Savage axis upgrade questions

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Waterboy3313

Waterboy3313

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Today I picked up a Savage axis in 6.5 creedmoor. It belonged to a buddy of mine that purchased it some time ago for a nephew to use for hunting. Whatever happened it never got off the ground. He has been sitting on it for a few years never fired and the only reason it got a scope was because I told him I didn't want it if it wasn't range ready.

I picked it up for really next to nothing. Since it was almost free I have been thinking it could use some upgrades. My plans are to use it as range toy. Maybe some coyote hunting eventually. My local range will have me shooting at a max of 700 yards. Most likely 300-500 yards on average.

Never have shot this yet my biggest complaints are it feels cheap. Rightly so I have very minimal money into this so far. The scope is small and is probably garbage (Weaver 3x9 40 I think). Biggest complaint is the trigger. Feels heavy and sloppy to me.

I'm not really complaining for what I paid for it. I figured the low price tag would allow me to make some upgrades with out feeling like I'm throwing too much money into something that was already over priced to begin with.

Without actually shooting it yet I feel like it needs a little help. Looking for some advice on how to make me feel like I want to use it every weekend.
 
Like I said I didn't pay much for what I got and I don't mind spending a little bit of money on it. I just don't want to dump more money into it than it worth I'm sure I could have found a better rifle in original configuration and been better off. I'm pretty good DIYer so I'd there is a decent trigger kit out there I could probably manage to follow the instructions.
 
A different bolt handle is also useful if you go to a bigger scope. I put the tactical handle from Everglades on mine. One of mine has the wood stock and accutrigger , so I didn't have any need to change either of those. The one with the synthetic stock could definitely use an upgrade.
 
I did severall trigger mods that cost less that 10 dollars. The plastic stocks are functional but flimsy. Best things to do are a trigger mod and a different stock
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I would be interested to know what mods you made to the trigger.
 
A different bolt handle is also useful if you go to a bigger scope. I put the tactical handle from Everglades on mine. One of mine has the wood stock and accutrigger , so I didn't have any need to change either of those. The one with the synthetic stock could definitely use an upgrade.
Click to expand...

The scope on it definitely looks like it could be improved. Not sure what to put on it yet. At first I was thinking maybe an ORYX chassis. Then I started thinking to myself I could invest that $500ish into a better rifle.
 
Looking on the mcarbo site I came across something interesting. The stock stabilizer is not compatible with the ergo stock. Mine appears to be the one with the trigger guard incorporated into the stock. Does this mean I'm out of luck changing stocks?
 
Waterboy3313 said:
The scope on it definitely looks like it could be improved. Not sure what to put on it yet. At first I was thinking maybe an ORYX chassis. Then I started thinking to myself I could invest that $500ish into a better rifle.
Click to expand...

Better plan. The Axis is what it is, a decent budget knockaround sporter, but really not worth putting money into. Better glass can always be swapped onto another rifle, but I wouldn't spend much on the weapon itself.

We have one, a .243 I got for the wife early in our relationship to see if she could handle lighter weight centerfires if the LOP was appropriate. She still has it, but on to better things these days.
 
Better plan. The Axis is what it is, a decent budget knockaround sporter, but really not worth putting money into. Better glass can always be swapped onto another rifle, but I wouldn't spend much on the weapon itself.
Click to expand...

Good call. I can see $2-20 for a trigger mod being reasonable, maybe a decent budget stock and a decent scope that can be removed if I decide to part with the rifle.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
A different bolt handle is also useful if you go to a bigger scope. I put the tactical handle from Everglades on mine. One of mine has the wood stock and accutrigger , so I didn't have any need to change either of those. The one with the synthetic stock could definitely use an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about Glades Armory? It looks like the bolt handle blocks access to the trigger. https://gladesarmory.com/product-category/savage-arms/savage-axis-right-hand/
 
Make the mcarbo Trigger kit your first move. Best $20 you can spend on the axis. Night and day difference. I’ve got one in 243 I got for free after factory rebate so I understand not wanting to toss a bunch of money at it, as I am in the same boat.
While the stock is flimsy, I’ve never had trouble from it. On the bright side they seem to be able to shoot very well. My 243 really likes 95gn nosler BT under 42gn of reloader 19
 
I find it amusing that people knock the Axis and Axis II, but you never hear anyone say "I bought this mitre saw super cheap and it works great, but meh, I'm not a fan." Almost everyone who posts about an Axis indicates that the rifle shoots very, very well. What's not to like about an affordable rifle that shoots that well? I didn't get as good a deal as some people here did. I paid $180 for mine (Axis II XP) and put a Leupold VX-3i (also bought on sale) on it. I now have a 1 MOA rifle with very good glass for $500 all in. I've never had a problem with the stock. Mine is a .25-06. Maybe if it was a heavier recoiling cartridge I'd want to change the stock.
 
