VAhuntr -

For a bolt-gun carry rifle 24" is max for me. That's what my Ruger 7mm RM has and it has worked fine since 1982 when I bought it.

Any gain over a 22" .270 depends on how you load them. Whether any such gain is results in a usable advantage also depends on what you are hunting and at what ranges.

Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.