Don't know why they discontinued it. Maybe CAS competitors prefered the shorter style (easier to swing?). I thought about getting a 24-incher and cutting it back to about 22 ... which I thought would look better. Then I found a 24-inch ("Special Edition" version, I guess, since it has checkering). When I actually handled it, I found the balance with the 24-inch barrel about perfect ... better than it would be with a shorter barrel; so I've left it competely as-is.