The last couple years I've been trying to get out of the stand and spend more time walking in the woods to hunt. I've also noticed that it seems like the end 3-4 inches of the barrel end up getting hung up and caught on everything. So, a shorter barrel would in theory help with this.
Plus I just like the looks of carbines better anyway. I know TC makes a 20" ML barrel, but at $400 it's not an option right now. I will probably end up waiting awhile until I can afford that one, I just don't want to have to wait.