Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Savage Axis/Edge

So, today I sold one of my AR's and I am now in the market for a varmint rifle. The Caliber will be .223 and the only question is which rifle. Right now I am leaning towards the Savage Axis/Edge because money is definitely an issue for me.

I've been searching the internet for some reviews of this rifle and so far the only negative points are the cheap stock and of course the trigger. It looks like the trigger is fairly easy to fix but are there aftermarket stocks out there that I can eventually change to? Anyone here shooting one of these? Care to comment on how you like/dislike the rifle?

i bought an axis in 223 a few months ago (added a leupy vx2 3-9x40) as a cheap rifle for coyotes.

mine is very accurate and has taken 10 yotes in 2 months.

the trigger is rough, but i'll have my smith lighten it up sometime this summer.

the stock isn't the sharpest things out there, but mine seems just fine (even with a bypod mounted) and i see no reason to replace it.

it is what it is, a lesser priced rifle that offers great accuracy with some trade-offs. i bought several cans of camo-shade spray paint to paint the rifle during the summer. ymmv.

bought one as a truck gun this week. with a little trigger work i think it will be a fine one.

hell for $299 with a bushnell cheapie scope...if it shoots like a savage ought to, it will feel like a good buy

Thanks guys, those were exactly the kind of comments I was looking for. So accuracy is good. That's nice to know.

I have been think of getting one for awhile, but can't really think of a reason why.. Just curious I suppose if they really do shoot like a regular savage.

I have shot a couple of Savage Axis/Edge rifles at the range and didn't care for them. The pistol grip geometry really doesn't fit me well and without a good fit, a firearm will never be comfortable.

I think that the Stevens 200 is a better rifle, a proven design for which there are lots of after-market parts available if you want to tinker with it.

If Marlin's management would get their butts and make the XS-7 in 223, it would be the best buy, but since they don't exist, they can't be a best buy.

Jeff

The rifle only comes in one action length, but it is quite light for a long action. They use a different trigger guard for short and long action with the short action trigger guard having about a half inch spacer built in.

Your only issue (other than it isn't pretty) is that the trigger is likely to be very heavy. I guarantee it to shoot like a Savage is supposed to. I just did a $.50 trigger job on one for a friend of mine and got the pull down from 6# to 3# and very crisp. If you are interested in doing the trigger, PM me for details.

Even though I don't need one, I may get one for a truck gun when they start shipping the left handed model they are promising. I like the Stevens 200 better than the Axis, but alas no lefty Stevens. BTW, Savage seems to have started shipping the Axis trigger in the latest Stevens 200s.

I have one in 25-06 and it shoots my handloads with 110grn accubonds into .5"-.6" all the time. It will put factory Federal stuff into .8". I did put a Rifle Basix trigger in it though. My boss's hubby bought an Axis in 25-06 it too, will put my handload into .6". A buddy bought a youth model in .243 and tried some factory Federal Fusion in it and it put 3 into .6" a couple different times. IMO, they are MORE accurate than the average Savage and I believe that is because the receiver has a smaller port on it, making the receiver stiffer.

I need to look in all the gun shops around town and see if anyone has one I can handle and check the fit.

I agree with 260Remguys post above in that the pistol grip geometry just plain sucks. That being said, my brother has one and it is damned accurate.

Academy has Savage Axis rifles in 223 and 22-250 for $279.99.

Richards Microfit makes Savage stocks. See if this can help:

http://www.rifle-stocks.com/frequently_asked_questions.htm

picked it up, clipped a couple coils off the trigger spring, and it made the pull a LOT better. it feeds well and the rifle overall is so much nicer than i anticipated.

Thanks, I've bookmarked that site.

22-250.

just got back from the range. the scope is boresighted so after tightening everything down- which savage didn't do- i shot a few groups at 100 yards. first group was a handload it didn't like, 1.25" 3 shot group. remington umc went about an inch.

second group was with a handload for another rifle i don't have anymore. 40 grain vmax over varget. 4 shot group put 3 in what looked like an old fashioned keyhole, and then threw one outside the group. pretty sure it was my fault but will test that theory tomorrow.

the group measured just over a half inch. damn good for a $289 package rifle with a random handload.

Sounds promising. How does the stock feel? There are some that say they don't like the way it feels in their trigger hand. I finally have a couple days off starting tomorrow and I plan on visiting a few gun stores to see if they have a Savage I can fondle.

i know what they mean. the wrist of the stock is very thin. no big deal.

I would NEVER recommend Richardmicrofit unless there was no other option. NEVER!

Seriously, unless you have experience working with wood, RMF stocks are only semi-finished, regardless of what they might tell you, and take a lot of work to get from "open the box" to "bed the action". A Boyds finished stock will be miles ahead of RMF, so if Boyds inlets for the barreled action that you're using, I'd go with Boyds almost every time.

RMF = www.rifle-stocks.com
Boyds = www.boydsgunstocks.com

Jeff