An extra 2 inches (26 vs 24) shouldn't add that much weight to a rifle. The 7 mag would benefit from a 26" barrel. A 24" or 26" inch barreled rifle in 7mm mag., should be able to successfully kill a deer at 300 yards.

I have a older remington Model 700 BDL (24") in 7 mag and a Winchester M70 (26") in 7 mag. Which would I take to hunt deer, even at long distances? The Remington (24") because it pretty damn accurate.

IMO the only reason to buy a magnum is for enhanced performance. So why give up some performance with a shorter barrel. I am having a custom built right now with a Krieger barrel. I opted to go with a 28" barrel. For performance. If a light weight was your goal then you would have went with a short action light weight rifle, but you didn't. You went with a long action 7 Mag. Go with a 28" barrel and let the big dog eat. Tom.

26" barrel

For barrels for cartridges like the 7mm Rem. Mag., longer is better. I would prefer a 26", especially if you are talking a bout a single shot, where a long barrel doesn't make the gun's overall length that much longer than a bolt action with a 22" barrel! As a matter of fact the 28" tube on the Browning single shot 7mm Mag. is not too long!

Go for the 26", stoke your loads and get the best out of a custom you can, also, in the future, depending on how much you shoot, once the chamber and muzzle just dont cut it anymore, you can set it back, trim and recrown and still have a sweet shooter!. You wont notice the extra length or weight due to a 26" barrel unless your in a confinedstand, you may also want to build on the heavy side like I did on my 300win mag "12lbs 6oz, felt recoil is dramaticly reduced, it sure helps on long range practice at the range!