Polish a Turd......Savage axis rifle.

[hunter399]

Well I got this rifle.
Not sure if I got a beater with a heater or what.
I'm gonna update this topic as I go along.
So it will be many posts down the road here.
I'm sure I'll get lots of buy this or that.
The goal is a decent shooting rifle,with as little money as possible.
Caliber is 270 win.

Right out the box,stock is tweaked to one side.
I grinded the inside barrel channel on the one side till that 5 dollar bill slid smoothly in.

[hunter399]

Picture of the scope based removed, cleaning oil out the screw holes.
So I can blue lock tight them back down.
Did all this,but will have to be redone.
I'll show ya why in the next post.

[hunter399]

The scope base are crap.
I mounted the scope all level and all that.
Then noticed a gap where the rings meet the bases.
I bought new Weaver scope rings ,thinking the rings are just cheap whatever.
Only to find out the gap is still there.

In the picture. Arrow is pointed to the gap and scope base that came with rifle,with rounded corners.
The bottom base close to table is a true weaver base off another rifle,without gap,crisp corners.

So another 50 dollar bill ,parts are on the way,guess pictany rail it is.
I'll post links later.

[birdshooter1189]

If you were really wanting to keep it a cheap budget rifle, I'd use the cheap existing scope base and rings, but JB-weld them together.  I'd JB weld the base to the action (careful to keep JB weld out of the screw holes).  And then Possibly JB weld the scope rings to the base too.  If you careful wipe away the excess it'll hardly be noticeable unless you look carefully, or try to take it apart, and it will give you confidence that it isn't moving.

There's nothing wrong with what you are doing though, and by most people's opinions, what you are doing is the right way to do it.  It just costs a little more money.

[hunter399]

So right out the box,these rifles are scope mounted ,bore sighted.
Mine came cross hairs canted. Rings screwed all the way down one side.
Huge gap on other side.

This topic isn't a rant,or complain special.
It is meant as educational,to help other users of this rifle improve there investment.
I do like savage axis ,just needs some spit shine and some help.

I fully realize.....
You get what you pay for.
Buy once ,cry once.

But we will red neck it up. Poor boy style

[hunter399]

The scope bases on my son's rifle from a few years ago ,does not have this problem.
That was the first rifle I checked ,when I noticed it on this rifle.
Crip corners ,no gap, good attachment.
Not sure how this is so whacked out .

Parts that are on the way.

Monstrum Precision Picatinny Scope Rings | 1 inch Diameter | Flat Dark Earth https://a.co/d/dkvy4HA

Monstrum Picatinny Rail Mount for Savage Axis/Edge Rifles with Integrated Level Bubble | 0 MOA https://a.co/d/dYtK18i


Im not exactly sure how far I'll go down the rabbit hole.
I did do a trigger job on my son's rifle,few years ago.
But it's kinda tricky,not sure I want to show that on the forum for safety reasons.
Also I may dura coat the rifle,flat dark earth,just cause these rifles rust so easily.
Last thing I want to do is ,spend an hour coating with oil,every time I come home from hunting in bad weather.

I do not recommend anybody buying same parts I did.
I won't even know if they fit till next week.

[Special T]

I have done several "trigger jobs" onmy own stuff where I never touched the Sear. You might be amazed how much resistance you can remove by just sanding and polishing  parts that rub against each other. It made a huge difference on my wheel gun and made cleaning I much easier. I think with an inexpensive gun you can get noticeable increases in trigger feel by doing so. Several grades of fine grit sandpaper, a block down and a cheap dremmel with polish compound goes a long ways.

[brokenvet]

Have to concur that the stock on those are a POS. 

I bought an Axis stainless from Wall Mart for $299 in 30.06. 
My plan was to upgrade it.  Boyd’s at-one stock and an ER Shaw barrel in 6.5x55, installed the barrel myself.  About $600 for the stock and barrel.  I get 1/2” groups at 100 yards.

