not as accurate as those under 22"? I want to get a long barrel for my contender, but concerned about worst accuracy if I went say to a 24" barre? Your thoughts appreciated!

No. I have a 27 1/2" barrel on my .243AI and it shoots .5MOA out to 300yds.

BR shooters like 20" barrels because a) the harmonics seem to work best with the pipsqueak cartridges they use, and b) they need to meet weight limits.

George

Dennis,

I have heard that on the contender, due to the .8" dia, barrels longer then 22" can have accuracy problems, but that may be more theoreticle then proven.

On the upside, a 24" barrel won't cost any more then a shorter one, and if it doesn't shoot, not much effort to shorten and re-crown it.

I feel the Contender connection to this stemmed from a number of longer TC Custom Shop barrels that suffered from accuracy problems. But of all the ones I am aware of, these were the results of chambering flaws and not barrel length itself.

Granted, a shorter barrel tends to be more rigid and has the potential for greater accuracy, but a properly-made, properly-maintained barrel longer than 22" can be just as accurate.

NO!! I have a bolt-action (heaven forbid) with a 26" tube which will shoot five rounds through the same hole (6mm/.284), and Ruger 1B with 26" tube that shoots 1/2-minute groups at all ranges I have shot it at!(7mm Rem. Mag.)