Scott, I had concerns about cheek weld before I mounted this rifle. It just does not look like there is much there. I have what I call an anchor point where my cheek bone rides the cheekpiece on my long range rigs. I developed this hold because only one of my rifles has an adjustable cheek piece. I needed a repeatable hold and cheekweld that I could go to for every shot, and it works. If you are a bow shooter you know the importance of your draw hand being in the same place evertime (anchor point). Some use a "kisser button" in the corner of the mouth. I use a knuckle on my ear lobe. My cheek weld I have practiced for long range rifle is just as important. I was pleasantly surprised when the LRMK fell right into my normal cheekweld. If it hadn't I would have never put two into 1/2 moa at these distances without developing a new hold.
The rear of the stock.... I don't know if Shawn planned this but here is how I see it with my limied amount of shooting the LRKM. The back of the stock has a loop with a flat bottom. That loop is large enough to get your hand through. This offers a couple options. 1: The conventioal hold of the bag with my left hand. I always put the bag simply under the stock and my hand also under squeezing the bag. This will be good when shooting on the flat or down hill with the LRKM. 2: In a field position like pictured above, where you are shooting at a pretty good angle up you don't need much bag. Now add your hand under there and it is too much. So you can do as I was and lay your hand through the loop palm down and grasp the bag. Once I tightend my grip on the bag the rifle became very solid and the crosshairs were very stable. That position shooting up hill that far away can be a little tough, but even with the bipod up all the way it was very much solid on target.
I don't feel I would ever eliminate the use ofthe rear bag completely. But I do feel that this rifle would benefit from a little differet bag and also in most cases it could be a smaller one. But to be sure of that I would want to shoot the rifle in many more field positions and re-evaluate. I think Shawn and Bob are also of this frame of mind and may be working on a custom bag design.
In talking with a few long range shooters it seems there are several of us that are of the same mind set. So I will be blunt and admit the looks of this rifle was not my cup of tea. Well... not at first anyway. To me there are few LR hunting rifles that are better looking that the DE Canyon Rifles. They are beautiful with the added bonus of being bad to the bone at sending projectiles to the next hillside even when a ELR shot is required. I have seen it too many time to ignore. Plus they are repeaters. But with the longer shots becoming more of a reality in my world, the fact I haven't loaded a mag box for 4 years now, and the progression of rangfinders and ballistic programs in the last few years, I felt the need to look past my old school taste and look at my practical needs for these shots. Once I grabbed the LRMK and carried it a ways, then crawled behind it, the military design of it was starting to make a lot of sense. Then when I spotted the dust ball off a rock after a long wait for the Berger to go 2550 yards the love affair was on.
Like Shawn has said before. " The LRKM is not for everybody " But I sure am glad I remained optimistic about this rifle. I now have no second thoughts about it advancing my skill and success rate in the world of ELR.
Jeff