[hunter399]

I'll post this.
Just disclaimer.....
YOU ARE REASONABLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY.
I DO NOT PERSONALLY RECOMMEND.
Pretty sure any modifications void warranty.

Also there are other options, depends on how much money you got to burn.

https://timneytriggers.com/axis-edge-trigger/

https://www.mcarbo.com/savage-axis-trigger-pro-kit.aspx

https://jardinc.com/savage-axis

Probably more out there. Just quick Google search.
For the life of me,I can't remember if I cut or replaced the trigger spring on my son's rifle.
Problem is I built his for myself,that year he out grew his 243.
I never got to hunt with it. He took it over.

[BD1]

Sorry that happened to you...my son's Axis .270 drives tacks once we sighted it in. Maybe we lucked out 

[buckfvr]

Never leave the store before you give it the once over top to bottom so you can refuse upon finding flaws.  Id have left that one on the counter.   

[elkslayer069]

Get what you pay for unfortunately. Those (every brand) cheap rifles are like harbor freight tools if you want to use it seriously you’re going to be disappointed every time. Do the tools work? Sometimes yes, sometimes it works but not well. Do those cheap rifles shoot? Yes. Sometimes not well…. The fit and finish is never great at best it’s ok ish. Ive never understood buying a cheap rifle and putting a different stock, trigger etc on it when you could’ve bought a nicer rifle. Same as buying a prefit barrel to put on an action and “building it yourself”. Your only saving about 300 dollars doing it that way and when your done there’s no guarantee or any accountability to the shotty workmanship.  Rant done

[hunter399]

Let's just say I got a smoking deal on it.
So dumping a little money on it ,might be ok.
But it might not if it shoots like crap ,so who knows at this point.
I guess others will know what to look for if they decide to drop some dime on one.
270 I have die,powder,brass ,some components,that was just sitting otherwise,so just being able to use some of that as well.
I'm not disappointed yet,will wait till I'm at the bench,then get sad.lol.

[castnblast]

I think this thread is awesome and look forward to reading more about your adventures and lessons learned.

BTW...my buddy has done the $20 MCARBO trigger spring swap on three different Axis rifles and has been happy with the improvement.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[Remnar]

If you were really wanting to keep it a cheap budget rifle, I'd use the cheap existing scope base and rings, but JB-weld them together.  I'd JB weld the base to the action (careful to keep JB weld out of the screw holes).  And then Possibly JB weld the scope rings to the base too.  If you careful wipe away the excess it'll hardly be noticeable unless you look carefully, or try to take it apart, and it will give you confidence that it isn't moving.

There's nothing wrong with what you are doing though, and by most people's opinions, what you are doing is the right way to do it.  It just costs a little more money.

 :bdid:imhop

[Dan-o]

4 of my kids have Savage Axis rifles.
They all shoot somewhere between good enough and really good.
The only mod I've made was the M CARBO trigger kit.
It's only like $20, and it reduces the trigger pull about 40-50% which really helps.

Did you shoot it first just to see?
They're not works of art, but sometimes they drill holes in the right spot pretty good.

[hunter399]

4 of my kids have Savage Axis rifles.
They all shoot somewhere between good enough and really good.
The only mod I've made was the M CARBO trigger kit.
It's only like $20, and it reduces the trigger pull about 40-50% which really helps.

Did you shoot it first just to see?
They're not works of art, but sometimes they drill holes in the right spot pretty good.

Ya I've had the same experience,some are just tack drivers,others are just ok.
I've been looking at that trigger kit.
Might pull the trigger on it.
No I haven't shot it yet ,I've had it for awhile,still brand new.
Wait till spring,when I can drag my shooting bench out. Hopefully find a load it can chew on.

[hunter399]

I specifically remember doing the trigger on my son's rifle.
But I believe I didn't buy a kit. Think it was a do it yourself job.
So I'll update here.
Took the stock off my son's rifle ,this is what it looks like.
Looks like to me,I definitely replaced factory. Put a screw,and different spring in.

