Barrel length in 22 in or 24 inch is preferred, just like the originals. I have 4 original 1886 smokeless rifles from 1910 on, including 3 in 33 WCF and one in 45-70.
Any weight or supposed handing advantages are lost to an un-needed safety and very poor trigger. You are almost better off with an early Browning copy.
Short barrels in bear country are a losing proposition. The longer balanced barrel aids in cycling the action lever and it adds 150 fps to velocity.
I know the 'tests' you are referring too. It was a ridiculous test IMO. A bunch of guys at a gun range handling and shooting a couple of different lever actions is a lot different than cycling one in a willow thicket with a big bruin bearing down on you.
Some people like long barrels, some like them short, but nobody who has ever followed up a wounded bear is going to tell you that a longer barrel is superior in the tangled thickets wounded bears prefer. Longer barrels are just more difficult to maneuver in the thick stuff. The velocity loss of a shorter barrel is meaningless in those situations. I've used the short Marlin guide gun a couple of times now in DLP situations and found it to be a superb rifle for that type of work.
