Welcome,
Born in Queens myself but moved away from NY in the 70's. I think you'd be better served with a 20" barrel. That 6.5 is no barn burner to begin with and you could loose up to 200fps , or more.
What bullet are you planning on shooting, 143's? I prefer to keep the scope weight on a hunting rifle in the 16-18oz range. Vortex make a nice clear scope but they won't hold up to being bumped around in the field like a Leupold will.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a great round especially with the plethora of bullets out there in factory ammo. 400 yards is very doable on deer and bear. As far as cutting down your barrel vs a new one that's just a matter of personal preference and $$. A custom barrel gives you the added benefit of choosing the twist .
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