Two thoughts on the 24" barrels. First, not everyone who buys rifles is 24HCF edumacated about short barrels. Second, there are still some old pharts around that are O.K. with a 24" tube to give a rifle a little more weight forward balance. The 24" barrel on the 6.5 CM was actually one of the attractions for me.
Yah, they are obviously never going to please everyone. I'd be fine with a 24", it definitely wouldn't be a deal breaker, if I liked everything else on the spec sheet.
But I prefer 22" these days. Even if all they did was end the flutes a bit further back, a cut and crown isn't a big deal.
