Yep that was my point lemoyne. Some barrels react differently to harmonics. Thickness and alloy type are key to that. While some loads may be fantastic in a shorter barrel, others may not. Same for a longer barrel. I like a longer barrel for my own abilities since I find it easier to hold my sights better off hand with a little more frontal weight than most people. BUT there are many times that I like a short barrel mountain rifle for my woods work. So I look for whatever load works best in that particular rifle. Like anyone else with ethics will do.

You might be surprised... I bet the old barrel will still shoot just fine.
It will likely be a problem child though going forward, you'll be continually fighting the rust issue most likely.
I would absolutely get the 22" barrel if you go that route. Not only will it shoot just fine, if you get the 26" it will be so top heavy you will hate it. Good luck!

Oh, and if it was me... I'd drop the $300 on a like new MK85 in stainless rather than a barrel, and keep the current gun as a backup/loaner. Better rifle by a mile, and they can be found in excellent shape for $250-300. Food for thought

I'm going to have to go along with SH on this. With barrel diameter and everything else being equal, a longer barrel will have more "whip". This is fine provided it is the same from shot to shot and there is no contact with the stock. A heated barrel will change the pressure where it contacts the stock causing the POI to change enough to notice it on paper. However the longer barrel (up to a point) will give increased velocity because of a more efficient powder burn - i.e.: more consumption. Accuracy between the shorter vs longer barrel itself will not improve with the longer barrel. The reason someone can usually shoot better with the longer barrel is because of the longer sight plane with open sights. A scoped rifle one should notice no difference unless the barrel likes more velocity.

Well, no worries on this end. I finally got out to shoot it today. Maybe an inch to the left of the bullseye on a clean barrel and centered the bullseye after a spit patch and dry patch. No more adjustments. Lets head to the woods and keep this barrel clean from now on!

I figured it would probably still shoot fine. Just keep a close eye on it, now that it has rusted once it'll be much more prone to again. Good luck

Thanks. It will be cleaned spotless after season with a thin coat of grease in the barrel then into the safe. Very excited for the season!