Savage Axis II L.O.P. question?

[bigkahuna]

Hi,

I just became the proud owner of a Savage Axis II in .223 a few days ago. I plan on ordering a stock from Boyds to replace the original plastic stock, but I need help with a couple details:

First, I've read from numerous reviews that the Axis stock has a "length of pull" (LOP)of well over 14". Try as I might, every time I measure the LOP I come up with just over 13.25". Am I measuring the LOP wrong? I've got some photos below that show how I'm measuring. I was considering getting a custom stock with a longer LOP, but want to verify that I'm measuring LOP correctly.

Second, the cheek height on the original plastic stock seems just about right for me. How do I find a Boyds stock with a similar cheek rest height? I was thinking about the Featherweight Thumbhole Stock but I'm afraid that the cheek rest will be too high?

Thanks!

[J.Baker]

Looks like you might have gotten a youth model by mistake. For some stupid reason Savage doesn't distinguish which are adult and which are youth on the label on the box, so if the store clerk doesn't know which SKU is which it's a coin toss as to which you'll get.

Good news is that the only difference is the LOP on the stock.

[bigkahuna]

Boy you had me worried there, you wouldn't believe the hassles we go through just to get a rifle here in California and if it's the wrong model I have no idea if I would ever get that issue resolved. But I don't think that's the case here. According to the Savage website, the youth model (which only comes in .243 according to them) has a barrel length of 20" and an overall length of 40". My rifle has a barrel length of 22" and an overall length just about 43". That's a little under 3/4" shorter than what it shows on the website. So I'm guessing that what I may have is a newer version with a 13.25" LOP stock? The SKU for my rifle is 22221 which on the Savage website is the Savage Axis II XP in .223. So it looks like I've got the rifle I ordered, but I'll call Savage tomorrow and try to verify all this using my serial number.

So I take it that I'm measuring LOP correctly? How do I measure cheek rest height?

[Rosco]

The length of pull on a standard Axis is 13.5 inches. I had to adjust my stock for it to fit correctly. Luckily if you are going to get a Boyds you can special order various LOP's.

Have you measured your LOP?

[devildogandboy]

measuring my Edge as you have I get 14" LOP.

Bruce

[bigkahuna]

@Rosco - I'm pretty tall so my "ideal" LOP is around 15". The longest LOP Boyds offers is around 14.75" but costs 2x as much as getting it with a 14.25" LOP. So I plan on ordering it with a 14.25" LOP and either living with it or add a limb saver later.

@Bruce - That's really interesting. I've read numerous reviews of the Axis that claimed the LOP was longer than normal in the industry (around 13.5") and it would seem yours is similar in size. I wonder if they just shortened the stock recently? Mine is a brand a new Axis II from the warehouse (not a store shelf).

In any event, I took the rifle to the range and I'm really pleased with it. The scope wasn't boresighted (even though they claimed it was) so my first 8 rnds weren't even close to paper. So I bore sighted it myself (never did that before) with a 50 yd target. My first shot was about 3/4" from the center of bull, the second shot touched the first and the third went through the hole of the first! Wow! The remaining shots in the group opened up a bit bit I couldn't be more pleased with my $350 rifle. I was shooting off bags using American Eagle 55 grain FMJ. My groups at 100 yds weren't all that impressive, probably between 1.5 and 2 MOA but that's likely due to operator error. Can't wait to get this baby a pretty new stock. :)

[foxx]

I am 6' 3"" and so I normally like longer LOP as well. For cold weather hunting though I do well with standard stocks and a heavy coat. I did order a B oyds thumbhole with longer Lop and it did jack the price more than it was worth to me. I have gone back to using Beartooth removable pads. They are made of neoprene and come with many different pads to make it any length you want and easily changed. With them my friends wife etc can shoot mine and I can slip it right back on in seconds. I think they look fine.

[bigkahuna]

@foxx - Never heard of Beartooth before, but I like the idea. Do you think you might be able to post a pic of how it looks on your thumbhole stock? The cheek comb is kind of high on the Boyds and I'm wondering if a recoil pad will fit properly.

Another point for removable recoil pads is resale-ability. Not sure how many people who would want a rifle with a 15" LOP.

[bigkahuna]

I did a quick Photoshop of the Boyd's Thumbhole stock over the Axis II action. I'm not sure if I got the scaling correct, but it does look like the cheek comb is higher than the standard Savage stock. Which means if I go with this stock I will likely need to get higher rings. Not sure if I like that idea, but I do like this stock.

[bigkahuna]

I took a chance and ordered a standard sized (13.75" LOP) featherweight thumbhole stock in "forest camo". The website says they are in stock so I should get mine next week. If the fit isn't perfect (which it probably won't be) I'll give that beartooth recoil pad a try. :)

[foxx]

@foxx - Never heard of Beartooth before, but I like the idea. Do you think you might be able to post a pic of how it looks on your thumbhole stock? The cheek comb is kind of high on the Boyds and I'm wondering if a recoil pad will fit properly.

Another point for removable recoil pads is resale-ability. Not sure how many people who would want a rifle with a 15" LOP.

Pm me your email or cell number and I will send you pics. The pad does not quite reach the cheek piece. I doubt you will need higher rings.

[bigkahuna]

Sent, thanks!

[bigkahuna]

I got the Boyds thumbhole stock yesterday and couldn't wait to mount my Axis in it. The good news is that the action fit perfectly and the rifle looks very nice. The bad news is that it just doesn't fit me very well. Although the LOP may be the same as my synthetic stock, the distance from the tip of my finger to the palm of my hand is considerably longer. I've got fairly long fingers yet I can only reach the trigger with very first digit of my trigger finger. Feels really odd. The wrist angle seems uncomfortable, the LOP seems shorter and the cheek rest is definitely higher. I hate to return it and loose some $$ in the process but I'm not sure I like how this new stock feels. Bummers. Too bad there isn't some way to check these things before ordering a stock.

Edit: Took it to the range and shot maybe 40 rounds with the new stock. It's not as good a fit for me as the synthetic, but I think rather than return it I may keep it and maybe go at it with a rasp to tweak the fit more to my liking.