I think the rifle is gorgeous. I have noticed that Europeans tend to have a "higher faced" shooting position and I have to admit to having no issue with my cheek riding higher on the comb to align with a scope. I remember in my younger days shooting a Ruger that had a Kahles 8x56 scope and a bull barrel that had the eye line a good deal above the bore with no ill effects.

Joel's rifle would not be what it is without open sights. It is a stalking rifle not an ultr-light and there is no real point to having claw type mounts without opens as to me that is the whole point of the claws. Happy to concede that 6.5 creedmoor was likely not conceived with open sights in mind but a rifle of that style would look semi naked without open sights. Like wise no other style of mount would be the same. If the intent was to make only a purely functional mountain rifle things may well be different but I see this as a melting together of classic lines and modern performance.