magazine falls out of my son's Axis 7mm-08 when shooting

Hi all. First post here. Back in the spring I bought my son his first rifle...a Savage Axis Youth XP 7mm-08. To say he was excited would be an understatement. We didn't really get around to firing it until it was time to sight it in for deer season which was only a couple of months ago. The gun had two problems for him. The first problem was that the trigger was HEAVY. That was fixed easily enough. The second problem isn't quite so easy. It seems just about every time you fire the gun, the rear of the magazine falls out of the gun about 1/4" give or take making feeding the next round impossible. Please tell me there's an easy fix for this? I don't want my son to get a sour feeling on shooting and on hunting in general.

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Originally Posted by btownguy

Hi all. First post here. Back in the spring I bought my son his first rifle...a Savage Axis Youth XP 7mm-08. To say he was excited would be an understatement. We didn't really get around to firing it until it was time to sight it in for deer season which was only a couple of months ago. The gun had two problems for him. The first problem was that the trigger was HEAVY. That was fixed easily enough. The second problem isn't quite so easy. It seems just about every time you fire the gun, the rear of the magazine falls out of the gun about 1/4" give or take making feeding the next round impossible. Please tell me there's an easy fix for this? I don't want my son to get a sour feeling on shooting and on hunting in general.

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Are you inserting the mag properly? Angle the rear end in first, then pivot the front end up until it clicks in place. If you've been just jammin' 'er in, you may have broken off the tiny metal tab at the rear of the magazine, requiring a replacement. My .270 came out of the box with the tab broken, and I can only assume some dimwit at the gun store broke it. But Savage was prompt in sending me a replacement.

Yep, was going to recommend the same. Insert the rear of the mag first then rotate the front in until it locks in place

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Originally Posted by mudpig

Yep, was going to recommend the same. Insert the rear of the mag first then rotate the front in until it locks in place

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Yes, I am putting the rear in first and then snapping the front into place. It still happens. Is there any kind of conversion kit for this rifle that makes the magazine permanent or has some kind of bottom locked hinge?

There is a bottom metal kits that CDI does that converts it to a different mag style but that's about it.

If the tab isn't bent out enough to put pressure on the piece of plastic behind it, it may allow it to fall out easily.



If you still can't get it to hold you could always trim the tab so it actually catches over the top of the plastic behind it. I would just use a dremmel, trim a little off until it catches above the plastic, check to see how a bullet in the mag lines up with the bolt. If its too high dremmel little more off. Go a hair at a time and check it after each time.... if you try this and then over trim the tab your bullet will sit too low and the bolt wont grab so be careful and slow if you do try.

I forgot to ask, does the plastic latch on the magazine fully clip onto the stock? Most of the Axis mag problems I've had involved the clip not fully riding over the mating surface in the stock. This has been caused either by the mating surface in the stock extending too far back into the magwell (common on Boyds stocks) or something on the rear of the magwell or magazine itself that doesn't completely interfere with the rear tab lock up but also holds it too far forward for the plastic latch to compress enough to lock up in the front.

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Originally Posted by btownguy

Yes, I am putting the rear in first and then snapping the front into place. It still happens. Is there any kind of conversion kit for this rifle that makes the magazine permanent or has some kind of bottom locked hinge?

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I recently received an Axis XP for Christmas and it has the same magazine problem. I did some testing and found that when loading the magazine and cold cycling the bolt there seems to be no problem ejecting and reloading. The only time I had a problem with the magazine falling 1/4" was on the range while firing the rifle. I would load the magazine install it in the rifle, close the bolt and seat a round. I paid attention to detail and noticed that after firing a round, with the bold still closed, the magazine fell 1/4". This told me the problem was caused by the rifle recoil. The recoil was causing the magazine to partially dislodge, which means the stock is flexing partially and allowing the magazine to slip. I have no solution, just remember to push up on the bottom of the magazine after firing each round, which is a simple solution. I'm going to wait for Savage to give us a solution.

Yes, had the same problem. Yes, I do believe it is the recoild compressing the front latch. The latch is kind of a plastic bend and is not that strong. Three possible solutions.

First, Savage has a new style latch for these magazines, a hinged lever. They aren't cheap but should solve the problem.

