I've always drawn a conclusion that manufacturers will offer rifles that they would otherwise reject for Q/C reasons, to retailers like Wally World for a low price....
The average customer who has their hunting and fishing needs purchased at Wally World, usually isn't as picky as are the type of folks who frequent sites like this...
Hunting rifles sell for cheap and have poor Q/C, are bought by people who shoot two or three rounds a year and " zeroing in" to them is accomplished by hitting the target with 2 out of 3 shots at 100 yds off the bench.
Their customers for 22 Rifles are people who would buy a 10/22 and some boxes of cheap bulk 22 LR that are "on sale".... their expectations are fulfilled by the gun going bang, and not jamming..
These are the two types of their customers that show up at our range...
They want a hunting rifle that they can buy ammo for that is always on sale.... comes with a disposable 3 x 9 No Name Brand Scope on top. They hit a target 2 out of 3 times with three shots at 100 yds, they claim its lethal out pass 500 yds... 22 semi autos, only job is to digest cheap 22 cartridges on sale, send them down range and not jam up easily....
As for the question of why an Axis in 6.5 Creedmoor for $189 and the same rifle in 308 for $289?
The cheaper rifle is based on how long its been in inventory, not the caliber. if it doesn't turn over in a certain time period, they drop the price to get rid of it... its just a line item to the people making those decisions.
I've gotten some good deals, particularly on Model 700s, at Wally World.. dirt cheap price, because they had been in inventory for 2 years... got shoved into the back corner of the ware house.. they pull it out, scan the box and inventory date... and offer it.. and you get a box with 6 inches of dust on it... Same for Bi Mart here in the NW and I am sure for most major retailers elsewhere...
Not long ago, I picked up an Axis in 243, that was a Cabelas "exclusive", is how the box and stock were marked.... except I bought it at Bi Mart... part of a batch that evidently Cabelas ditched here in the NW to BiMart for cheap....its got a great trigger on it, had a cheap stainless scope on top and its a real tack driver right out to 300 yds, with varmint handloads, which is all I've shot in it so far ( say 400 or so rounds).. got it for $269.
anything you buy from a retailer like Walmart, price is based on cheap purchase price to them...
and to those that set market prices, its strictly a line item.....and that doesn't matter if its a tire, a firearm or a roll of Toilet paper....if they have had it too long, the price drops....
Our local Walmart was out of Weaver Scope rings in Medium Height for 4 months.... some one has hung 22 Rimfire rings on that peg on the shelf... two of them.....the store was out of them for 4 months, because every time they did their inventory with those little guns they use... it said the slot still had stock...when I finally pointed out to that dept manager, that the slot had inventory of the wrong item there, he moved them back to where they belonged.... they ended up getting like 20 to 25 new sets of rings in like 3 days.
Our deer hunting season is earlier before the rut, occurring in October instead of November like it does in Arkansas.. our local store always gets hunting stuff, AFTER our deer season.. and then you can buy it cheap in December after Arkansas's hunting season is over, instead of them having to send it 'back' somewhere....once again, line items to an accountant who has no idea what the item is....their hunting stuff is based on what ever hunting season is in Arkansas where they are based out of....
