my No. 1 Tropical had a 24" Barrel and I found it quite nice, but the reality remains that we're talking about a rifle with some 3" less action-length than that Dakota.

as such, I would say that 23.5 would work (close to the length of my 25-06, but would say 22.5 might be a bit better balanced.

its all in how you shoot and how you hunt.

24 would be ideal from a velocity standpoint... but might be too long from a practical standpoint.

and be sure the twist rate is right...