so if i understand correctly what you are mainly looking for is maximum velocity for the barrel length you have and consistency in your ammo load?
The short answer is "sort of".
Like Maynard mentioned, although his barrel is capable of delivering velocities of 3000 fps + with a 155gr bullet he gets his best results when he loads to around 2950 which is pretty common for that bullet. As Rman stated, there are usually several nodes, or velocities that a given weight bullet tend to be more accurate at.
Rman was correct in his statement that "barrel length has sweet fack all to do with accuracy", at least directly. The proof of that statement are all the BR shooters using 20" super heavy contour barrels at 100-200m to shoot groups barely larger than their bullet diameter. Where barrel length matters is that it is a significant contibutor to generating velocity, and having that velocity available to you can be helpful in being able to access higher nodes.
Where it gets trickier is when you start talking about accuracy at long range. In order to retain accuracy at long range you need to ensure that your bullet stays supersonic out past the distance you are shooting. This is important because when the bullet starts to slow down and go transonic the airflows around it change, leading to instability, and unpredictable accuracy.
The challenge that TR and F-Class shooters have is trying to find the accuracy node(s) above the muzzle velocity that will ensure the bullet stays supersonic at 900m, and a longer barrel is one of the things that helps make this possible. It may not be the absolute fastest that the gun is capable of, but it could very well be faster than a shorter barrel is capable of delivering.
Jerry: I'm having a barrel chambered to shoot the 200gr Hybrids (Broughton 5C 30" 10 twist), and I shoot quite often with Manitou and the Ottawa 223/90gr contingent so between us we should be able to provide you with some unbiased feedback and range reports. I've only tried a handful through my 26" 12 twist factory tube, but the results looked pretty promising with both Varget and RL17. I've also got some of the 185s to try too, which might be the ticket because I can already tell the 200s are going to beat the crap out of me.
Scott
