? For You Guys that Have Tinkered with Savage Actions

[Brian in Montana]

Savage Axis actions are weird. I understand they come in only one length and to accommodate between a short-action chambering as opposed to long, it's a matter of adjustments made to the bolt lugs and other hardware (ie. magazine, trigger guard, etc.). Never having done a build off a Savage Axis, this just seems like if you're building a short action it would make headspacing awkward; seems like you'd necessarily wind up with an unwieldy amount of extra throat. Have you found that to be the case?

 

[turbobrick]

Savage Axis actions are weird. I understand they come in only one length and to accommodate between a short-action chambering as opposed to long, it's a matter of adjustments made to the bolt lugs and other hardware (ie. magazine, trigger guard, etc.). Never having done a build off a Savage Axis, this just seems like if you're building a short action it would make headspacing awkward; seems like you'd necessarily wind up with an unwieldy amount of extra throat. Have you found that to be the case?

The difference in length is just the action between the tang and the front of the ejection port, it doesn't impact throat or headspace at all.

 

[p_ham]

You keep the same bolt nose unless you're changing rim diameter. Change the trigger plate and magazine. I think the stocks are inlet different too, ask @std7mag on that.

 

[ImBillT]

Headspace is the distance between the boltface and where the shoulder of the case interfaces with the shoulder in the chamber. To get a fixed number, they usually specify some specific point on the shoulder and refer to it as the datum. No, the Savage action won’t cause any wild issues with headspace.

The throat is a little bit of a vague term referring to the distance between the chamber’s neck, and the bore. Different folks mean different things by it. More correct terms would be freebore and lead. Most of the time someone says throat, the mean freebore.(myself included) The freebore begins when the taper from the chamber neck meets a parallel section slightly larger than bullet diameter and before the lead. The lead is the transition from the freebore to the land diameter. The action has even less to do with the “throat” than it does headspace.

On actions with pseudo adjustable lengths, adjust how far back you can pull the bolt. The boltface ends up in the same place when the bolt is closed no matter what. The reason I say “pseudo” adjustable is that you still have a full length, full weight receiver and bolt. You’re just adjusting how far back the bolt has to be pulled. It’s not like there was ever a reason you couldn’t put a .308Win on a 700 L/A. A 308Win on a Tikka is a a 308Win on a L/A with a bolt pull that FEELS like a S/A.

 

[Jbotto]

It shouldn’t affect headspace or throat at all. It’s just the action so it makes a long bolt stroke if all the right parts aren’t used. Headspace starts and ends with a closed bolt, not the distance the bolt travels.

I believe the stocks are just inletted for the proper sized magazine for short and long cartridge lengths. It should be easy enough to do a project off this action. I wouldn’t shy away from it if you want a Savage project rifle!

Edit: @ImBillT beat me to it with a better explanation while I was typing.

 

[Doublecluck]

Super easy to headspace savages, and when done properly aren’t any different dimensionally to any other maker. Headspace is headspace, bolt face to shoulder.


I’ve done lots of builds on 110/10 actions, I haven’t screwed with axis actions, paperweights as far as I’m concerned. Primarily based on the recoil lug design.

 

[Brian in Montana]

What's wrong with the recoil lug design?

 

[EKYHunter]

You guys know much more about this subject than I. But I’ve got a cheap Axis II in 6.5 and that flimsy little sucker shoots like a champ. Very accurate.

 

[std7mag]

Super easy to headspace savages, and when done properly aren’t any different dimensionally to any other maker. Headspace is headspace, bolt face to shoulder.


I’ve done lots of builds on 110/10 actions, I haven’t screwed with axis actions, paperweights as far as I’m concerned. Primarily based on the recoil lug design.

Or you can do as i did and have the front of the receiver turned down to where it's even with the recess for the recoil lug.
Then use a trued 10/110 recoil lug and nut.

 

[RaiderRich]

Interesting thread, especially since I am planning on taking an Axis 2 in 7mm-08 and converting it to something else, 280AI, 260Rem or whatever floats my boat at the time.

260Rem isn't much an issue but with the 280AI I would have to swap out the Boyd stock I have on it.

All my Savage rifles 10/110 and Axis always get the recoil and ejection parts upgrade. Savage simply makes the stock stuff to flimsy.

