Thanks for all your replys. Didn't mean to come across a vague, I've got some mechanical constraints with regards to rooting conductors. I'm using a heatsink where a TO3 transistor package, the base and emitter leads pass through the heatsink. I have about 2.5mm of clearance for the base and emitter soldered leads to pass through. But i have heat shrink tube to take into consideration when passing these two conductors through the heatsink. Another two holes above the TO3 package, carry the base and emitter leads back through 180° and out on to the pcb for soldering to.
A circuit diagram wouldn't be of any use in my question above, if its of interest, its a psu circuit. My question was to find out if i could reduce the base, and emitter conductor there by making it easier to pass the 2.5mm hole i have to pass these wires through. So its a mechanical constraint. But, ok yes it might have implications electrically. My question was answered above, the emitter lead is fairly much equal to the collector lead. The base voltage won't exceed the emitter voltage. The holes in the heatsink are fine through solid materials, its only passing wires through that 180° turn, and between heatsink fins which are the limiting factor. And the weak link, only allowing 2.5mm space to pass leads through.
I don't have a milling machine or any other means of removing material around the area of the base and emitter leads. Nothing that could do it in a tidy decent way. I know i could use an alternative transistor package, but I'm using a TO3 package.