First Axis in HB 223

Hello everyone, im new to the site and a first time Savage owner. i just got in my Axis II HB 223 in Kryptek camo. I bought the gun for target shooting mostly, I orderd new talley one piece bases/rings and a Vortex 6-18 Crossfire 2. When i tried to remove the factory bases the allen screws did not want to budge. Thought to myself oh well maybe ill just use the factory bases and rings for the new scope but when i went to put on the new scope it would not fit. the rings spacing was to far apart. So first i need to find a way to remove the factory bases, I have read that they might be cross threaded from the factory? Then im thinking of ordering the one piece picatinny mount from weaver and ordering new rings. has everyone gone through this with their new axis II's?
Aside from that im excited to start upgrading and shooting this gun.I've heard these rifles are tack drivers!! I havent shot it yet so i dont know forsure but im thinking of replacing the stock later on with a boyds pro varmint or one of the MDT chassis. (I havent decided how much $$ i want to put into this project yet) Once i figure out how the rifle shoots i will probably upgrade the glass on it as well. Once i get it to the range and get the scope situation figured out i will try to post pictures of how it shoots.

get an allen wrench screw driver head/bit that fits the screw properly and hit it sharply with a steel hammer. The shock will break the seal of the thread lock or whatever is holding it.

I'm with foxx on this I think it's thread locker ! You need to break the bond to get them to move !


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Would heating them up with a hair dryer help?

I don't think a hair dryer could throw enough heat to release thread locker ! Maybe a heat gun , or try a Allen insert for a multi fit screwdriver ! Grab the insert with a pair of vise grips and hit it with a hammer a few times ! Also try to put your gun or action in a padded vise so you can control it better !


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Heat will not help. You cannot get the loctite or whatever has it seized up (friction?) hot enough to make a difference because the action acts as a heat sink (is that the term?) and robs you of the heat it would take to break it free. Put a short allen wrench "socket" into the head of the screw and hit it with a hammer. This is not difficult, nor is it an uncommon "problem". Trust me. The proper way to loosen the screw is to do what I told you to do. :)

Oh, yes. What Bowhntr said was what I was trying to say.
Sorry.

Thanks for the replies. I will try to knock the thread locker loose tomorrow.does anyone have suggestions on what rings to get if im going with the weaver one piece picatinny mount?

For a 44mm scope I'd probably get rings about 10mm from the top of the rail to the bottom of the tube. That's usually in the "medium" range but could be "low" or "high", depending on the manufacturer. Just watch the bolt clearance. I don't know how big the eyepiece is on your scope.

I had the same problem with the exact same gun... ended up drilling out the heads of the screws... they popped after. No idea what they used, but the screws were in there really tight... put a rail on... works fine now.

Too funny....every Axis I have bought that came with a rail or rings had everything so loose it was almost falling off. Guess you got the new guy wanting to impress his manager...

lol... I don't think I've had any other new firearm do that before... I didn't like drilling out the screw heads... especially with a new rifle... but, it worked. :)

That's not the kind of work I'd like to have to do on a brand new gun, but at least it's fairly easy. Whether it's Savage or the retailer doing the installation, they are clearly doing it wrong. Either that or they're using the cheapest possible parts. I suppose both could be true.

Agreed... gotta be the retailer/dealer... the scope I replaced was decent, but I wanted to change it out... think everything was just over-torqued and/or they use the wrong type of threadlocker...