Need advice- savage axis stock

[BrentM]

I am helping a buddies kid set up his 7mm08. It has about 100 to 150 rounds through it. De-coppered it, pulled it all apart, and getting ready to put it back together. The stock is steel pillar bedded, trigger guard is plastic, and the barrel is not free floated. The recoil lug is built in, not attached to the barrel.

I am not sure what to do with this stock. Is it worth doing anything to it or should I look for an accustock or other brand with aluminum bedding or just better built? I assume if I go with a different stock I will need to get a recoil lug and different barrel nut, correct?

This is the first Axis I have ever even held in my hands and I don't know what to do with it. It needs a lot of help and they don't have a lot of money so I am sort of stuck.

 

[Dr. Vette]

The Axis rifles seem to shoot amazingly well, especially if you follow some of the online instructions regarding swapping out the trigger spring for one available from the hardware store. My daughter's is at 3# 6 oz now, and someday I might try to get it lower. I believe that the barrels are supposed to be free floated, but do some searching on that.
http://www.savageshooters.com/forumdisplay.php?61-Savage-Axis-Edge-Rifles


Boyds just came out with stocks for the Axis. Here is an example:
Boyds: PRAIRIE HUNTER SAVAGE AXIS DETACHABLE BOX MAG SHORT ACTION FACTORY BARREL CHANNEL FOREST CAMO FINISHED Prairie Hunter

Note that "A matte black metal trigger guard, screw, and recoil lug are included with the stock." Hard to beat that deal if you want an inexpensive upgrade.

Otherwise other than the trigger I wouldn't do much with the current stock, especially if they don't want to spend the $100 + shipping for the Boyds. As noted, they still seem to shoot very, very well even with the factory plastic stock.

 

[BrentM]

Great info. Thanks.

 

[BrentM]

Not finished with it yet but I did the trigger work and played with the stock. Once I began tighting the action down the barrel did float just fine. I am planning to stiffen the barrel channel area. So far it is coming along nicely. The trigger is a huge improvement and somewhere around 3-3.5 lbs. I have a couple of savages with accutriggers and a remington with a trigger set at 2.5 and it is not that far off. Load development is next.

 

[wbm]

You can stiffen the fore end but that is not the weak point of the Axis stock. The weak point is in the palm grip. I would just go with the Boyd's Prairie Hunter. Have one on my Axis and it is a great stock.

 

[Dosh]

My son bought an Axis for my grandson in the same caliber. My gunsmith friend did the trigger and we got the Boyd's. With some bedding and hand loads it shoots surprisingly well after break-in.