# General > General Guns & Ammo >  Savage Axis Range Report

## kyratshooter

Got a Savage Axis a couple of weeks back as a blind purchase.  I had never fired one and had only held one in my hands once, but the price was right and too good to pass up.

I now know much more about the Savage Axis than I did the day I obought it. Sure, I had read multiple reviews and heard all the normal BS of the internet, but nothing keys you in like a couple hundred rounds of real life shooting.

No, it is not the greatest rifle in the world. But at $277 OTD at   Walmart it is a fantastic buy, and more gun for the money than I have seen in a while.

My first range trip was to check accuracy. For this activity I mount a 6-20x varmit scope I use specifically for this purpose. I do not try to zero the scope, I simply shoot for smallest group.

I used a batch of reloads left over from a 1988 reloading binge. 53 gns imr4350 and a 150gn pointed soft point Siarra slug. With these 25 year old reloads I was shooting into >2" @ 100yds. Considering the nature of the stale ammo, new rifle still settling into the plastic stock and my 60+ year old eyes and nerves I figured that was acceptable. After the first three shots I announced to the other geezers that haunt the range that I could go hunting with the rifle right now! That is unusual for me. I usually have to piddle to get that kind of group and work down from there.

A trip home and dusting off the loading dies, buying a new can of powder and a couple of new boxs of wonder-slugs, and 2 hours latter I have another 40 assorted reloads to test. 

I also swapped the scope out for the 3-9 it would normally wear. It was an old Tasco from the "scope box" under the workbench. 

A second trip to the range. Siarra 165gn boat tail hollow point match bullets/45 gn imr4320. The first group is inside 1" @100. 

Second load is same powder and charge but a 160 grain poly-tip intended for the .308 Marlin. I bought a bulk order of these slugs intending for them to be my new reserve go-to for every 30cal reload in anything from 30-30 to .300win-mag.

Out of the Savage they made a 1 1/2" group at 100 yds. I was pleased that they grouped my general purpose bulk bullet that well. They also had the same POI as the 165 Siarria so I zeroed the 3-9x scope for this load. 

Going back to the 25 year old reloads (I had found more in my search of the ammo cans) I found that they were dead on windage and only a bit over an inch high @ 100 and easily usable in the hunting field. Still holding a little over a 1 inch group.

Nothing I have launched from this rifle has gone more than 2" @ 100 yds !!!! I have not fired a single factory round, but my reloads are shooting very acceptable groups for hunting loads in a 30-06 off the shelf rifle.

The trigger on the Axis is crap. I will need to work on that. It needs a polish and some tweeking. It is still better than any of the milsurp triggers but is honestly worse than my Winchester 94. It can not hold a candle to the Acutrigger or the adjustable unit on my Marlin ATR.

The stock is a black plastic unit that is as good as any black plastic unit. I figure it is about 75 cents worth of plastic and labor which is what allows the production of sporting rifles at the prices they are available today. The manufacturers have eliminated all the tooling, hand fitting, finishing steps and processing associated with wood products and still have a stock that sucks air when you break it from the action. All that with the use of minimum wage labor.

I expect to see the group sizes drop a fraction after I glass bed this one in. They always do. The recoil lug of the Axis is in the stock and not in the action. A partition in the stock fits into a groove in the bottom of the receiver forming the recoil lug. It is different, but it seems to work and it is a cheap solution to the ageless problem of anchoring the action.

The metal seems to be powder coated. Time will reveal the durability of this finish and I have little opinion on it due to lowering my old expectatons of wood and metal to the point that I have purchased more than one plastic and carbon fiber wrapped rifle in the past few years.

I do have an opinion on the value for the dollar I spent, and I am happy with the Axis in that reguard. 

I would rather have an Axis and scope at $300 than a Mosin with add-on goodies to the equil value. Plus the Axis comes in your choice of caliber. 

So, now I have answered all the question you never asked about the Axis.

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## wtrfwlr

Nice review, Thank You.

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## hunter63

So its a 30-06....?

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## kyratshooter

Yep, 30-06.  I went old school on this one and I am glad I did.  

I have found overall that the 30-06 is much less fussy on variety of ammo it will digest with good results.  Nothing I put through this 30-06 shot over 2".  I really should buy my first box of 30-06 in 40 years and see what it will do with off the shelf ammo.

