long v's short barrel

[sako17 0]

i recently bought a sako quad in 17 hmr. it came with the barrel cut back to 14.5 inch. i find it very loud. i was wondering if a longer barrel would effect the accuracy and alsowould it reduce the noise. please excuse the question if it seems a bit dopey

[zx10mike 137]

short is good pal ,if its loud try a different moderator.the length will not make a difference on noise,if anything you might bleed 100 fps but i doubt it.the hmr should group on or near a 2p at 100 yards if not there is a problem.cleaning regime is the most important thing or these days it could be a bad batch of ammo.a shorter stiffer barrel is often better for accuracy not worse.

hope that helps