The Savage Project! This Savage Axis has been sitting in my safe since the end of 2021 with very little use. The trigger sucks, the bolt sucks, the optics suck and the list goes on. However, it is an accurate rifle that I have decided to try and breathe some life into.
I have made a few inexpensive changes so far to the trigger and bolt and we are off to a really good start transforming this rifle with very little money. The issue now is the next few fixes cost quite a bit more. I can justify putting decent optics on this rifle as I can always move a scope to another rifle in the future.
It's also expensive to fix the recoil. I know I would like to put at least a muzzle brake on this rifle. Does a 6.5CM really need a brake? Well if you plan to shoot long range and spot your impacts then I would say yes.
I had one comment saying they used a clamp on muzzle brake. I explored that a little bit and you are spending almost as much as if you were to get the barrel threaded. Having it threaded gives you a lot more versatility for different types of brakes and the potential of adding a suppressor down the road. This is the part of this build where I am starting to get carried away.
If budget was thrown out the door I would thread the barrel and add the Hawkins Precision Updraft brake. The updraft brake is something like the optic I could move over to a future rifle so would that be a smart choice? The budget option would be to just add an omni brake machined by the local gun smith that would match the barrel profile of this rifle (threading and brake = $150). That is less than the Updraft brake by itself but the Updraft has some clear advantages especially when shooting prone where an omni brake often blows all sorts of debris right in your face distorting the target and making your impacts harder to spot.
Decisions Decisions. Their are many to be made with this rifle resurrection. Normally I think I would say to just trade one of these in but now that I am in the rabbit hole we might as well have some fun with it and see where this build takes me.
What are some of the things you would consider doing with this rifle?
Been waiting to share this with you guys for a while now. I am watching the new releases at SHOT Show this year and there are some really neat pieces of gear being introduced this week.
Arken is debuting a weapons mounted rangefinder similar to the Vortex Impact. Leupold just introduced their new rangefinding binos. There are a few new bolt action rifles that have my attention but with all the innovation and new products being released none of them have my attention the way that Vortex does right now.
It's not just a 10K rangefinder. It's not just the best glass for a rangefinding bino. It's not just the speed and accuracy on the displays in both the ACE and Talon. It's not just the new Vortex Relay Network that connects all the tools. It's the new standard. It brings everything together where it all operates as one system. It is simple, easy to use, and makes long range shooting more accessible for the every day marksman.
Tucker Schmidt from Vortex Optics dropped into the HuntLeague Mancave to share some of the new gear they have coming out for long range shooting/hunting in 2026.
We got to spend a day testing the new stuff in the field and let's just say after the preview some pre-orders were placed. Vortex is changing the game once again and we can't wait to share more with you in the days ahead.
Excited for a new year filled with more first round impacts than you ever thought possible!
This year I have been posting loads of content around building out hunting rifles. As much as I enjoy rifles, I am still an archery hunter and what fuels my passion is connecting with people and hearing stories from the field. It's why I built the HuntLeague app.
One of my favorite things is watching every day hunters share their stories and compete in leagues inside the HuntLeague app and community. Today we announced our top two finalists for the Sweet September League. It's two ordinary hunters that you would have never heard of but their stories are extraordinary and I am honored to have them be a part of our growing community.
HuntLeague
The Savage Project! This Savage Axis has been sitting in my safe since the end of 2021 with very little use. The trigger sucks, the bolt sucks, the optics suck and the list goes on. However, it is an accurate rifle that I have decided to try and breathe some life into.
I have made a few inexpensive changes so far to the trigger and bolt and we are off to a really good start transforming this rifle with very little money. The issue now is the next few fixes cost quite a bit more. I can justify putting decent optics on this rifle as I can always move a scope to another rifle in the future.
It's also expensive to fix the recoil. I know I would like to put at least a muzzle brake on this rifle. Does a 6.5CM really need a brake? Well if you plan to shoot long range and spot your impacts then I would say yes.
I had one comment saying they used a clamp on muzzle brake. I explored that a little bit and you are spending almost as much as if you were to get the barrel threaded. Having it threaded gives you a lot more versatility for different types of brakes and the potential of adding a suppressor down the road. This is the part of this build where I am starting to get carried away.
If budget was thrown out the door I would thread the barrel and add the Hawkins Precision Updraft brake. The updraft brake is something like the optic I could move over to a future rifle so would that be a smart choice? The budget option would be to just add an omni brake machined by the local gun smith that would match the barrel profile of this rifle (threading and brake = $150). That is less than the Updraft brake by itself but the Updraft has some clear advantages especially when shooting prone where an omni brake often blows all sorts of debris right in your face distorting the target and making your impacts harder to spot.
Decisions Decisions. Their are many to be made with this rifle resurrection. Normally I think I would say to just trade one of these in but now that I am in the rabbit hole we might as well have some fun with it and see where this build takes me.
What are some of the things you would consider doing with this rifle?
2 days ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies
HuntLeague
Been waiting to share this with you guys for a while now. I am watching the new releases at SHOT Show this year and there are some really neat pieces of gear being introduced this week.
Arken is debuting a weapons mounted rangefinder similar to the Vortex Impact. Leupold just introduced their new rangefinding binos. There are a few new bolt action rifles that have my attention but with all the innovation and new products being released none of them have my attention the way that Vortex does right now.
It's not just a 10K rangefinder. It's not just the best glass for a rangefinding bino. It's not just the speed and accuracy on the displays in both the ACE and Talon. It's not just the new Vortex Relay Network that connects all the tools. It's the new standard. It brings everything together where it all operates as one system. It is simple, easy to use, and makes long range shooting more accessible for the every day marksman.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2
View 0 replies
HuntLeague
Tucker Schmidt from Vortex Optics dropped into the HuntLeague Mancave to share some of the new gear they have coming out for long range shooting/hunting in 2026.
We got to spend a day testing the new stuff in the field and let's just say after the preview some pre-orders were placed. Vortex is changing the game once again and we can't wait to share more with you in the days ahead.
Excited for a new year filled with more first round impacts than you ever thought possible!
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
View 1 reply
HuntLeague
This year I have been posting loads of content around building out hunting rifles. As much as I enjoy rifles, I am still an archery hunter and what fuels my passion is connecting with people and hearing stories from the field. It's why I built the HuntLeague app.
One of my favorite things is watching every day hunters share their stories and compete in leagues inside the HuntLeague app and community. Today we announced our top two finalists for the Sweet September League. It's two ordinary hunters that you would have never heard of but their stories are extraordinary and I am honored to have them be a part of our growing community.
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies