My main two 243s have 20" barrels--the only drawback is the noise level. They shoot great and don't lose that much over a 22".
On the other hand, I would not cut a mountain rifle down to 20", as you will lose the balance. They are perfect the way they are. If you need to lose more weight on the MR, go aluminum bolt shroud and Rifle Basix aluminum trigger. Then put a flipflop recoil pad on.
Good ideas. I should make a list of things to do to lighten her up. I am concerned about loosing the "feel" of the mountain rifle. Might get a little light in the muzzle. One question. What exactly is a flipflop recoil pad?
