“Savage Axis: $300 Hunter” by Nutnfancy04:33

The Ruger American copied this rifle in a lot of ways. Rumor says it was the same engineer. However the Savage Axis is a more established design, following its “Edge” predecessor. It comes in several varieties (shown). This reviewed and tested version is the XP equipped with a Bushnell 3×9 scope and some cheesy rings. All that was taken off as, a better optic was mounted, and we tested the Axis to 450 yards and beyond in .308 caliber. Practical shooting at long range steel targets brought succes. But unlike some reports, we did not find the Axis capable of 1 MOAS. Like its Ruger counterpart, it’s a 1.5 MOA shooter on a good day with good ammo. Some loads shot into 3 MOA. Perhaps like Savage says in its catalog, it will be a “journey” to accuracy. Me, I’d just prefer to arrive out of box. However at its price point, the Axis shows more than acceptable accuracy. It’s just not pleasantly surprising. The construction follows other polymer stocked value hunting rifles: slippery plastic stock, smooth bolt, free floated barrel, enclosed receiver, economical steel bedding (steel screw pillars here), and a button rifled barrel. Two downsides are noted: a stiffer and sharp cornered trigger and at times weak ejection. POUs are the same as the American. But the Savage Axis remains one of the cheapest ways to launch a major caliber round into 1.5 inches at 100 yards and it’s reliable and tough.///////////Nutnfancy Likability Scale: 7 out of 10