Is cutting the barrel back a thread and rechambering an option? It seems that the jump the VMax has to the rifling agrees with it, so the eroded length of the throat isn't that bad.
Okay, I get it, you've made up your mind and are committed to a new barrel. I think 26" is a good length for the cartridge, but the contour you choose should be consistent with the way you intend to use the rifle. A varmint rifle or target rifle favors a full diameter straight tube, to deal with the heat of rapid firing, but a #2 contour is more fitting to a sheep rifle used in difficult country. Since you're located in southern Ontario, you could be shooting in a variety of terrains from open farmland, to heavy timber, so I'll take the cowards way out and say you're best served with a #3 contour, which provides a moderate weight barrel for a small bore, and is much stiffer than an ultralight contour. If you follow this advice you might not thank me if you're dragging that thing around the top of Lake Superior where the country is as rugged as anything the western mountains have to offer. But if an 8 pound hunting rifle, or a walking varminter, fits your needs, you should be good to go, depending on the weight of your Boyds stock.
If you aren't interested in a sporter contour, a barrel that gives you between .75" and .80" at the muzzle saves some weight over a straight tube, so an equivalent to a Krieger #7 light target, which has a .75" muzzle diameter, is consistent with the small bore for a man portable rifle. The estimated weight is 5.5 pounds.
