So much of what is talked of barrel length is old news. Stabilizing the bullet, and optimized pressure and performance may not be achieved by adding barrel length.

I had a 338 win mag with a 21" barrel. It shot marvellously. The short barrel made it awefully loud but didn't adversely affect performance.

I prefer a barrel of 20-21 inches for hunting. Great in thick bush and in and out of vehicles and boats etc. the 24-26" was always in the way and hung up on something.