Savage Axis 223, Heavy barrel?

[RWCshooter]

I am guessing that there is no heavy barrel replacement for the Axis, BUT I think there is a heavy barrel on the Model 10/110. So the question is can I put a Model 10/110 Heavy barrel on my Axis 223?

[thomae]

As long as it is a small shank barrel, yes.

[miassmaro98]

small shank?

[thomae]

small shank?

These should help you understand:

http://savageshooters.com/SavageForu...pic,513.0.html
http://savageshooters.com/SavageForu...c,33329.0.html

All the best,

[RWCshooter]

Thank you Thomae, I think I got it. I really love my Axis as is, but I'am a tinkerer and very amateur gunsmith. I have already cut the trigger pull down to almost half from 8 to 4lbs without creep, weighted down the forend a bit, and reinforced the wrist by epoxying in an all thread rod. Oh I guess that would be more than a little bit of tinkering. Now if I could only find a replacement stock that was even close, I'm pretty good with a Dremel, another topic, Thanks again, Happy Hunting...

[thomae]

Thank you Thomae, I think I got it. I really love my Axis as is, but I'am a tinkerer and very amateur gunsmith. I have already cut the trigger pull down to almost half from 8 to 4lbs without creep, weighted down the forend a bit, and reinforced the wrist by epoxying in an all thread rod. Oh I guess that would be more than a little bit of tinkering. Now if I could only find a replacement stock that was even close, I'm pretty good with a Dremel, another topic, Thanks again, Happy Hunting...

;D
I'm with you. I am also a tinkerer. The problem with the axis stock is the recoil lug is integral to the stock, not attached to the receiver. That makes it difficult (I didn't say impossible!) for aftermarket stock manufacturers. AFAIK, at this point, there are no aftermarket stocks for the axis. That will change eventually, and I am sure someone is working on it.

I have worked on my axis, reduced trigger weight and creep and will likely do some stock-stiffening when I have a few other projects completed. (I only have a million going on at once!)

No reason you can't build a switchbarrel Axis just like any other Savage.

All the best.

[J.Baker]

The reason there's little to no aftermarket support for the Axis/Edge models is because most accessories would cost as much (or more) as the rifle itself and those buying these lower end rifles aren't the type to dump 2-3x what the gun cost into accessories. How many people are going to pay $300 for a stock or $300-400 for a barrel to put on a $250 gun? Not many as those wanting to customize would have been smart enough to buy a 110 to start with. Pretty much the same deal with the Model 25's.

[thomae]

MrFurious,
Don't wish to hijack the thread, so I'll simply state that I respectfully disagree with your statements.
All the best.

RWCshooter,
If and when you do modify your Axis, let us know how it shoots.
Thanks.

[bootsmcguire]

How many people are going to pay $300 for a stock or $300-400 for a barrel to put on a $250 gun?

Probably the same crowd that would put a 350 in a Chevy Chevette or build up a Ford Taurus.

Don't get me wrong, I spent more money on hot-rodding up stuff then the item was originally worth so i have been there. But the reason you won't see much aftermarket stuff directly for the Edge is the same reason you don't see factory made install kits to put V8's in a Chevette or a Taurus, just not enough people demanding it.

So I guess just like the Chevette Project, some fabrication required.

[RWCshooter]

I actually agree in principle with you MrFurious, but in the matter of my Axis, and I knew "what I was getting into beforehand". I knew there were minor issues with the Axis, but in my research it appeared that all could be overcome if not dealt with. Ironically, the fact that out of the box, for me and others who agree, the Axis turns out to be an extremely accurate shooter. A tweak here and there, and it seems to just get better especially considering the initial price point. My question about the barrel swap was more along the lines of say installing a better carburetor in that "Chevette" as opposed to a complete engine change, BTW love the analogy Boots. Since I use Gunbroker as my personal "Pick 'N Pull" for gun parts, I was hoping to find a Model 10 heavy barrel some day looking for another home. As for the stock replacement conundrum, I asked the good folks at www.rifle-stocks.com and of course they do not have a replacement stock or anything close that could maybe be "tinkered" with to work. Which is a REAL shame because they have some very interesting stocks, and at reasonable prices.

Thomae, after the adjustments my rifle is shooting really well, I am very happy with it. www.rifle-stocks.com has laminated stock blanks, so if I really wanted to, I guess I could just whittle me up a new stock, hehe...

This is 100 yards out with some 55gr. I handloaded right out of the Lee Reloader Manual.



This is the newest to the collection, Much Fun...

[thomae]

RWCshooter
Nice shooting. Looks like your accuracy is WELL within a MOD (Minute of Deer) or MOG (Minute of Groundhog) to me.
I also have an Axis in .223 for which I will eventually be developing some personal loads.

