stagpanther
New member
I've always had a soft spot for the Savage Axis rifle line--it's the model of rifles that everyone loved to hate because of the maddeningly flexible Tupperware stocks. I still have a few of the originals in my gun cabinets--they are and remain a great bargain for what you get--the savage barrel and receiver at a bargain price.
I just bought this axis 1 in 308 win at wallyworld for $180. The first one I bought about ten years ago cost me $250. Now that's progress. The stock has come a long ways since the original "flex by just looking at it" stock. I can't see much difference between it and the axis 2 stock--other than true to it's origins savage has insisted on retaining the push-button buttpad system which I've always thought is a blatantly poor design. I suppose they feel compelled to purpose-design inferior features to make the upgrade rifles more appealing at their prices.
The stock is thick enough that it won't come up and contact the barrel once you cut the barrel channel back. True to every synthetic stock I've ever purchased, the barrel doesn't align straight down the channel so a bit of trimming is needed to ensure complete free-float. Easy enough to do, and unlike the first axis stocks I didn't need to reinforce the foreend to keep the stock from flexing and contacting the barrel. Very Nice. Savage has added molded bedding and metal pillars to where the action screws come through--nice touches. My opinion about their Axis 1 and 2 stocks is that they both benefit from doing some skim bedding to the magazine inlet area, this gives a solid seat to the receiver and reduces the play when tightening the receiver screws. For this particular job I used devcon plastic steel (expensive and getting harder to find these days, but well worth it) and decided to try common weather caulking instead of the expensive medaling clay that GS suppliers like to sell at exorbitant prices. It works just fine, and I find is less messy than modeling clay. about the tenth of the cost of modeling clay and readily available art your hardware store. Savage has a rather unique and clever system for their rear screw pillar, it's really 3 pillars--one in the stock itself, a thick cast metal stub that is part of the trigger assembly (the part protruding forward with a hole cut through it) and then the trigger guard plate. This rather complex system is I assume the natural outgrowth of their "one size fits all" modular approach of the axis line that can be adapted to all their short and long actions offerings, all they do is change the trigger guard fitting to adapt to the different magazines.
The trigger comes at a rather hefty 5 lbs pull but very workable for typical hunting. A bit of spring trim brought mine down to a nice compromise of 3 lbs.
I just bought this axis 1 in 308 win at wallyworld for $180. The first one I bought about ten years ago cost me $250. Now that's progress. The stock has come a long ways since the original "flex by just looking at it" stock. I can't see much difference between it and the axis 2 stock--other than true to it's origins savage has insisted on retaining the push-button buttpad system which I've always thought is a blatantly poor design. I suppose they feel compelled to purpose-design inferior features to make the upgrade rifles more appealing at their prices.
The stock is thick enough that it won't come up and contact the barrel once you cut the barrel channel back. True to every synthetic stock I've ever purchased, the barrel doesn't align straight down the channel so a bit of trimming is needed to ensure complete free-float. Easy enough to do, and unlike the first axis stocks I didn't need to reinforce the foreend to keep the stock from flexing and contacting the barrel. Very Nice. Savage has added molded bedding and metal pillars to where the action screws come through--nice touches. My opinion about their Axis 1 and 2 stocks is that they both benefit from doing some skim bedding to the magazine inlet area, this gives a solid seat to the receiver and reduces the play when tightening the receiver screws. For this particular job I used devcon plastic steel (expensive and getting harder to find these days, but well worth it) and decided to try common weather caulking instead of the expensive medaling clay that GS suppliers like to sell at exorbitant prices. It works just fine, and I find is less messy than modeling clay. about the tenth of the cost of modeling clay and readily available art your hardware store. Savage has a rather unique and clever system for their rear screw pillar, it's really 3 pillars--one in the stock itself, a thick cast metal stub that is part of the trigger assembly (the part protruding forward with a hole cut through it) and then the trigger guard plate. This rather complex system is I assume the natural outgrowth of their "one size fits all" modular approach of the axis line that can be adapted to all their short and long actions offerings, all they do is change the trigger guard fitting to adapt to the different magazines.
The trigger comes at a rather hefty 5 lbs pull but very workable for typical hunting. A bit of spring trim brought mine down to a nice compromise of 3 lbs.
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