Did I say more accurate? Yes. Given an equally well-specced chamber and bore, equally well-bedded action and barrel, equally clean and crisp trigger, and equal barrel weight/diameter profile, a shorter barrel shoots tighter groups than a longer barrel. This is because a shorter barrel doesn't flex, writhe, or vibrate as much as a longer barrel while the bullet is passing down the bore. It is, simply, inherently more accurate. The only way to make a long barrel as accurate as a short barrel is to make it equally stable--either by making it fatter and heavier (i.e., stiffer) or by installing some type of harmonic tuning device.

Of course, velocity is a consideration. Individual bullets have an optimum velocity range and rate of spin, a "sweet spot" where their particular weight, configuration, and ballistic characteristics provide the most stable and consistent flight characteristics. Cartridges also require sufficient bore length for consistent round-to-round ignition, depending on their propellant burn rate. These things vary load to load, and if a barrel is too short, bullet velocity will vary widely shot to shot, the bullet may not properly stabilize, and it may not provide the desired impact effect on the target. In general, long-action cartridges require somewhat longer barrels to optimize than do short-action cartridges.

When I have cut a 22-inch short-action magnum-chambered Model Seven to 18.5 inches, I've found that I'm only giving up an average of about five percent of its velocity and energy. That is less than the percentage of measured variation among individually chronographed rounds.

Point being, no one should be surprised these days that short and handy rifles like the Model Seven--in any of the barrel lengths it has been offered in--are exceptionally accurate compared to "standard-length" guns. Shooting a variety of commercial 7mm-08 hunting-grade ammunition, our review sample 25th Anniversary Edition averaged under a half-inch at 100 yards with its preferred load (see the accompanying chart), and even the "worst" was barely an inch and a half. And when we fired it with some of my favorite 7mm-08 accuracy handloads originally developed for my standard 7mm-08 Model Seven, they all shot under a minute of angle. Not bad for a "little" gun. And it is worth mentioning that our sample was a preproduction version fitted with a 20-inch barrel instead of the final-specification 22-inch barrel.