Check this if you haven't seen it...
I set a rifle up for my son with a 16.5 inch 6.5CM
I ended up shooting a buck with it about 70 yards away....factory 129grain American Whitetail Interlock.......good exit....blood trail and deer barely ran. I haven't extended the range yet but I will soon.
If you run suppressors.....you will LOVE shorty barrels. I am hooked! I have a 26 inch 6.5cm on my bolt gun and with a 9 inch can on it even though it's in an APO folder chassis it's a bit much for hunting.
I have a .223.barrel I had
@toygunner chop like he did on my son's 6.5CM that I'll be swapping on soon.
If you get in and out of ATV's, stands, blinds and huts......having a short barrel is a MUST in my book. My 26 inch 6.5cm with 9 inch can is literally too big to use in one of our shooting huts (18 inch SPR style AR15 with same 9 inch can is barely usable)
My son's rig got me so hooked on short barrels I went REALLY unconventional on the barrel for my AR10 I'm building........16 inch Wilson Combat 6.5CM. I am getting into hunting at night, have reloading stuff for 6.5CM and wanted to try something different. I also have a law gen3 folder for this AR10 build to help with being compact.
I say try a 16 inch out and see how you like it. If you reload there's all sorts of ways to get some speed back.
At the distances you listed.......don't think any more about it....go for the shorty