Brainstorming: How to lighten a Savage 99A?

[mannyrock]

 
Dear Guys,
 
   I was looking at a Savage 99A in a pawnshop a few days ago.  (These are the modern ones, made in the 1970s, not the antiques.)  Nice rifle, but pretty heavy for a lever at 7.5 pounds.   
 
   Just for fun, looking for brainstorming ideas as to how a person might shave a pound off of it.
 
   Only ideas I have:
 
   1.   Shorten the barrel by an inch. (Any idea how much a one inch piece of a sporter weight barrel actually weighs if cut from the end?)
 
   2.   Shorten the stock by 1/2 inch or so.
 
   3.   Are the buttstocks on these the kind with one big hole drilled out in them, for screwing in the action attachment screw, or two big holes drilled out in them, to lighten them up?   If these only have one big hole in them, I don't see why you couldn't drill out another one, and then epoxy in a hollow aluminum pipe to fill the space.  I once saw a guy take off the buttstock of a post-64 Win 70 featherweight, and there were two holes drilled out in the stock.
 
   Yea, I know that all of this sounds like a travesty, but I'm just looking for ideas.
 
Thanks, Mannyrock
   
 
 

[bcraig]

Read about an old timer somewhere in Alaska that draw files the barrel and action.

Craig

[Frank46]

Mannyrock, I have a 99r in 300 savage. Real basket case. Some fool dremeled away the feed ramp on the receiver. However it shoots as well as a bolt gun. Always thought the stocks were too long. Reason being I've tried both weaver two piece bases and redfield one piece base and actually had to crawl up on the stock. Got it at a decent price. So now it just sits in my safe. I have seen one chopped and both buttstock and barrel were shortened. Made a big difference in both how it felt and handled. Frank

[GatCat]

Like bccraig mentioned, I recall reading in an older Guns Digest about an Alaskan who lightened his 99 by draw filing, and removing some wood.
As far as barrel weight, I think that 1oz. per inch is in the ballpark. Thats the figure used on the 03 Springfields.
Mark