Thoughts on the Savage Axis series...

Reindeer · Jun 21, 2012

So I was going by my local Fred Meyer's yesterday, and passed through their gun section... low and behold I noticed that they have their Savage Axis selection of rifles on sale for $255 each. Thinking to myself "Man, that's awfully reasonable for a brand new rifle in my choice of caliber". I know that Savage does have a good reputation in the accuracy department. Also I understand that the trigger on these rifles needs some work. One thing I noticed that I'm not sure I care for though is the plastic magazine. However, on the plus side I really did like the weight and feel of the rifle.

Basically I have been looking for a good "use and abuse" rifle for varminting all the way up to deer, and at that price range I'm finding it really hard to resist. I'm also now doing the .243 vs .270 debate.

At any rate I'm wondering what people's experiences have been with this gun. Is this a case of "you get what you pay for", or is it potentially a good bargain? Are better mags available? Also does anybody have any idea what the lifespan of the barrel would be for either a .243 or .270 round?

Thanks!

DinhRose · Jun 21, 2012

The axis series a lot of value for the money. It used to be called the savage edge until some legal issues came up with branding. Google savagge Edge and you'll get a ton more info. I like mine for an all around rifle. It's comparable to the stevens 200 series. Grouping at 100 yards were 3" but that's probably due to the load and my poor marksmanship skills. It will work for what you need and it's not expensive. The fit and finish is going to suffer a bit with the low cost though. You can look into the savage model 10 or 111 that bi mart sells. It's like $329 with a scope.

One-Eyed Ross · Jun 21, 2012

The guys over at the savage forum love them... There are some things you might want to do to stiffen up the stock, but on the whole the rifle seems to be well made and functions fine. Accuracy and precision are good, as well.

tomcat mv · Jun 21, 2012

You might also want to check out the Thompson/Center Venture series. Little pricier but worth it. I have one in .308 and it is a tack driver.

Spitpatch · Jun 24, 2012

Cannot comment on accuracy, as I have not shot one. But a neighbor bought one (in .308), and brought it over for some trigger work (horrendous 7.5lb pull from the factory). I was impressed with the little gun, and intrigued by its novel bedding system (a sort of V-block arrangement). Trigger work (as described on the Savage shooters website) involves replacing the spring with a lighter one, and adding a set screw to hold it in place (the factory spring borders on drum brake spring tension, and is tapered to drop in to a hole for retention). A caveman could do it, and resulted in a nice 3.25lb pull.

The "short action" calibers (.308, .243, etc.) are accomodated (as Savage did for years with the 110 series) in what is actually a long-action gun. Savage should come out with a true short-action Axis (but this would necessitate some additonal manufacturing expense).

As to barrel life, even an avid hunter/shooter would probably never wear out the barrel on a .243 or .270. If the upper limit of big game was to be deer, my choice would be the .243. If I ever imagined I might hunt elk or bear, the .270 would get the nod.

Reindeer · Jun 24, 2012

Very interesting... thank you for the information about the trigger.

Yeah, I'm personally leaning towards the lighter caliber myself. Actually even considering putting the .223 on the list of possibilities as well. I know it's a controversial round for deer, but my reasoning here is that 1. The blacktails in the area are not that big... maybe the size of a very large dog in terms of body mass, 2. Here on the southern coast, the terrain is pretty rugged and forested, meaning I'm estimating most opportunities to be fairly short range, and 3. It's a relatively inexpensive round to shoot, easy to find, lightweight in terms of carry, and already have a pretty good stock of it for my Mini-14. That would mean more practice time at the range. The obvious cons against it are if I were put in a position of having to make a long range shot, and if it has sufficient power for a humane kill.

Spitpatch · Jun 25, 2012

You have studied well, and drawn the correct conclusions about the .223 for deer. I have seen it used extensively on Pronghorns in Montana (about the size of a coastal blacktail), and it works superbly when (as should always be the case) the shot is placed correctly. My buddy's daughter began using the .223 at the age of 12 on the goats, and she has seven one-shot kills on them (all nice bucks in the 1110-125lb range). She has also anchored two mule deer bucks with the same rifle. Since she watched another person in our party flub a shot with his 7mm Weatherby that resulted in a less than tasteful followup to bring the animal down, she has vowed to never shoot unless it can be perfect. We should all operate under that discipline. She learned that even a Weatherby can fail if it is allowed to fail. Her Mini-Mauser cannot fail if she never allows it to. My father even switched to .223 for Antelope in his last years after seeing what it could do, and searched far and wide to acquire a duplicate gun (Mini Mauser) that he'd seen work so well, and so easy to carry the distances necessary.

Having said all that, and with the possible scenario of a distance shot (in heavy, heavy subtropical jungle forest as we have on the coast), my choice for deer here would be the .243. It might put down a blacktail a little quicker than the .223, and perhaps eliminate the possibility of the bugger sneaking his way into the brush even with a fatal hit. Besides, you already have a .223!