Axis scout rifle project. Looking for a competent gunsmith.

I have a Savage Axis I want to turn into a scout rifle if possible. It was given to me by my wife on my 50th birthday. First gun she ever bought. (she may be finally coming around) Yes, it's a cheap rifle, but she doesn't know better, we did have much to spend at the time, and to be quite honest, it's not a bad gun. I found this forum when searching about this gun. Plus being a gift, I can't sell it to buy something else.. It is my first Savage, probably won't be my last.. I put a Boyd's stock on it and that made a great deal of difference. I also found info here and on youtube about cutting the trigger spring. The internet saves the day again... I cut 1.5 coils off and it's a much smoother and lighter pull with hardly any creep and a very clean break. Still a factory stock gun and I have shot right at 1" groups (1 group was under 1") with ball ammo already!

Here's my plan.

I'd love to fit it with sights and a scout rail. This would require something like the XS scout rail be fitted, or perhaps the barrel could be drilled and tapped for a rail fitting the contour. I'd like a winged sight on the front with tritium or fiber optic, but anything the correct height would work. I want the rear sight to be an adjustable peep sight way back on the receiver. Not a big fan of the barrel mounted rear sights like on an old Mosin or the newer Savage Hog Hunter... I'm sure there is something out there that can be fitted to the scope mount holes drilled and tapped into the rear of the receiver. I'm also looking to have the barrel shortened to 16" and threaded for a suppressor (Saker 7.62) I am dreaming of. I am also tempted to send off my stock to CDI Precision for their DBM set up. Glad I found that thread. Can't wait to hear from those guys doing it now.

I live in the north west part of the state of Indiana, in Remington. (A town named after a gun, How cool is that?) I go to the Crown Point and Lafayette areas often, and to Indy at least once a month for my VA appointments. I'm hoping to find someone along this north/central I-65 corridor. If anyone knows of a competent gunsmith that is willing to take on new customers PLEASE throw me a bone here... Does this project even seem doable? I really want to make this gift rifle one I will love to shoot.

To be completely honest, you're just going to be throwing money away on this project that you'll never be able to get back out of the gun if you ever go to sell it.

Cost of Base Rifle = $300
Sights & Install = $150 +/-
Scout Rail & Install = $100 +/-
Cut & Thread Barrel = $75 +/-
New Boyds Stock = $140 +/- (can't inlet factory stock for CDI's bottom metal so have to get an aftermarket stock - Boyds is cheapest option)
CDI Hardware, Inletting & Shipping = $167 (per other thread)

You'll end up with over $930 in the rifle - and that's not even counting the scope or magazine for it. That's still over $600 if you leave out the cost of the base rifle.

For about the same money you can go out and buy a brand spanking new Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle that already has everything you want PLUS an adjustable comb and LOP. The icing on the cake is you also get a muzzle brake and it's a 110 action - not an Axis action, so it's going to hold it's resale value a LOT better.

I know. This isn't a project to make money on. I want to use this rifle as a base because it was a gift from my wife. Resale value never means anything to me.

Savage could recover some of that money going to CDI Precision if they redo the scout rifle's 10 rd DBM for the Axis.

by the time you finished your project it would not look anything like the gun your wife gave you as a present. why not keep the gun for other purposes and just buy the Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle? sounds like you have the money if resale value means nothing to you.

Bruce

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by devildogandboy

why not keep the gun for other purposes and just buy the Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle?

---

Because he doesn't want to hurt his wife's feelings.
When he hauls out his Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle the conversation would go something like this:

Wife: "Is that the rifle I bought you?'
daddyusmaximus: "No."
Wife: "What's wrong with the one I bought you?"
daddyusmaximus: "This one has a bunch of features I want."
Wife: So you don't like the one I gave you?"
daddyusmaximus: Well, yeah, but this has better resale value."
Wife: "Sorry mine wasn't good enough." (Thinks to herself: I'm never buying him a gun again.)

If it were me I'd tell her how much I like her rifle and explain all the cool things I'm doing to it.

Now that is a very wise post sir!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by klr

Because he doesn't want to hurt his wife's feelings.
When he hauls out his Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle the conversation would go something like this:

Wife: "Is that the rifle I bought you?'
daddyusmaximus: "No."
Wife: "What's wrong with the one I bought you?"
daddyusmaximus: "This one has a bunch of features I want."
Wife: So you don't like the one I gave you?"
daddyusmaximus: Well, yeah, but this has better resale value."
Wife: "Sorry mine wasn't good enough." (Thinks to herself: I'm never buying him a gun again.)

If it were me I'd tell her how much I like her rifle and explain all the cool things I'm doing to it.

---

Thank you.

I didn't go full-scout on my "Scoutmaster" project (below, bottom), but the Nikon EER scope I used works well in a cantilever mount at the end of a Weaver brand Picatinny rail. It is also nowhere near scout rifle weight with its big .450 Bushmaster barrel and Boyds stock.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psy62j5vw4.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by klr

Because he doesn't want to hurt his wife's feelings.
When he hauls out his Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle the conversation would go something like this:

Wife: "Is that the rifle I bought you?'
daddyusmaximus: "No."
Wife: "What's wrong with the one I bought you?"
daddyusmaximus: "This one has a bunch of features I want."
Wife: So you don't like the one I gave you?"
daddyusmaximus: Well, yeah, but this has better resale value."
Wife: "Sorry mine wasn't good enough." (Thinks to herself: I'm never buying him a gun again.)

If it were me I'd tell her how much I like her rifle and explain all the cool things I'm doing to it.

---

after 7 yrs divorced i forgot the way things work to keep peace in the house. maybe get the new one and take them both out equally!

Bruce

You can do a lot of that yourself.

Easy to chop and crown a barrel. You can rent a crown tool.

A can is expensive, like $800 so maybe do that part later but if you mount a Clifton XS scout base on the barrel that and the sight may need to come off to thread it so maybe have the barrel shortened and threaded first.

Get a rear mounted peep sight that attaches to the rear scope mount holes or a very low profile rail. Thats easy.

Get a band front sight with the correct height set up for the peep sight above. They have them at midwayusa.

Solder it on or glue it on with JB weld. Both are easy. A front sight can get banged around so probably better to solder it on. I am going to try JB weld on a front sight on a Mauser soon to see how long it lasts.

Use a Clifton XS sight rail. I just set up a modified swiss K-31 rifle with one and it was not designed for that rifle. Get the right barrel base diameter and you should be good to go. Glue it on with JB weld and make sure its square to the bore before it sets. You may need to shim it temporarily. You will have to hog out a lot of the stock to get the XS mount to clear. Not hard with a sharp wood gouge chisel, just takes a while. Might be tricky getting it set up on the barrel so you can still loosen the barrel nut. You would need space and a custom barrel nut wrench. One of the larger I.D. Mauser XS rails should fit.

On JB weld glue, a good reason to use it is if you heat it up to about 500-600 degrees you can remove it. Turns to putty when hot.

That said reasonably priced good scout scopes are lacking and I wish Vortex would make one.
The leupolds are about the best at around $500. I think Leopold makes a variable scout scope.

CDI bottom metal and mag is expensive.
That said magpull will be selling 308 AICS magazines for sub $40.

You can hack an Axis mag with a G3 magazine and end up with a cheaper 10 round magazine. That is what I am doing.

You can read here.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_5/421...formation.html

daddyusmaximus - You're welcome.

DrThunder88 - Your "Scoutmaster" looks awesome. Do you have a build thread and/or shooting report?

To add to tammon's post, I used silver solder to install a front sight on a Mosin Nagant project. Easy and holds great.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daddyusmaximus

I know. This isn't a project to make money on. I want to use this rifle as a base because it was a gift from my wife. Resale value never means anything to me.

Savage could recover some of that money going to CDI Precision if they redo the scout rifle's 10 rd DBM for the Axis.

---

Wasn't associating it with being a money maker, rather was trying to point out the fact that you're trying to reinvent the wheel and you're going about it the hard way. As for Savage and the Axis mag's, I wouldn't hold my breath. The Axis is their no-frills budget line of rifles, they're not going to waste time/money to put bells and whistles on them - that's what the higher end models are for.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by klr

Because he doesn't want to hurt his wife's feelings.
When he hauls out his Savage Model 11 Scout Rifle the conversation would go something like this:

Wife: "Is that the rifle I bought you?'
daddyusmaximus: "No."
Wife: "What's wrong with the one I bought you?"
daddyusmaximus: "This one has a bunch of features I want."
Wife: So you don't like the one I gave you?"
daddyusmaximus: Well, yeah, but this has better resale value."
Wife: "Sorry mine wasn't good enough." (Thinks to herself: I'm never buying him a gun again.)

If it were me I'd tell her how much I like her rifle and explain all the cool things I'm doing to it.

---

I understand that, but I also know how female logic works when it comes to us men spending money on our "toys."

Solution: Buy the new Scout rifle and say it's for her so you can go shooting together. When she complains about the recoil you can then suggest rebarreling the Axis to something more suitable for her and then trade. :thumb:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J. Baker

Solution: Buy the new Scout rifle and say it's for her so you can go shooting together. When she complains about the recoil you can then suggest rebarreling the Axis to something more suitable for her and then trade. :thumb:

---

a real GENIUS!! you have a very creative mind, i like that.

Bruce

[cxQUOTE=klr;324730]
DrThunder88 - Your "Scoutmaster" looks awesome. Do you have a build thread and/or shooting report?[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I kind of regret not doing a build thread, because the stock modification went pretty well and the tools weren't too obscure. The shooting report would be as predictable, I'm afraid, as any gun with an Apache barrel: fantastic!

This is the rifle in question so far. Just a trigger job and a new Boyd's stock.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...pshl5fivc6.jpg

Can someone point me to where I can learn more about finding the correct front sight? Maybe a place that sells various ones, and maybe even barrel contour picatinny rails... It's looking like this may be my first (other that AR) home build.

looks nice! i see you opted for the checkering, i always wanted to do that but haven't yet. maybe in the future.

Bruce

nice job, i got mine collecting dust. i think 6x47mm-lapua will be it, already got the boyds stock on it and scope base.

I'm gonna have to get a one piece base if I can't get my scout set up figured out. I was at the range today. The factory scope is sitting too far forward, and the bell of the objective lens is right back against the front ring.

Rarely will short modern scopes work with a 2 piece base, especially long actions so you are better off getting an EGW one piece base.

That said I have a couple of mausers and swapping bases around is really possible and or easy so opted for offset picatinny rings, but they are pretty cheap rings.
So far they are holding up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tammons

Rarely will short modern scopes work with a 2 piece base, especially long actions so you are better off getting an EGW one piece base.

That said I have a couple of mausers and swapping bases around is really possible and or easy so opted for offset picatinny rings, but they are pretty cheap rings.
So far they are holding up.

---

+1 yup. op, watch out for "ar-scopes" since they are shorter.