[hunter399]

Digging around in the junk box here at the house.
I found these,I might of bought them back then for this purpose.
Like said can't remember.
This is what I got without going to the hardware store.
The one spring looks like I cut some of it off before,maybe that's the one.

[hunter399]

This is the lip stick for this pig.
It's only about a half can,this will be done kinda last .
After trigger,scope mounting is figured out.
Hopefully the tip isn't clogged from the last time I used it.
That's what I got laying around.

[hunter399]

So ya I'll update more as I go.
Rings and base should be here soon.
Then I'll work on trigger.
Then when a warmer day happens,I'll coat it.
That epoxy paint will take 2weeks to a month to cure.

So it's all a process,that I will get finished before spring.
The end goal is......
Cheap as cheap can get.
Shoots decent.
No worries on beating it up.
Lightweight truck to mountain rifle.
All weather.....no rust....set it by the wood stove after hunting.

[wafisherman]

Sorry that happened to you...my son's Axis .270 drives tacks once we sighted it in. Maybe we lucked out 

We have an axis 270 and a 243. Both have dropped a few deer and no issues.

[270Flat]

Both my boys shoot savage Axis o e in .243 and one in 6.5 creedmore. Both have killed several deer and a real nice bear. Have worked every time the trigger has been pulled. Misses were due to young boys pulling off target. I did too them with Vortex scopes. They only shoot Hornady ammo out of them which has pairs really well. 

[hunter399]

More updates here.
Parts ordered did fit the gun.
Add some made in China stuff ,should add 1/2 horse power at least.

Here is the scope base.
Tiniest bubble level ,that my old eye will most likely never see.
Should help keeping rifle level when I mount the scope.
If I have a bright flashlight to see it.

[hunter399]

Rings fit much better than factory did.
Definitely a snug fit on the rail,which is good.
It has little notch on the bottom of rings,that pop into the spaces in the rail.
Plus the clamps on the side.
Scope rings and base or rail are made by the same company.
So I was gonna be pissed if it didn't fit.

[hunter399]

Now the trigger ,took me a few minutes to put it together the way I think it should be.
Rummaged through every freaking junk boxes around the house.
The three springs pictured,only one was correct size.
But was worse than the factory.
Then you play the game of over travel,the slack the trigger has after fired.
If you cut a screw long to compensate for over travel,it leaves very little spring travel.

Here is a pic ,trying to figure it out.

[hunter399]

So I came up with this.
Thinking I could take all over travel.
Also thinking I could just clip the factory spring.
Which savage has changed,cause it was a brass color spring,now it's green.

None of this worked out,but I'll show a pic anyway.
At least it didn't for me,the factory spring is strong.
You see all these YouTube of people just cutting the spring.
Cut or not ,the compression of the spring and trigger feels the same to me.
Basically you would have to ride a fine line of function vs any kind of reduction of trigger.

[hunter399]

So what I came up with.

Is ....here we go .....
Is a 1.50 trigger job from the hardware store.
The screw I got is the same length as the safety screw.
Which takes up some over travel,but also allows enough spring travel for it to fire and reset sear reliability.
The spring is just the same size I could find at the hardware store.(diameter)
Then I cut the spring to about the same length as the factory,but compress a lot better than factory.

Spring was 1.19
Another bolt was .20 cent.

That's what I came up with.

[hunter399]

So this will be last post for a few weeks.
As in all I have left is to coat the rifle in that aluma Hyde epoxy paint.
Mount the scope up.
Recheck after coating,that I'm still free floating.

I like to give it a week or two by the wood stove for the coating to get hard.
It's dry to touch in 24 hrs ,but it's definitely not hard coat yet.

That video definitely doesn't do that trigger justice.
After putting the stock back on,handed to my wife to dry fire a few times.
First thing she said.....
Why doesn't my rifle trigger feel like this.

[hunter399]

Time to coat this rifle.