 

[Don Fischer]

Have never fooled much with a Savage rifle but have shot a couple old mod 110's. I'm aware that there is only one bolt length and was sitting here thinking that might be useable. Had a Sako L61 in 7mm Rem Mag back in the 1970's. Tried getting 160gr bullet's to shoot better in it, at least as well as 140gr bullet's shot and just couldn't do it. Got to thinking that if I seated the bullet's the same it would help. I doubt it did but I was young anf fairly new to reloading. So I seated a 160gr bullet with the base of the bullet at the junction of the neck and shoulder. Fit the magazine easily but the lands stopped the round from chambering! Took it to a gunsmith and had him re-do the chamber by moving the lands forward, game him a dummy round the work with. Got the rifle back and boy did it shoot but also used a couple more grains of N205! People didn't have chronographs in those days so not a clue what velocity I was getting but under the circumstances back then, the velocity was whatever you said it was. Got a load worked upwith it and a 160gr Speer Hot Core that consistently grouped at 5/8" at 100 yds. never did that again, most actions don't appear to be long enough to do it with. had a 6mm Rem on a Mod 700 and could not reach the lands, not even close. magazine stopped me from seating the bullet out far enough. Rifle shot alright but no better than that. With the length of the bolt in the Savage rifles, maybe the magazine's could be long enough to do that with! Just a thjought!

 

[ImBillT]

Have never fooled much with a Savage rifle but have shot a couple old mod 110's. I'm aware that there is only one bolt length and was sitting here thinking that might be useable. Had a Sako L61 in 7mm Rem Mag back in the 1970's. Tried getting 160gr bullet's to shoot better in it, at least as well as 140gr bullet's shot and just couldn't do it. Got to thinking that if I seated the bullet's the same it would help. I doubt it did but I was young anf fairly new to reloading. So I seated a 160gr bullet with the base of the bullet at the junction of the neck and shoulder. Fit the magazine easily but the lands stopped the round from chambering! Took it to a gunsmith and had him re-do the chamber by moving the lands forward, game him a dummy round the work with. Got the rifle back and boy did it shoot but also used a couple more grains of N205! People didn't have chronographs in those days so not a clue what velocity I was getting but under the circumstances back then, the velocity was whatever you said it was. Got a load worked upwith it and a 160gr Speer Hot Core that consistently grouped at 5/8" at 100 yds. never did that again, most actions don't appear to be long enough to do it with. had a 6mm Rem on a Mod 700 and could not reach the lands, not even close. magazine stopped me from seating the bullet out far enough. Rifle shot alright but no better than that. With the length of the bolt in the Savage rifles, maybe the magazine's could be long enough to do that with! Just a thjought!

They never should have stuffed the 57mm cartridges into a 700 S/A. I’m not sure what Remington was thinking on that one. Using the S/A was as poor a choice as the twist.

 

[std7mag]

What's wrong with the recoil lug design?

The recoil lug is separate from the action.
It sits in the stock and enters a recess in the bottom of the action. (Ala Tikka)
Some see this as a bad thing.

I'm not entirely sure how one would go about bedding the action on one.

 

[cahunter805]

The recoil lug is separate from the action.
It sits in the stock and enters a recess in the bottom of the action. (Ala Tikka)
Some see this as a bad thing.

I'm not entirely sure how one would go about bedding the action on one.

Super glue the lug in place to the action and then bed it is normally how it’s done.

 

[std7mag]

Super glue the lug in place to the action and then bed it is normally how it’s done.

My line of thought is that bedding compound in the threads of my receiver/barrel is one of the last things i would want!

 

[cahunter805]

My line of thought is that bedding compound in the threads of my receiver/barrel is one of the last things i would want!

Definitely agree. My response was more to the tikka part of your comment. Many people glue the lug to the tikka action before bedding them just to keep them tight for bedding purpose instead of trying to align it in the stock when there’s bedding compound all over already. The lug stays in the stock once the bedding cures also.

 

[p_ham]

Super glue the lug in place to the action and then bed it is normally how it’s done.

That's how I do Tikkas.

 

[Doublecluck]

Or you can do as i did and have the front of the receiver turned down to where it's even with the recess for the recoil lug.
Then use a trued 10/110 recoil lug and nut.

You could, assuming you have access to a Machine shop that will do it for a reasonable amount for it to still make sense.

Buddy had one that shotgunned everything he fed it, asked me to “build a load for it” I suspected the action might be the culprit, he was gonna trash it so I told him bed the whole action in jB weld, recoil lug back, gun shoots great now, he can’t get it apart, but it shoots good. Lol.

 

[kiwi hunter]

if you can pick up a win 70 in short action that'll fix your problem, i have one in 243

 

[Don Fischer]

Never have seen one of those before. Looked them up and it looks like to get the recoil lug off the action you have to un-screw the barrel? If you simply take out the sction screws and lift it, won't the recoil lug come out with the action? Something must be missing here, looks like if you simply leave the barrel and action together there should be no problem bedding the recoil lug?