ORIGINAL: Ron Duval

There are very few 500 yard shots, and even fewer 500 yard riflemen.Ionly intended big game rifles in my comment, and 1/2" difference in group size at 100 will not be the biggest problem a guy faces when he lines up a 500 yard shot.
Varmits and targets require quite a bit more from a rifle.
My point was in agreement with the point that you had made, extra work on a factory barrel does not make sesne.
That being said, I am a big believer in accurate rifles and have had a few rebarreled to get that extra bit of precision. My current favorite elk rifle is a .300 Win Mag that sports a 26" Douglas barrel, and elk are big targets!