338 Barrel Length?

[cast1]

I've had my 98b for about 2 and a half years now and have had a lot of fun out of it. I really want to try a suppressor, but my current barrel is 27", which would make for an unwieldy set up with a can. For the money I would have to put in the 20" barrel option on my current rifle, I'm not too far away from paying for a Surgeon remedy on the AI AX chassis, given what I guess I could get out of my current stick. I would intend to shoot this rifle suppressed full time, and likely not past 1500m. Is there any compelling reason not to have the Surgeon built with a 20" barrel and folding chassis? I want something I can carry if need be and most of all, something I like shooting.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

 

[Dogtown]

Some things I've learned over the years about .338LM barrel length. 18-20" is just fine if you're mostly shooting inside of 1500 yards as it's got a hell of a lot of power and bucks the wind well, but beyond that it needs more velocity. 26-27" seems to be the optimum length for most applications of the cartridge, giving you around 2950fps for 250gr bullets and about 2750fps for 300gr bullets, which will get you past a mile no problem. However, if you want to take it to the absolute limits, beyond 2000 yards, you need to push the heavier bullets faster and that's where a fast twist 32" barrel helps.