What caliber of gun are you using? For me it depends alot on the caliber of gun I am using. I wouldnt own my 257 stw in anything under a 26 inch barrel. If it had a 24 inch barrel Im not getting the full potential of the cartridge and wouldve been just as well off saving money and buying a 257 weatherby. Same can be said for any magnums. A 300 win becomes a 30-06 that recoils alot harder with a 22 inch barrel. Certain rounds are designed to perform in shorter barrels i.e. the wsm cartridges with 23 and 24 inch tubes. If I was hunting the woods all the time where long shots are 200 yards I wouldnt worry about barrel length. But then I probably wouldnt be using a magnum rifle sighted in 3 inches high at a hundred yards either. I hunt mostly the Nevada desert where shots can be long. I am a firm believer in getting the most out of my cartridge so that I can get flattest trajectory possible. There is a reason why most magnum rifles come with 26 inch barrels. That reason is velocity. And to be honest Ive never noticed any difference in accuracy between short and long barrels.