My .308 will outshoot it with the perfect load, but blows the patterns badly with anything else.  Factory ammo will not stay inside 6" with my .308.   

Of course I have not sought out the "perfect load" for this Axis and I probably will not.  53 gns of 4350 w/150 gn slug has been my standard for decades and I will probably have a "standard" load for the 160-165 slugs that will shoot in any 30-06 I acquire soon.  I really like to have one general purpose load in each caliber, memorize it for eternity and ignore the rest.  I have been shooting the same .38spl, 9mm, .45acp, 7x57 and 30-06 loads since the mid 1970s.  If it ain't broke......

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## hunter63

Yeah, I hear ya........all the puttsing around, really hasn't done me too much good....I tend to stay with my favorites.

Did see a couple of M1 Grande's at Cabelas yesterday, kinda ratty....$1200 &1300 bucks........

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## kyratshooter

I have been considering the postponement of junk buying for a couple of months and diverting that money into a DCM garand.

I might need to do that in the next month or two, make a run up to Camp Perry and pick one out, buy a case of ammo and set it back.  

Here at my place I have the possibility of some really long shots out both front and back doors.  Full size calibers with full sized case capacty gives me comfort.

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## hunter63

As far as sighting in that Axis....I realize you are shooting you favorite 'home brew ready rolls"...I like to use factory ammo to start with.

Once I find what project de Jure likes, then try to match results with the home rolls.

As most rifles I load for are pretty much hunting tools, I like to know that the gas station in Cross Roads Montana has a box of "I know where it gonna shoot" ammo.
Mostly this is left over from the old days with limited resources.....and most likely is just a personnel quirk.........

Is good to know thr results from a off the rack long gun can still shoot well....with out $500 bucks worth of custom work.
Thanks for the review

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## kyratshooter

That was the reason I was thinking about buying a box of Wallyworld ammo to test.  I have heard tales, though I can not imagine such a thing, of people arriving at their hunting spot  without their normal ammo.  I suppose I need to know the general part of the target factory stuff lands in.

It used to be that Wallyworld got one kind of ammo and the LGS had a better quality.  Now the LGS owner goes down to Walmart to buy his inventory.

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## hunter63

If the factory ammo is sighted in, and you can match results with the ready rolls,..... just means that no matter what....you are good to go.....

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## hunter63

Just a note....stopped in at the local saloon for a cold one on a trip to town....They were selling raffle rickets for their fire department....Savage Axis 30-06 in Stainess/scope package was first prize, Axis .243 second prize, 40" TV, 3rd.......6 chances for $5 bucks.....will be a couple of weeks, so we will see.....LOL

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## kyratshooter

If the factory ammo for the 30-06 is as bad as the factory ammo for the .308 the biggest problem will be trying to decide where the middle of an 8" group is located.

Knowing you Hunter, you will win something!

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## hunter63

It's funny you should say that as I can't remember having any trouble,with factory ammo, except some .44 mag reloads in Herters cases, not sure where they went after I pulled the trigger......Of course I haven't really bought any new 30-06 for years..... and don't shoot a .308..never really liked that caliber.

The 30-06 seems to be a very forgiving, stuff anything in the chamber and hit a MOPP with no trouble......Hummm

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## Daniel Nighteyes

Excellent review!

From one who (*Hunter 63*, my apologies) has had .308 Winchester rounds sit up and sing...

-- *Nighteyes*

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## kyratshooter

After anothr two weeks of shooting and dingling around I have done some work on the atrocious trigger and glass bedded the action.

I have decided there is no hope for the trigger.  I lightened it and smoothed it some but I fear Savage is going with an all or nothing approch to their rifles and the accutrigger system.  You pay more and get the good trigger or settle for pulling a barbell through gravel.

I have used 4 different powders, three bullet types and find that the worse group settles around 2 inches and the best are going right at an inch.  So far I have found the accuracy "adequite" with everything and quite a confidence builder.  

