I currently own three of them. Two have aftermarket .257 caliber barrels by E.R. Shaw, and shoot extremely well. The third is a 308. It shoots MOA for five shot groups. All three have aftermarket triggers.
My nephew in Georgia has an Axis is 270. When I visited him, I installed an aftermarket trigger. He doesn't handload, and shoots Winchester 150 grain Power Point factory ammo. He regularly puts five shots into an inch. He has killed a pile of hogs and deer with it. He likes it just fine.
I haven't had a chance to compare the Axis to the Ruger American, so I can't say which is better. I believe Savage has gone over to 5 R barrels of late, and then now offer an adjustable stock. I have a recently made Savage 110 Hunter with 5 R rifling and that stock. Savage is not resting on their laurels.