I sold a 10/22 last year, nearly doubled my money, and the guy didn’t want a scope. So my Axis, with new Burris rings and a cheap Nikon has gone as fur as it can go (for my money). It’s functional, fits my son, has accuracy to spare.

New stocks and fancy triggers are the stuff of ergonomics which are the stuff of nicer rifles. If nicer is what you want, sell this one, gather your upgrade money, and buy a “nicer” one.



F8B60C30-A0A0-438D-BF9C-4BD8DCA25674.jpeg
 
Waterboy3313 said:
The scope on it definitely looks like it could be improved. Not sure what to put on it yet. At first I was thinking maybe an ORYX chassis. Then I started thinking to myself I could invest that $500ish into a better rifle.
Click to expand...
I guess it depends on your definition of "better rifle".
My Rem 700 cdl sf definitely looks better, feels better, has a better stock trigger, much smoother action, and cost 3x the Axis price, but is really not much more accurate.
If you can afford both, get a "better rifle" and a better scope. But if I had to compromise for budget, I'd get the best scope I can get and put it on the Axis.
 
wombat13 said:
I find it amusing that people knock the Axis and Axis II, but you never hear anyone say "I bought this mitre saw super cheap and it works great, but meh, I'm not a fan." Almost everyone who posts about an Axis indicates that the rifle shoots very, very well. What's not to like about an affordable rifle that shoots that well? I didn't get as good a deal as some people here did. I paid $180 for mine (Axis II XP) and put a Leupold VX-3i (also bought on sale) on it. I now have a 1 MOA rifle with very good glass for $500 all in. I've never had a problem with the stock. Mine is a .25-06. Maybe if it was a heavier recoiling cartridge I'd want to change the stock.
Click to expand...

Nobody here said it's a bad rifle, but its generally unwise to spend a pile of money upgrading economy models of many things, especially when what's at the heart of it will always be cheaper.

For example, I was heavy into RC cars for a long time. The cheap ones can still be fun and serve their purpose, but no matter what you did to them, they'd never quite run with the race bred models, and you'd spend more trying to get there than if you'd just started with the better unit.

Similarly, by the time you take an Axis or other budget gun and upgrade stock, trigger, bottom metal, you've likely spent at least as much as the company's higher end models cost, and you still have the cheaper action.

I have a couple Mossberg Patriots, same class of rifle. I like them a lot, but I wouldn't try to make them MVPs, as I'd spend around $500 getting them to the features of a rifle that can be bought for $250 more than the Patriot.
 
I have now 4 Savage rifles; a 22lr MKII w/o the Accutrigger, a Axis 223 also w/o the Accutrigger, a 223 Model 10 and a 243 Model 11 that was purchased as a barreled receiver for a cheap build.

001.JPG 002.JPG 001.JPG 002.JPG
This is the Model 10, two different stocks. The Thumbhole was removed and replaced with the Spike Camp. I find the Spike Camp much more comfortable and to my liking. Both stocks were purchased from Boyds Rapid Fire page and each was under $120.00 including taxes and shipping. It is much harder though to find the Axis stocks on the Rapid Fire page.

002.JPG 003.JPG 004.JPG 005.JPG
This is the Model 11 in progress. The stock is a Richards Microfit. Comes unfinished and requires some real work but I love the way it feels shouldered!

The Model 10 has a Athlon Argos 8-34X56 scope on it that retails for around $400.00 and again I love it. I can see 22cal bullet holes in paper @ 200yds and@ 300yds at full power if the mirage isn't too bad.
Currently the Model 11 has a Burris Fullfield II E1, 4.5-14X44. Is a great hunting scope but not so much when aiming at 1' dots at 300 yards. It to will most likely be getting another Athlon once it is re-barreled to final caliber.

Have fun with that Axis!
 