I have used 150 gn loads that duplicate factory, 165 gn poly tip boat tail and 165gn BTSP.  The 150s are going near 2900, the BTSP about 2700 and the poly tip about 2600.  All groups are in a vertical line with the 150gn 6" above the polytip and the BTSP about 4" below the 150 gn group.  It is amazing what 300 fps will do at 100yds!  What it really means is that anything I stuff into this rifle will hit inside a deers' K zone with the same point of aim, and my prefered loads will stay inside a one inch circle.  (my .308 will do better with my favored load but not with just anything I stuff into it.)

If there be one among you that thinks a Mosin Nagant kicks yee shall be advised not to shoot the Savage Axis with 2900 fps 150 gn loads.  It it like hanging onto a plastic freight train!

As a little additional tip; the rifle is advertised as a 4 round capacity, which is what the magazine holds.  You can easily load one round, close the bolt and insert the magazine for a total of 5 rounds.

One amazing thing I am finding is that every time I run into someone at the range with one of these rifles the results are always the same.  I helped a kid with a .270 sight in yesterday and he was shooting groups almost identical to mine with three different types of factory ammo.  All brands were going about 1 1/2-2" @100.  He was shooting with a rolled up blanket as a rest and I am sure he could have done better with a good rest.  I ran into another fellow at an Appleseed shoot a few weeks back and his .243 was doing about the same.

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## hunter63

I like the vertical line groups, with different gr bullets, as then I know that the difference is the load not the rifle.
ASt the range  awhile back, had 3 shot groups with the 7 mag, @ 100 yds, 3 touching w 130 gr, 3 touching with the 150 gr (factory core-loc's and 3 touching with the 160 gr all in a vertical row....longest from top to bottom was 3" and a tad.

Lady walking down to check targets, says "That's a pretty big group'.....Answered, "Not with 3 different bullets and loads".

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## kyratshooter

I drive the guys at the range crazy with my one shot groups.  One shot from a cold bore with a long wait for cool down between shots.  Sometimes it takes me an hour to fire a three shot group. 

In the field, that one cold bore shot is the only one that really counts.

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## natertot

Good stuff Kyrat! Makes me want to go and spend some time at the range! 

(I haven't forgotten our PM converstation by the way. I am hoping we can connect in the next couple of weeks.)

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## kyratshooter

You send me a PM and we will do some shooting.

Only thing is that the public range does not allow pistol shooting any more.  I have to go to the club on one of their range days for that.

We can do all the rifle shooting you can tolerate.

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## hunter63

> I drive the guys at the range crazy with my one shot groups.  One shot from a cold bore with a long wait for cool down between shots.  Sometimes it takes me an hour to fire a three shot group. 
> 
> In the field, that one cold bore shot is the only one that really counts.


Yeah, I've heard the "gonna a fire a couple of rounds till it settles down" comments as well.....Never made any sense, unless you are just target shooting.
I like the one and 2 shot 'groups myself".....deer isn't gonna wait around till you 'warm up the bore"....generally when ,hunting the 3rd 4th and so on are just expensive noise.

Now if you really want to play with peoples heads, have a couple of different barrels for the Handi rifle on the bench, and switch barrels after everyshot.....then when asked, just say you want a cold bore each time....switching barrels allows them to cool.....LOL

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## Wildthang

Since it is a new rifle, did you break in the barrel by cleaning it every shot for the first 10 shots, then after every 3 shots, then after every five shots? :Smartass:

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## hunter63

I have never done that, guess it has some merit......they tend to shoot better after you shoot whatever for a while, don't know if it's just you getting used to it,..... or wearing in the barrel.

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## kyratshooter

> Since it is a new rifle, did you break in the barrel by cleaning it every shot for the first 10 shots, then after every 3 shots, then after every five shots?


This is a nickel steel rifle barrel, not a cast iron skillet.

All that process does is wear out a good cleaning brush.

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## Wildthang

> This is a nickel steel rifle barrel, not a cast iron skillet.
> 
> All that process does is wear out a good cleaning brush.



Well I was mostly kidding Kyrat, but you cant beleive how many people do that, mostly long range shooters and varmint hunters.

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## kyratshooter

I got the Axis dialed in finally.  My pet load has always been 53 gns of 4350 and a 150 gn bullet.  That load shoots 1 1/2"@100yds in this rifle.

54 grains of 4350 shoots into less than 1 inch.

Sometimes you have to be a little flexable after 40 years of using the same load!

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