I was gonna not coat it, wasn't gonna buy different base and rings.
Was gonna just plug and play,as I looked at things.
Didn't like the setup "out the box" .
So I guess it's full rabbit hole now,in it to win it.
Even if it shoots crap,it will look good doing it.

This stuff on the can,says don't spray if lower than 60 degrees.
That's hog wash ,BS will fix that.
Warming up the paint on the wood stove.

[hunter399]

Show a little bit of the prep action here.

So the cheapo yellow ear plugs , I like to put those in gaps that I absolutely don't want paint.
Even under the painters tape. Muzzle,action ,whatever. There nice to compress throw in the hole then they expand to fit wherever.

The lens wipes ,that I use on my scopes . You'll see them in some of the prep photos.
I used those to degrease the metal ,take off finger oils,gun oil, general wipe down of the metal to be painted.

Few more pics.

[hunter399]

So I taped lots of spots ,with good painters tape.
Trigger assembly
Scope base
Magazine
Recoil lug hole.
Action screw hole.
Most importantly the muzzle crown,just a flat tape with ear plug behind it.

[hunter399]

So painting this thing was kinda pain in the rear,with only being 40 degrees.
So it's a process.
Take outside slap a coat on,then bring back in ,let flash dry for 10-15 minutes.
Then back out , second coat,make sure didn't miss any spots then done.

You can also see the little tape over the crown in this pic.

[hunter399]

So I did want to show that I do put painter tape inside the action.
But I try to leave it back just a little,so the coating goes in around the opening.

I'll post up some photos when I peel the tape off in a few day of cure.
Then mount the scope up level,which probably don't need to post that.
Most guys know how that's done.

Post some final photos,then this topic will be done with my input.

This is a photo of the tape around the action.
Last pic is the rifle DONE.
Bubba up, redneck,as good as it's gonna get.
So this topic is done for my input. Turd is polished.

Another note.
My trigger is my own , safety is my own.
I do not recommend, custom,or modified work.
Your safety is your own responsibility.

[hunter399]

Done !!!

[Dan-o]

I'll be curious to see how it shoots.

[hunter399]

I'll be curious to see how it shoots.

I can do an update after I shoot it.
I'll post the load tomorrow./just off my head without going to reload desk.
Starting load is 56 grains of H4831
150 grain hot core soft point.

It's probably gonna be awhile before I go to shoot it
I gotta see some sunlight before I drag my shooting bench out.
I figured I only got 3 Benjamin in this gun .

[brokenvet]

Nice job

[MeepDog]

That looks great hunter399! I've been curious about coatings over bluing hold up. My blue is worn out on my browning X-bolt and that rattle can job looks real nice on your savage.

[hunter399]

Thanks guys.

Two things with coating a rifle .
When you put it on there ,it's stuck there. There is no turning back.
You'd have to sand it off/sand blast it off.

Degreased metal, you want it to stick.
No oil,finger print oils ,it's gotta be clean.

Alumahyde
Duracoat

Can be found on Amazon and other online retailers.
Alumahyde the stuff I used is like 25 a can.
Duracoat is a little more spendy,like almost 80 bucks.
Some coatings can be baked on. literally like put in the oven to cure.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE CAN.

You can do any firearm you like,I prefer to do it on cheap rifles.
Seems like the blueing sucks on some of the new guns.
Firearms that are old,or family hand me downs and stuff ,I just use that cold blue to shine them up.

If I had an expensive rifle ,I'd probably just take it to some place and pay to have them cerakote it.

Thanks for the great comments.

I forgot to say......
You can polish a turd,dump money into a turd. Still a turd at the end of the day.

[outdooraddict]

this was interesting to follow, i have an old 410 i got for like $70, for the kids to learn to shoot and the occasional grouse.  nothing fancy and not worth anything, i think i may try to clean it up and rattle can it with that stuff, thanks for the pics of the process

[Jpmiller]

Cool, interested how it'll shoot