Recoils impact on accuracy.

[tdbru]

the PALMA shooters all use a sling. a correctly done sling helps control the rifle and aids immensely with support as opposed to no sling. the F-Class rifles are heavy if i recall 10kg limit and 9kg for T/R class. they're also shooting as light a caliber as they can to get the groups they want at the distance they want. most use bipods, but they also have a sling class. they shoot things like 6mm Dasher etc. so yes, recoil plays a part in how well a shooter can shoot. off a machine rest it may not make a difference. in the hands of a shooter it does.

i am of the limited experience opinion that if the rifle isn't really low recoil (either large rifle mass or light recoiling cartridge or both) you'll likely shoot it better with a correctly setup sling than off of a bipod.

i have found that for some light weight big caliber hunting rifles, i get much better groups by controlling the forend rather than "free recoil". for heavy rifles in low recoil calibers (10 lb 22 LR) i can shoot them "free recoil" off the bench as accurately as i can shoot them with a sling, often more so, depending upon how much coffee i have had that day.

so for modest weight rifles, use a sling if possible and control the forend. for very low recoiling rifles, probably not much of an issue either way.
-tdbru