I am getting a 25-06 barrel. just wondering what length to cut it for a pistol. I was thinking around 18". I sling all the pistols for hunting so I don't think that the extra 3" of barrel length would hurt, but give better accuracy and velocity for the bullet to expand. I do reload and I am using hornady 117gr btsp in my daughters rifle at about 2900 ft. Was going to try to use the same thing. Any thoughts?

I have a couple of pistol barrels over 15" and find that the extra length is a hindrance when hunting as it just makes them that much harder to get into shooting position. If you were hunting exclusively from a stand/blind with a good rest, then the extra length might be worth it.

I have a T/C Pro-Hunter barrel in 15". My best velocities to date with 115/117 gr bullets has been in the 2,800 fps range using RL-25. I think that I would go with a 16" barrel. Not too much difference in portability, and you will gain about 50 fps over the std. 15" barrel. As a comparison, Federal Factory ammunition (blue box) using the 117 gr. bullet clocks 2,738 fps. in the 15" barrel. You will like the 25/06 in the pistol.