By some stroke of luck this post is very similar to the question about a 338 WM with a 21-inch barrel.

The 9.3x62 barrel I'm having made for my takedown will have bases for a forward-mounted "scout" scope. I've gotten to be a big, big fan of that setup for hog hunting in brushy creek bottoms...the combination of fast sighting, easy carrying, and easier access to top off the magazine is very welcomed in most of the places I chase pigs.

For hunting those same areas I also like to have a short barrel length that allows me to point a rifle any direction without smacking trees, and to drop the barrel straight down without sticking the muzzle in the mud. The 358 WCF Ruger Frontier and .45-70 lever guns I normally use work great in this respect.

Along those lines I requested a 20-inch barrel for the 9.3x62 assembly. The 'smith recommended 22-inches, which is probably where I'd be if I wasn't trying to make this one barrel work in several circumstances (the scout scope will be in QD rings, and I have a 1.5-6x in QD rings that I can mount "conventionally").

CZ's 550 FS has a 20.5-inch barrel and I haven't heard of or read any complaints...am I handicapping myself or the 9.3x62 round by going with this length? Is another 1 or 2 inches of barrel going to make any real-world difference?