Want opinions on chopping Rem 700 barrel to 16 inch

[Zombie Steve]

Buy something with a sporter / regular hunting barrel. They can be just as accurate, but they do heat up a bit faster. No big deal if the end use is hunting. I draw the line at "mountain rifles". Yes, very light, but you might be surprised at the recoil of a 6-1/2 pound gun. YMMV.

[BPTactical]

I was looking for a lighter hunting rifle and Savage Arms has a couple in the low $300's that I was able to check out at Gander Mountain in .308 and 30-06. The SA rifles had the camo paint and came it around 6 lbs I think. If you go that route check with Panama Dave in the industry partners section.

my $0.2 - Sell the 700 and pick up a lighter SA.

^this- you will get a better rifle straight out of the box as well.

Optimum length for a 308 is 20-24". You want enough barrel to:
1-stabilize the projectile
2-optimize the powder burn

IIRC you lose about 100FPS for every 1" you lose in barrel length.
16" 308 is just loud and hellacious in the muzzle blast.

[Jolly Green]

Yes, the benefits of a 16"er do not outweigh the drawbacks.