Dakota: I will add my 2 $ worth to your question. A pre-64 70 featherweight action weighs 45 oz. A Rem. 700 long action 43 and a large ring 98 44 oz. so there is really not a lot of difference in action weights. The pre-64 aluminum floorplate is .75 oz. and the trigger guard is .86 oz. so a blind magazine is not going to save you much if anything. That leaves the barrel, stock and optics. The featherweight barrels are .560" at the muzzle which, depending on caliber is quite light, although in a .270 you might get down to .500". Talley lightweight mount/rings is quite light but I didn't weigh mine prior to installing.
However, here is some food for thought. There are some real trade-offs in superlight rifles. I prefer a much heavier rifle, even for mountain hunting and I am 66 years old. I've hunted with pre-64s almost exclusively for the past 30 years. I just got back from a Kodiak Island mountain goat hunt and my rifle was a pre-64 with 25" Douglas barrel in .300Win.weighing almost exactly 9 #. After a very hard climb along with the excitement, I am very glad I had a heavier rifle for holding steady. For mountain hunting, I would personally never want anything less than 8 lbs. I believe the disadvantages of the super lightweight rifles far outweigh the advantages when the moment of truth comes. Good Luck.
Some good points and food for thought. I can add that a fwt barrel in 06 weighs 2lbs on the nose.
For myself, a rifle can be too light. To go to an extreme, if weight was the primary consideration it's hard to beat a pistol for lightweight!
At 7lbs scoped a rifle is as light as I care to hunt with and expect to shoot well. If I was backpacking in 10-15 miles with camp on my back for a week I could possibly be persuaded to go a little lighter!
As an aside, I also detest short barrels, short being anything under 22", and too long being anything over 24" in a bolt action. Being on the short side of 6' tall may have something to do with that. I've personally settled on a target weight of 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 lbs, scoped but empty, for typical deer cartridges. I suspect Jack O' knew a thing or two! You want to give me a 7mm mag or larger and I'm a lot happier with more weight, 8lbs for a 7 mag works for me.
