I've 99.9% decided my custom rifle will be built in .300 Win. Mag.

As an info junky, I fully understand that I will get the best velocity out of a 26" barrel.
In trying to keep the rifle from being excessively heavy, I'll be using one of the McMillan EDGE stocks.
Hill Country Rifles, which will be making the rifle, has said that the combo of EDGE lightweight stocks and a 26" barrel makes for an EXTREMEMLY muzzle heavy rifle....i.e. poor balance.

A 24" barrel supposedly balances things out quite well, but I'm obviously not going to get everything I can out of the .300 Winny.

Opinions? Shave and inch or two off of the barrel length or go with a McMillan NON-EDGE stock to add weight to the middle/back of the rifle for balance?

What's the barrel? Maybe flute it? Spiral Flutes?

Maybe 25" instead of 26", I'd probably want at least 24" but probably more.

SALUKIPV1,

I was considering a #4 contour non-fluted stainless Hart or Benchmark barrel.
Possibly #5 contour.
I like the look of a fluted barrel, but the gunsmiths at Hill Country seem to kinda' frown on it because it "Gives the barrel blank a CHANCE of being stressed, therfore reducing overall accuracy potential."

Kinda' hard for someone who is new at this to know which choice is the right one.

I'm saving up for a 300 and decided on a 26" flutted stainless. Best balance of both IMO. I'm planning on hunting as well as target shooting with it.

most GOOD barrel makers will flute the barrel in shop before the final tempering/heat treating as to prevent the customer from blaming a missed shot on the least obvious reason ive tesed many, many milled parts before they leave the shop to be tempered and ive never found cutting operations to change the rockwell harndess of material (first, most obvious and worst sign of "stressed" steel)UNLESS the part was only rounghed out with no finishing cuts. unless you are dead set on hill country, and they wont build you something with a fluted barrel, go with another smith. rule number one of running a business is that so long as the customers isnt going to blow himself up, he is always right. if you want flutes go out and get flutes. your going to drop alot of money on this rifle and it has to be built exactly right. if not you might hate it. when i had my first custom rifle built it was really a comprimise and it really got on my nerves

Until I hear strong refments, I agree....

I'm not an expert by any means. I can tell you though that I had a Ruger 300 win mag that had a factory 24 inch barrel. I think all Rugers 300 win mags are that way. Even though Rugers aren't my favorite rifle, I can't see them making all of their 300 win mags wrong.

I also had a Winchester 300 win mag that had a 26 inch barrel.

Kampfeld fluted my Ackley after rifling...barrel never got above room temperature...

Flute it if you want flutes!!!

If you wanna save weight you can always go with a carbon fiber barrel...

I have several 26" rifles, and after my last trip to newfoundland, I swore, all my rifles from now on is max 24". I get 3100fps from 180gr bullet out of a 24" 300win.