Most factory rifles come with a 22 inch barrel...I had my Ruger M-77 rebarreled a few years back and went with a 24 incher...Mainly to help move the muzzle blast away from my ear....Can't tell any difference in how fast the deer drop...Length has practically nothing to do with accuracy on a scoped gun...in fact a shorter barrel of the same diameter is a little stiffer, so theoretically more accurate....

I would think 26 inches is starting to get a little too long in a non-magnum, I would want to tote around 2 more inches....