My buddy has a Savage .223 with a standard barrel weight and I am thinking of getting on of the varmint versions...same twist but a much heavier barrel. Hopefully we will get out west to pop some PDs.

He maintains that because both rifles would have the same twist that both would shoot to the same POA with the same load ( given the slight differences between any two rifles of the exact same design). I countered that I thought the heavier bull barrel of the model I am looking at would produce a somewhat different POA, grouping, etc. and that a load that works well in his rifle might be somewhat off for the one I am looking at.

Does this difference, in your experiences, make that much difference?

I think I've got the right answer for this one. A definite Yes, NO, or Maybe! Sometimes a certain load will shoot similar in two different rifles and sometimes they won't. You might find that these rifles don't even digest the same powder equally well, which can sometimes be caused by the chamber reamer or the operator that chambered that particular barrel. Shoot them and find out is the only way to know for sure.