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The Annoyed Man wrote:The length is not what makes it an accurate barrel. The diameter is the dimension that makes it accurate. This is why all varmint/sniper type rifles have fat barrels, regardless of the barrel length. Fatter barrels vibrate less than thinner barrels, thus there is less deviation off the bore axis at the muzzle at the very moment that the bullet exits the muzzle as the muzzle "whips" back and forth under vibration. In fact, the trend in modern sniper rifles is toward shorter barrels, because a short fat barrel vibrates still less amplitude than a long fat barrel. For the sniper in the field, this translates to a lighter rifle.

This.

I read an article in the Dillon Press several months (a year?) ago about both a bolt and semi-auto that had 18" barrels and were very accurate out to over 600 yards. IIRC, the author shot to 900 yards with these "short" barrels and scored repeated hits with both types of actions. Although short, they were bull barrels, which lent to their accuracy, even at shorter length.

I was on the hunt for a bolt gun not long ago in .308 Winchester. I settled on the Marlin XS7 series, which I found to be a good value. They also have the XL7 series, which covers the long-action calibers, including the .30-06. I posted some shots from my sight-in session in another thread, and this is what the $300 gun (with a $150 Redfield Revolution scope) can do at 100 yards: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=38796&start=15#p470094

The best group is the lower right corner of the third picture. Ignore the hole on the target's border, as that was from a previous session. Take out the flyer and I have a pretty decent half-inch group. If this "cheap" bolt gun can do that well, I think you'll be in good shape should you choose a Savage, Remington, or others. They have recently started selling the XL7/XS7 series with a wood stock, too.

I concur with the above advice - the .30-06 will do all you need it to do for any animal on the North American continent. Plus, the recoil is so much more pleasant than that shoulder-mounted howitzer they call the .300 Win Mag!