Putting together my 9 yr old's first rifle. We probably will not get it until his 10th b-day next August. Got a great youth NRA stock for a forum member. The action is from a 112 that Fred has T&T and sports a SSS trigger, and recoil lug that I used to use as my 30BR bench gun. All I own are long actions and target actions. I am a single shoot kind of guy and prefer the flexibility of a LA. Just got the new Bushnell 4200 Elite 3-9x in the mail yesterday - thank you Cabela's for clearance sales!!! The pic below in the mock up has a 22" 223 barrel screwed on it. I am disappoint the 4200 will not reach across the LA. I will have to get another EGW rail like I put on the rig I put together for my oldest son and mount with a set of Burris Signature Zee rings.

My question is - how long to chop the barrel off at? It isn't quite balanced. Is 18" too short for a 223? Anyone make a 19" 223? He will only shoot this few years until I think he is really for the 6mm Rem or a 308W. So.... what length to chop it too? What the barrel lengths on factory youth configurations?

Thanks for input, Tim