Quote:
Originally Posted by truckemup97
I've only got half a career left. 
Thanks for the info, everyone. I'm starting to understand better. It looks like, in the search for the perfect rifle, I need to find a quality rifle that I shoot well, then work up the optimum hand load. |
Since you intend to handload, a consideration in barrel length is the type of powder and the expansion ratio of the cartridge.
For example, if you want to shoot OK deer and want a short light rifle, you can shoot a 7mm-08 in a 20" barrel with a medium powder like 4064 and have a handy, efficient rifle.
Take the same 20" barrel in .300mag with 4831 powder and you will have an inefficient, blasting nuisance.
In most of the overbore capacity magnums using slow powder, you need 26" barrels to get the advertised velocity. Otherwise you get mostly noise and a headache.
