Hey, thanks for the order!
It’s “complicated” to explain how it works in the nitty gritty.
Essentially, the bag is a platform to help eliminate wobble. There are two basic ways to use a rear bag.
One is the way you use a Hunter’s Wedge by LRO or the heavy bags with ears that benchrest shooters use. The bag acts like a solid platform for the rifle to slide rearward. It provides vertical support for the rifle, and some lateral stability. This is the most supported method and used by shooters with heavy magnums the most.
The other way is to use it as a filler/support between the support hand and the ground to eliminate wobble. The bag doesn’t provide support for the rifle as much as it provides support for the support hand. But, it does touch the rifle as well. Given it is light and without the hand the bag collapses, it isn’t going to give stability like the solid base above.
This way requires more concentration on the support of the rifle with good body position and recoil management.
Basically, use the bag as an extension of your hand to fill the gap between the ground and the bottom of the stock. Some positions and bags you can use more bag and less hand.
Often you see people put the bag on the ground and then just squeeze it to move the rifle up and down. It is almost like the Hunter’s Wedge style, but it isn’t as solid.
The other extreme is when you put your hand in the strap of a bag like the Ultralight and rely less on the bag for direct support.
Either way, it reduces the wobble zone. But, to control the drop of the rifle butt on recoil, it is your body position and positive control over the rifle with the hands and shoulder connection that keeps the rifle steady during the initial recoil impulse before the bullet leaves the barrel.
