I tried to read all of this thread, and to the best of my knowledge nobody has already said what I was thinking the whole time. The original poster said he shoots a lot with his shotguns, but not much with a rifle. I know that I tend to put my head lower and further forward on the stock when lining up the bead on a shotgun. If I tried to do that with a rifle, I'm sure I'd get hit in the forehead too. Any chance that might be the problem? I know you already said you had a trade in the works for another rifle. If it gives you the same problem, you might want to have someone watch where your head is on the stock. Could be a simple fix. Anyway, good luck and I hope you get it figured out!