I always thought the premise of a tree stand gun was to be able to get the gun around in the tree stand. It makes sense that the shorter the barrel, the easier it would be to get it around. One also has to shift their entire body in a tree stand sometimes and this too helps w/a shorter gun. I've used a 20 1/2in barrel in a 257Ackley stocked w/a Brown precision for about 30years. It is easy to manipulate and can almost be shot one handed. Killed lots of deer here in Texas from a tree stand and brushed up tripods. powdr
