I have an itch for a lightweight deer/coyote/occasional rock chuck rifle. Of the standard calibers .308, 7mm/08, 243 is there one that performs better out of a 20" barrel than the others? Along the same lines do slightly faster powders work a bit better than standard powders for a short barrel? Thanks.
Of those, I like the 243 for varmint/yote chores with deer thrown into the mix. Mine is a Sako with 22" barrel and is plenty light having a trim contour that is well balanced with the entire package. Not sure I'd see any noticeable advantage in carry ability if I took it down to 20", I doubt I could feel a difference, other than change of the balance point. Only thing I could see would be if I needed to lose the extra 2" to maneuver, but at 22" it is still very handy in the brush.
If hell bent for leather to hit the 20" mark and was seeking the smallest loss in velocity of those, volume of the bore would probably be the trump card going to .308-inch. But then I'd be choosing a chambering for lack of velocity loss in a 20-inch barrel, not choosing a chambering for the chore of killing varmint/yotes.