My recommendations for not alot of money:

-M*CARBO Trigger Kit (helps the trigger alot) [$20ish]
-Boyds Stock (I went with the Spike Camp since its the cheapest, I paid extra for actual metal "bottom metal") [$110-200 depending on what you pick]
-Burris Fullfield II/E1/IV (I have a 4.5-14x42 E1 on another rifle and have another on the way for my Axis) [$150-200 depending on magnification and the deal you can find].
-One piece scope base and higher rings for the upgraded scope. With the upgraded scope, chances are the bolt handle will contact the ocular bell if you leave the rings the same height. Getting a Glades Armory bolt handle is another solution, though a bit more expensive. I personally got the Weaver Multislot base for about $15 and Weaver X-High Quadlock Rings for about $20..

index.php


I got mine (in .243) for next to nothing as well, so I decided I might as well sink some money into making it what I wanted. In the picture that is actually a Sightmark Wraith 4-32x50 night vision scope I got for night time coyote hunting. I'm going to keep that around, but a regular optic is more practical to keep mounted on a day to day basis.
 
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For my use which is mostly plinking and paper punching, I'm going to try it as is. I'm not a long range shooter and I'm not in any competitions except with myself. My goal is to have fun. Don't get me wrong it would be cool to have a super expensive custom built rifle.

So far the two biggest issues I've seen is the trigger and weak little scope. Keeping in mind I have not had a chance to shoot it yet. I didn't expect it to be equivalent to a $1200+ rifle. If I can locate the components I will also be handloading for this. If it doesn't shoot better than my 24 inch heavy barreled 15 that was assembled by myself it's down the road.

I originally wanted a 223 bolt rifle when I stumbled on this and a another good friend that is a long distance competition shooter told me I needed a 6.5 creedmoor. He has a Ruger American with no modifications and says even when shooting factory ammo it's the most unimpressive impressive rifle he owns. Although he wasn't impressed with my Savage he told me to go shoot it and see what happens.

Stupid story I bought a beater 6x24-50 no name eBay scope for cheap 15 that built for coyote hunting. Its not an impressive scope by any means but the first one that was sent to me had an issue with the sun shade. I didn't even want to use the sun shade. I messaged the seller just to give him a FYI and he said keep it and we will send you a new one. Long story short about 3 weeks later I got a box of 10 of these scopes.

I'm on the fence about putting one on this Savage. They kind of suck but I'm trying to weigh the difference between a 3x9 Weaver or a 6x24 no name equally unimpressive scope.
 
wombat13 said:
I find it amusing that people knock the Axis and Axis II, but you never hear anyone say "I bought this mitre saw super cheap and it works great, but meh, I'm not a fan." Almost everyone who posts about an Axis indicates that the rifle shoots very, very well. What's not to like about an affordable rifle that shoots that well? I didn't get as good a deal as some people here did. I paid $180 for mine (Axis II XP) and put a Leupold VX-3i (also bought on sale) on it. I now have a 1 MOA rifle with very good glass for $500 all in. I've never had a problem with the stock. Mine is a .25-06. Maybe if it was a heavier recoiling cartridge I'd want to change the stock.
Click to expand...
If I bought a miter saw that made the cuts I needed but I didn't like using, EVEN it it was cheap, Id give it away to someone who WOULD use it, with exactly that statement.
Accuracy is the expectation these days, Im not paying for that when i buy a nicer rifle, im buying a nicer rifle.
As MachIV said tho, that dosent mean that the cheaper rifle is bad, it just means IM willing to spend extra for something "nicer".
And if I do buy a cheaper gun ( I like americans) I understand what im getting into.

MachIVshooter said:
Nobody here said it's a bad rifle, but its generally unwise to spend a pile of money upgrading economy models of many things, especially when what's at the heart of it will always be cheaper.

For example, I was heavy into RC cars for a long time. The cheap ones can still be fun and serve their purpose, but no matter what you did to them, they'd never quite run with the race bred models, and you'd spend more trying to get there than if you'd just started with the better unit.

Similarly, by the time you take an Axis or other budget gun and upgrade stock, trigger, bottom metal, you've likely spent at least as much as the company's higher end models cost, and you still have the cheaper action.

I have a couple Mossberg Patriots, same class of rifle. I like them a lot, but I wouldn't try to make them MVPs, as I'd spend around $500 getting them to the features of a rifle that can be bought for $250 more than the Patriot.
Click to expand...
While I agree 100%, sometimes there's something to be said for the journey....
You really have to enjoy it for its own sake tho, as what youll get in the end can usually be bought for less, and/or actually be better.
 
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