Second, (I did not try this but it should help) put some stiff foam in the front latch. Jam it in the "U" of the plastic latch. Maybe some of the flooring foam rubber. Might make it harder to latch and unlatch but it would probably be just enough to keep it in place. [If I had thought of this before now I would have tried it in my magazine first :) ].

Third, build up the rear lip of the magazine. I used some JB Weld to make a 'lump' at the back of the magasine. About 1/4" worth (I made a 'dam' out of masking tape and poured in the JB Weld). Then file it to a pleasing shape with a lip where the original one was, only a bit bigger. Test fit to make sure it isn't binding on anything and that rounds still feed.

My rifle came with the new style spring loaded latch. I don't have the old plastic U

And here I was hoping those fixed the problem. Oh well.

You could probably still try some foam up in the front of the magazine, or the addition to the rear lip.

it's not a big deal. The rifle bolt is real stiff to begin with, so I can't cock it from a seated bench position. I need to stand up, grip the rifle firmly and cycle the bolt. First thing I do is push up on the Mag with the heal of my left hand and then cycle the bolt to reload. I don't want to do anything drastic like filing a tab or modifying the Mag. I'm confident that Savage will come up with something. If it ain't broke don't fix it. That stiff bolt lift is another annoying item, but that's the way the gun is made. I had an old Weatherby Vanguard I that had a bolt that operated like smooth butter. I should have kept it.

You shouldn't have to stand up to cycle the bolt. Something is wrong there.

Typical issues for that are action screws that are too far up into the receiver or scope mount screws that are too long.

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Originally Posted by charlie b

You shouldn't have to stand up to cycle the bolt. Something is wrong there.

Typical issues for that are action screws that are too far up into the receiver or scope mount screws that are too long.

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This is a problem with a plastic stock and overtightened action screws.

[QUOTE= I had an old Weatherby Vanguard I that had a bolt that operated like smooth butter. I should have kept it.[/QUOTE]

The Axis is plagued with problems, everything from mag issues to light strikes. Dam shame but at least we like to tinker with them.

I've read just about all the reviews of the Axis Rifle. The two main gigs are Tight Bolt Lift and Magazine slip out of the well. Most of the fixes for the Bolt Tightness involve aftermarket Bolt Lift Kits. The main item there is a longer heavier Bolt Handle. As far as the Magazine is concerned, I'll live with it until I come across a more sensible fix. I'm not going to file or bend anything. It's a budget Rifle and it wouldn't make any sense to spend another $100 to $200 . For that price I could buy another Weatherby Vanguard.

I have to say that the only problem I have had with my Axis has been the magazine drop issue (which I fixed as stated above).

It is a .223 heavy barrel and is now in a Boyd's stock (just cause I wanted more weight, and it is prettier :) ). I have never had a problem with bolt lift or light primer strikes. Trigger has always been good. It is one of those rifles that can be boring to shoot cause the bullets go right where you aim. :rolleyes: It shoots better than I do, usually under 2" at 300yds and less than 5" at 600yd. It is the rifle I pick when I am trying to improve my wind reading ability. One of these days the barrel will be worn out but only at 3500 rounds so far.

do you own a Savage Axis 1?

Mine is an Axis II, with the accutrigger.

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Originally Posted by btownguy

Hi all. First post here. Back in the spring I bought my son his first rifle...a Savage Axis Youth XP 7mm-08. To say he was excited would be an understatement. We didn't really get around to firing it until it was time to sight it in for deer season which was only a couple of months ago. The gun had two problems for him. The first problem was that the trigger was HEAVY. That was fixed easily enough. The second problem isn't quite so easy. It seems just about every time you fire the gun, the rear of the magazine falls out of the gun about 1/4" give or take making feeding the next round impossible. Please tell me there's an easy fix for this? I don't want my son to get a sour feeling on shooting and on hunting in general.

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After studing the comments and videos I came up with a solution. You'll need a Digital Caliper and a small file. Remove the magazine. On the little hook on the back of the magazine slide a some paper between it and the magazine body to protect the area not to be filed. Using the Caliper, Measure and Record the length of the steel hook (top to bottom). Using the file carefully file .015" from the bottom of the hook. Insert the Magazine into the Rifle. Take an object like a pencil or pen and try to push down on the Magazine from the Bolt Chamber. If the Magazine is able to be pushed out, Remove it and file some more until it will fit correctly. Final test, take the Rifle to the range and see if the Magazine falls out. This is what I did and I was successful. Problem solved.