I liked the bipod loading, any chance of deflecting the bore that way?

Mmm, I don't think...I've always had more success with loading it than not. I guess it's possible on certain rifle systems. I couldn't be certain though.

Free-recoil is a situation-specific thing I think, for me anyway. There's times when loading is important. By the way, I use Atlas Bipods. A good one is important.