Very interested in this rifle. There is certainly a lot to like about it, but I have a small concern. According to the person I spoke with at Rivers and Glen (who were very nice and answered all my questions) the sling mount is permanently attached to the barrel band.
My concern is about the mount slapping against the barrel under recoil every time the rifle is fired without a sling. (similar to the issue of a free moving stacking swivel hitting the gas cylinder on an M1 Garand during recoil). And as the rifle uses a standard sling swivel stud mount on the stock, I just do not see any advantage to this set up, and I see several potential negatives (like also making the sling more difficult to take on and off quickly versus just using two sling studs)
Can anyone share any insight on this? Am I missing something?
Thanks.