Welcome to the addiction!! We all started off just like this... It is so very rewarding when you have it out in the field or on the range and shooting nice groups... and you did it yourself. I did put a Prairie hunter on my first one, and for what you want to do with yours, I'd also recommend the Prairie hunter for it's light weight. It's not as light as the synthetic that came with the axis, but it is lighter than the Pro Varmint by a bit.

I love the Pro Varmint that I have on my 260, but it's more of a bench gun then it is a pack it on the mountain hunting rifle, although it's not so heavy that I wouldn't use it for hunting. (13 lbs +-) In fact, I took it Elk hunting this year as my "backup' gun.

If you wind up with the Prairie hunter or Pro Varmint-- I highly suggest pillar bedding the action more so than glass bedding, as it made more of a difference. You may wind up doing both as I did on my Prairie Hunter.

And if you wind up putting a "good" barrel on it, take a look at Criterion or Shilen. Both of which you can purchase through Northland Shooter Supply.

Good luck to you,