I doubt anyone is "bending the barrel", but one could maybe change the harmonics, especially on a light barrel. If a heated barrel then contacting the stock channel can do it (and it can!)then so could enough downward barrel sling pressure, it seems to me. The key word there is "enough".
JMO, as I haven't experimented with it. Makes sense that heavy thick barrels would not be affected much if at all, and as noted above, one is supposed to use only enough sling pressure to steady the hold, and that doesn't take much.
Good to read some actual experimental results...
