You dont need anything over a 22" barrel on a standard cartridge, the 280 will benifit a little with a longer barrel but it is not needed, I have killed everything from ground squerills to buffalo with a 22" barreled 280. The little increase in velocity isnt enough to notice unless you have a chronograph, a animal deffinitely will not know the difference. If you hunt heavy timber or steep mountains like here in Idaho, you will appreciate a shorter firearm. I recently took a Remington 700 SPS 243 with a 24" barrel and had it cut down by a gunsmith to 18.5" for that reason, it is way more handy in the woods, kills just as dead and just as accurate, if not more accurate than it was at 24". Is it slower? Yes, but velocity isnt everything, it is still a three hundred yard deer rifle, that is much more pleasant to carry. It is just personal preference, in my older age I learned comfort and covenience is more important than maxing out the velocity. If you want mag velocities and dont mind a 24"-26" barrel buy a magnum.