Boyds Spike Camp Stock

Haven't seen much about these on here, so figured I'd share my first impressions. It was delivered within the window they said it would be so they get credit for that. I was out of state when it came in, unfortunately officiating my grandpa's funeral, so this was a welcome distraction to come back to.

The good:
-Weight is pretty reasonable especially for laminate. I think the thumbhole probably helps with that.
-Action dropped right in no fitting needed. I didn't hold the barrel centered the first time, but after I corrected that the barrel is in fact free floated.
-Looks are a subjective thing, but overall I like it.
-Base price of $115 for the Axis is very reasonable, some models it comes in at $99 which would be awesome.

The meh:
-I'd definitely recommend upgrading to actual metal "bottom metal," the plastic that comes with the stock doesn't inspire confidence. That adds some cost, mine ended up at $168 with the trigger guard and magazine catch upgraded to aluminum. Still not bad, but not quite as much of a deal.
-The cheek rise was not high enough for me, since the bolt throw of the Axis required I mount the scope a little higher than is ideal. I ended up tossing the same cheek riser from the old stock which works fine, but kind of ruins the lines of the stock if you care about looks. For most people and rifles this probably won't be a problem though.
-Just a personal thing, but I'm not 100% sold on the thumbhole thing. In fairness, it's the first one I've tried so maybe it'll grow on me. If they offered a non-thumbhole version, I'd opt for that one.
-The finish on the inside was meh, some roughness around the screw holes and swivel stud holes. For the price it didn't bother me much but worth mentioning.
-Only one swivel stud. That worked fine for me as a put a picatinny adapter since I have a Harris bipod set up to share between all my rifles and the adapter has an additional stud.

Overall, seems like a good inexpensive upgrade as long as you have reasonable expectations.

With all the upgrades, I think my "$50 Walmart Axis" has now run me up to $350 all told, which really is still a crazy deal for what I have.

wiscoaster said:

Boyd's does a nice job with laminates.

I think that thumbhole will grow on you. I got one on a 93R17 although at first I thought it looked pretty stupid. But after shooting it for awhile, I really like it. It takes using it to convince.

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Ya, I like the way it looks just not used to the way it feels. But, I do own and shoot an AR and all so the pistol grip thing isn't completely alien to me, just feels weird on a bolt action.

dh1633pm said:

Is the bolt stock or is it aftermarket? Looks different on a Savage. I like it.

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Ya, bolt is stock. Considered replacing the handle with an aftermarket one for clearance but taller rings were cheaper, haha.

mavracer said:

Just got one for my 300 BO American Ranch. Love it.View attachment 952237

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I really like the look w/ a shorter barrel. Given the compact nature of the stock, seems like a really good fit.

doubleh said:

To the OP. My post wasn't to run down your axis. I'm glad you like yours and it looks good.

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No offense taken. In all honesty, if I were paying a normal price I probably wouldn't have bought an Axis. Probably would have gotten a Ruger American given the small price difference. I'd looked into an Axis in the past but always ended up saving a little extra for something nicer. In all honesty, IMO the Axis isn't a rifle designed for gun guys. It's designed to a price point for the guy who needs a deer/coyote/etc. rifle but doesn't want to pay alot because he won't use it that much. Alot of the flaws "gun guys" will find in an Axis won't even be noticed by the casual shooter/hunter.

But, in my case a $50 brand new rifle rifle is a $50 brand new rifle, haha. And while I am a gun guy, I doubt I'll shoot it enough to really be bothered by alot of the shortcomings of it. Plus, for what I have into it I could still sell it for a profit if I so desired.

doubleh said:

I bought mine before there was a Ruger American or an accu-trigger Axis. I should have shopped around and found a Remington. I forget the exact cost of mine. It was pretty cheap but consideably more than $50.

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Have you installed an M*CARBO spring kit or one of the similar ones? Between the lighter spring and the washers shimming the trigger to eliminate side to side movement, it really feels like a whole different trigger. If you haven't I'd give it a shot, only runs about $20 I think, cheaper if you get one of the similar ones on eBay. It's no Accutrigger, but its alot nicer than I ever though it would be on a bargain rifle.

doubleh said:

I threw the factory trigger in the trash and replaced it with a RifleBasix years ago. No fiddling involved. That's one of the reasons I'm reluctant to get rid of the gun. With the good trigger, it's accuracy capabilities, and my home made stock that fits just like I want it to I should be happy with it but I'm not. This little thing here and that little thing there just keep me annoyed every time I shoot it. It's a perfect example of spending money to upgrade a cheap gun that you never become satisfied with but won't get rid of because of the dollars you have tied up in it that you can't recover. You can put lipstick on a pig but you can only sell the spruced up pig for a regular pig price.

I'm not a fan of the accu-trigger or the copies of it at all. The two rifles I own that had that type of trigger no longer have them. One was replaced with another RifleBasix, mainly because that was the only aftermarket option, and I'm enjoying a Timney in the other.

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I may have to check out RifleBasix down the line, seen them but never heard much about them. At this point I think the main thing I'd gain is adjustability with the Axis which isn't a big deal to me, but other rifles I may have to look at one. All that being said, I'm not a connoisseur of fine triggers so ultimately unless a trigger is REALLY bad (like my Marlin 795 was) it probably wouldn't bother me.

Hookeye said:

A scope w a smaller eyepiece might allow lower rings. Many of the new scopes are big of eyepiece. Something like a Leupold Vari X or Nikon will help.

Might have to scallop the bolt handle or change it.

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Ya, that was another option I'd considered. I was trying to keep it a very budget minded build, though, and that Bushnell Trophy cost me all of $75 (MSRP in the $150 range) and gave me a BDC I liked. If I upgrade the scope eventually, which I may very well do, I'll probably look for one with a smaller eye piece.

vzenmn said:

So far my $29 Axis II is up to $273 with the stock, Nikon scope, and the bipod. And I still need a one piece scope mount. So don't feel bad Op.

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If you don't mind the mount being aluminum, the $10 Weaver one on Amazon isn't bad. I would have preferred torx or hex screws to flathead, easier to torque correctly, but wasn't that difficult to do. I used Weaver Quadlock rings which are aluminum too, otherwise I probably would have splurged for a steel base. .243 isn't a hard recoiler so I think they'll hold up fine.

I actually got the pepper because my Savage Mark II has a Nutmeg stock and didn't want the same color on both, haha. Also thought I might have to use that cheek riser on it, so figured the grey would match it better than the other "free" color options (Nutmeg and Forest Camo IIRC).

Thats a heavy barrel, correct? Really like how it looks. My Axis is the only sporter barrel rifle I own, I'm a sucker for heavy barrels on my rifles, haha.