All the best,

[J.Baker]

A straight up barrels swap isn't that big an issue on the Axis. However, as the OP has discovered there's no aftermarket stock support (largely in part due to the magazine retention issue). That leaves you one of two options...stick with a sporter barrel or open up the barrel channel on your original stock. I haven't measured an Axis stock to see how feasible the latter is, so YMMV.

thomae, you can respectfully disagree but economies of scale don't lie. What do you think the best selling centerfire models have been for Savage for the past 15-20 years? It's the Model 11/111 package rifles, cheap worthless scopes and all, which account for 70-80% of Savage's centerfire sales every year. Why? Because the vast majority of people buy a rifle to go deer hunting a few days a year and the rest of the time they sit in a closet collecting dust. They don't want to be bothered with having to go find a scope and mounts, or go through the hassle of getting it sighted in. They want something they can pull off the dealers shelf and have it be on paper right out of the box. That means the remaining 20 or so percent of Savages centerfire sales gets divvied up across all the other models being offered. The Classic Series, the Weather Warriors, the Varmint Series, the Model 25's, the Axis/Edge, the Stevens 200's, the LEO's, the Predators, etc. Savage knows where it's sales come from and so do the aftermarket manufacturers. It's just not economically sound to invest in manufacturing products for a rifle that might only be 5% of Savage's sales and less than 1% of sales of all centerfire sales from all manufacturers. It's too small a niche to be profitable, period. Maybe that will change in future years, but I wouldn't recommend holding your breath in the meantime.

The other key to aftermarket support is product longevity. The Edge/Axis is new, and given Savage's track record in recent years for changing things year to year and dropping new models after just a few short years the smart aftermarket manufacturers aren't going to invest in R&D and tooling to make a product that will likely be obsolete in a year or two. They're going to sit back and wait to see if it's a product Savage is going to keep around and leave it unchanged. A perfect recent example is aftermarket stocks for the new 110's with the different screw spacing and centerfeed magazines. That's why there's so much aftermarket support for the Rem 700, the Rem 870, the Savage 110, the Ruger 10/22, etc. They've been around forever and for the most part have remained unchanged so there's a huge market with hundreds of thousands, even millions of owners out there who are potential customers.

You also have to remember the folks on this site who are all into customizing/modifying their Savages are a very, very small percentage of Savage's customer base. In fact, I'd venture to say the "tinkerer" market is actually shrinking due to the ever increasing diversity of models being offered. You want a heavy barrel varmint gun, they offer several variations. You want a basic hunting rifle, they offer a multitude of options. You want a target gun, they have those to. In fact, given the quality and selection of models these days the only real reason to start "tinkering" is if you want a caliber/cartridge that isn't offered by the factory in the model you want or you're wanting a dedicated purpose built rifle (i.e. benchrest).

Not trying to be a downer, just keeping it real.

[chemist1]

Couldn't you get a stock that has not been inlet for any action and make it fit? I know the recoil lug is set in the factory stock so you would have to figure that out but I think it could be done.

I am not that familiar with the axis so please go easy on me but couldn't you put a recoil lug between the action and the barrel nut just like a regular stevens/savage if the treads on the barrel were long enough?

[J.Baker]

Anything is possible if you throw enough time/money at something. The problem with that is most people don't have the tools, skill and/or time to fully inlet their own stock from scratch. Most don't even want to have to finish profiling the outside of the stock which is the easy part.

[keeki]

chemist, I see what your saying. you can take the stock off of the gun and throw it away and it should shoot just fine without a stock, so yea sure you can take a stock and gut it and then bed your action, lug, and float the barrel in the stock. A stock is just something for the shooter to hold on to and a piece to hang hardware on.

[thomae]

Mr. Furious:
In your original post, my disagreement was with what I interpreted as your contention that lack of aftermarket support was based on the relative prices of the original action/rifle and the cost of various accessories. My thought was that it had to do simply with supply and demand. The demand simply isn't there (perhaps the word "yet" is appropriate...we'll all know in a number of years. )

In your more recent post, you discussed the supply and demand issues (although you didn't actually use that phrase) I absolutely agree with your take on product longevity and what sells and does not sell. Bottom line is that no commercial entity will bother to make any accessories unless there is enough demand for the manufacturer to make a decent profit.

I am a tinkerer by nature. Perhaps not as much as some people on this forum, but perhaps more so than others. I enjoy machines. Although I probably ought to leave well enough alone...I usually don't.

I also enjoy spirited discussion. It's one way I learn from others.

Keep up the good work. I'll let you know if I run across any lefty actions at a good price.