I've been thinking about rounding out my barrel collection with a pistol barrel or two (and probably another carbine or two, eventually) and I've been wondering about which chamberings really benefit from longer barrel length. Pretty much everything I have an interest in could go either way.

Current chamberings cover from 223 (14") to 445 Supermag (carbine) and include most anything I'd ever need for any hunting situation or serious accuracy work. Main carbines for hunting include 30-30 AI and 6.8SPC and I have a nice 25 Bullberry that's sort of redundant. Right now I've got both 445 and 44 Mag in carbine - might end up with just 44 Mag. I have plans to get a 22 Hornet carbine as soon as Troy at Bullberry can get to it. I've got several interesting pistol barrels, mostly for range time but a couple that would hunt.

What I don't have is a 357 Mag and I've been really missing that. Also of real interest is 350 legend and 300 Blackout. Any of these would do fine as a carbine but at least a couple of them would work extremely well at pistol length. Any could be considered good candidates for potential sub-sonic suppressor shooting if I decide to go that route.

I'll have a 357 Mag one way or another. I have a ton of reloading stuff for it and it's still one of the best in off-the-shelf ammo in terms of consistent availability and price. I've been loving the idea of a 357 Mag carbine but a good 357 Contender handgun set up is just hard to beat - longer than 10", shorter than 15". I'm feeling a little recoil shy as my hands get more sensitive with age but I have a couple of great pistol scopes and I'd definitely consider this one either way.

The 350 Legend has had me intrigued from the beginning. Seems like this one that should be a carbine to make the most of the extra case capacity. In terms of performance, it falls in between my 44 caliber stuff and my 30-30 AI. Should be satisfying round to shoot in terms of accuracy, mild recoil and decent range. I'd be happier if I knew I could use my supply of .357 bullets for reloading but this is one ammo that I've seen on the shelf every single time I've been out looking.

I admit I never really got the 300 Blackout but I've come around. Once again, factory ammo offerings are varied and pretty reasonably priced. And I've got a very good supply of .308 bullets and .223 brass. It's probably a great candidate for a pistol length. Keeping recoil to a minimum would be super easy with the low-velocity load data that's available. SKS has threaded barrels in 10" and 15"...I'd lean toward the 15".

Anyone have experience or opinions?