Is it better to go with a ~24" to match my .300 win. mag. or to go for a 22" so as to be slightly quicker in thicker brush?

Future hunts would include:
1. cape buffalo
2. cow eles
3. Grizzly/Brown bear (though I'd probably just take my .300 mag. or a good 9.3x62)
4. Bull ele and/or lion -many years from now and if lion are still huntable

Just looking for some opinions at the moment. thanks!

My .416 Taylor has a 24" barrel and I think it feels right handy in thick brush as my .458 Lott with a 23" barrel. My .375 H&H is also 24" but my .470 Capstick will have a 23" when it's done.

My .300 WinMag also has a 24" barrel but that has nothing to do with what barrel length my DGR should be. I guess it's just personal preference.

Namibiahunter

I like 24" barrels. They balance better for me (I'm 6' 4", with long arms).

If you hunt in thick brush regularly, a 22" or even a 21" might be better for you. The good thing about starting off with a 24" barrel is that you can shorten a barrel. You cannot make it longer once shortened.

George

Whatever is comfortable to you. My 416 Rigby CZ550 is 21" and I find it perfect FOR ME. My 375 602ZKK is also 21". I find it especially handy getting in and out of the truck as I NEVER put my rifle in the rack but keep it in my hot little hands at all times. Actually you CAN make a barrel longer it just costs more.

I couldn't decide between 24" and 22" for my 416 Taylor....so it ended up getting a 23" barrel!

I love it.

Cheers
Canuck

Mike D sold me on 23" barrels.. I just didn't believe that it made that much of a handling difference.. WOW

Wow, thanks for the quick responses!

With the financial markets plunging like they are, I may only be able to affort a 23" barrel

I have forever been a pundit of the long tube and required a 26 inch tube in the brush or plains, the extra 6 inches never made a bit of difference in the bush, we'll er a not in the hunting field..

That said, my latest two .416s and the 404 I am building have 20 inch tubes and pretty hefty barrels to gain the same front weight and balance, and I really like them

In other words you want something from 20 inches to 26 inches and it makes little difference one way or the other, so whatever blows your skirt up will work.

25", no more, no less for me

I like 26" barrels on the high velocity calibers from .223" on through .308" magnums, 24" barrels on .375's & .416's and 22" barrels on calibers .458 and above (except the .460 Weatherby which I also like with 24 inches). If a cartridge depends on it's velocity then I try to maximize it and if it's a stopper then I want it to be a bit more handy. The .375's and.416's are versatile cartridges that may need to display a flat trajectory and may also be called upon to stop a charge so 24" seems practical to me. It really boils down to personal preference though.

95% of the DG I have shot has been at 50 yards or less with a rare instance of between 100 and 200 yards..I doubt that barrel length has much to do with anything under these circumstances. I am more concerned about balance and portability these days...

A long tube is handy for off hand shooting and at running shots, but I have found that a stiff heavy 20 inch tube can accomplish the same thing.

If, God forbid, a buff or Lion ever got up in the vicinity of my chin or crotch then I would really appreciate the shorter tube.

Now I haven't hunted DG...yet. But when I get my DG gun I'm going for a short barrel. Seems the vast majority is hunted under 100 yards, so the minimal velocity loss (other then "keg" shells that hold 90-120 grains of slow burning powder like Weatherby and RUMs) wont make a difference until you pass 100 yards. I handled a 20" CZ the other day, and compared to the 550 Safari, for me, it came up to the shoulder and swung a whole lot better, and seemed to come to aim much quicker.

For me it's more about how the rifle balances for the shooter. I am only 5'-10" & 26" bbls seem long to me. The 22" a bit short so I settled on 23" bbl for my 404jeffery.

25" is the magic barrel length.

My 425 Express has a 22' barrel as the rifle is lite and was nose heavy with a 24"er.

The 358 Norma has a 20" in a MPI mannlicher and is a gem to wander through the alders with.

i went on a hunt in september in tanzania. walk and stalk. 7 days. no vehicles and about 9 hours a day walking. had a RSM in 458 lott that I carried. that SOB got heavy, i mean HEAVY. my buddy had a light weight empire arms in 375 and I could have carried it balanced on my nose for a day. every pound counts. think about barrel length and stock composition on a DGR. you have to be able to carry it to shoot it at the end of the day.

I bought a pre'64 .416 from Ray A. a while ago. It sports a #6 contour, 20" barrel and I love it. Balance point is right under the forward point of the bolt. The guys at the local gun shop that have been to Africa are reconsidering their own rifles and barrels!