Yesterday I shot my new to me, contender 30-30,w/a 12" barrel including muzzle brake. This gun is a lot of fun. Very accurate, minimal recoil, and just a bit of muzzle blast. When I bought this, I thought it had a 14" barrel, which is what I wanted. Only saw pics and had it shipped in. I'm not unhappy with it, just wondering if those 4" of barrel are going to matter much in the hunting world. I don't have a chrony. If it makes that much difference, I'd just swap/sell until I picked up the 14". I shot some 125gr spitzers through it and she's shooting right about an inch at a hundred. I'm happy w/that. Thanks for any and all advice.