Apparently Walmart has just lowered selected cals (223, 243,308) to $198, saw several.... I know, I know, they're junk, but for a backup, bad weather, etc... how can you beat a sub $200 rifle, that has a pretty good rating for accuracy....?

Junk? Hahahah. OK. I love when people show up to the range with 1200 dollar rifles, 1100 dollar scopes and proceed to shoot 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards.
It always leads to the old tried and true "well that is a dead deer thats for sure"....yeah ok. The axis is a serviceable rifle, far from junk. Yeah the action is not the best but I have yet to see one that is not reliable and hasn't shot amazing. Junk is the X Mark pro trigger that came in my Remington 700 CDL and ADL tactical 223.

Three different loads, pick a powder, pick a good bullet......

https://imgur.com/hvRaUVO

https://imgur.com/VcjfgWQ

What he said.

Went to my local Walmart yesterday and they several of them have for sale in 223, 22-250, 243, 308 and 30-06. I thought about picking one up in 22-250 just to have it.

I have helped friends sight in several with moderate priced scopes attached, They shoot pretty good. I wouldn't be hesitant to take a 300 yard shot with any of the ones I shot. 300 to 350 is about as far as I shoot deer and hogs anyway. A friend of my took one in .270 on an out of state elk hunt and came back with a freezer full of meat and a large set of antlers.

They aren’t junk.

They are manufactured to be hunting accurate and reliable at a price point. The stocks are cheap plastic and there is no elegance or high focus on fit and finish.

But they work and can be very accurate.

If I saw an Axis in .243 for $200ish it would definitely follow me home.

I don't care for the looks of them...though by the sales of Ruger Americans most shooters have no taste anymore anyway
Nor, does it seem anyone who works at Savage

The axis' that I have been around have all been very very accurate

Are these Axis, or Axis II models?
Some months ago, I bought an Axis II in .223. It was packaged with a cheap scope which I immediately removed, and mounted up a Burris scope. It is used as a truck gun, for opportunities at a coyote or two on my farm.
With factory, Fiocchi .223 ammo, loaded with 40 gr. V-Max bullets, this rifle shoots sub- 1/2 MOA groups with ease. The Savage Accutrigger really helps, and is a vast improvement over the triggers on the original Axis models.

I have one and it shoots very well. The trigger sucks. Ed k

My grandkids have them. Them SOB’s will all shoot 3/4 groups. Lots of high dollar rifles won’t shoot that well.

These are the old non accutrigger ones

That is certainly a factor. The ones I was talking about have accutriggers, I got an Axis II XP in 223 for 340 bucks after a rebate. I figured I would take the Weaver Kaspa off it and put it on a .22. I still have not taken the Weaver off, it has held up just fine. I have heard that it is simple to fix those triggers down to 3lbs with some spring coil removal. I would buy a non accutrigger model in a heartbeat for 200 bucks.

I agree. However, most ugly men/women eventually find a wife/husband and live happily ever after.

My son has an Axis model, in .270. He replaced the factory trigger with a Timney. Huge improvement.

I have an Axis and think that it is an ugly, but accurate, rifle. I don't care for the ergs of the pistol grip, it doesn't feel right in my hand, so it ranks near the bottom of rifles that I would want to own.

I still think that the Marlin X guns were the best entry-level center-fire rifles that I have seen or owned during the 21st Century. They looked good, they shot good, and they were easy to swap barrels on. Win, Win, Win.

Agreed. I have a Stevens 200 that I put a rifle basix in and it made it a different rifle.

I have an older axis 223 that is very accurate with factory ammo. Had a gunsmith lighten the trigger to 3lbs and have never had a problem. It wears a leupy vx2 3-9×40 and kills deer and yotes without fail. I wouldn't hesitate to get an axis if my grandkids needed another rifle.

Had one of the early models.
Trigger was proly 8#.
Yanked spring, put in button head screw and slid diff spring over.
$2 and it had a decent trigger w overtravel much reduced.

Had to stiffen forend w epoxy, make a cheekpc (stock is junk, ergs suck too).
Was a good shooting rig, ugly as hell and still felt like crap.

Dumped it and got a 700 ADL synth. Had to do minor mods to it. Like it way better.

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.

Savage and accuracy go hand in hand...

My Axis in 243 was $269 and has a stainless barrel...

5 shots at 100 yds off the bench, give a 270 sized hole...

10 shots give ya about a 30/06 caliber sized hole...

plus it came with a free scope on top, that I took off and gave to a kid for his 10/22...who is thrilled...

if they are junk... they are awfully GOOD junk....

I can live with that.....

I bought one of these tonight. I had been considering a 17 hmr but hell the .223 was cheaper. I sold a gun to a buddy who wanted it and paid for this one

I am a rifle whore. I freely admit it.

Will letcha all know once I get a chance to get it on paper. Trigger pretty light and clean. Surprised me.

I figure with their rep for accuracy, and everything in a long action, it's almost the same as a Tikka!....'cept the limber stock.

I got a model 10 with the accutrigger. The accutrigger doesn't quite break like glass like old Remingtons I've had, or my Mark II(that may have been worked on), or my 39M. But it's got a nice light pull and is not too bad, not too bad at all.

My Axis I in .308" sports a 12" barrel and a 4" Suppressor. The rifle wears a Weaver K2,5x in fixed rings on the Weaver rail. All up with sling it weighs 6,5 # (suppressed, mind) at 97 cm length.
Ugly is as ugly does - and as it shoots where pointed - rain and shine - and pigs just do not like the 110 TTSX slung, it must not be so ugly, after all. I like it - and at 199 $US it is simply silly to argue.

Stopped by Walmart again yesterday and all they had left in the $198 deal was 308 & 30-06, all other calibers sold out. Im sure other Walmarts in the area still have 223 and 22-250 available.

I do own an older Savage 110, in 30-06. I’ve generally not been a big Savage fan, but do acknowledge one doesn’t need a $1200 Sako to kill a deer at 75 yards.

I found a local deal at Walmart, $198 for an Axis 22-250. My only other 22-250 is a heavily customized gun, mid weight. I do like the chambering. It was $208 out the door, perp walk & all.

I thought I’d give it a chance. The trigger isn’t terrible, but I already ordered the modest spring kit. The stock could use some attention, tight on the one side.

I’ve been checking Armslist & Gunbroker, not really hot on spending $800 right now. I don’t have a use in mind, will start with the testing once set up. It has a 1/12” twist. Most of my bullets are more suited to targets, prairie dogs, & coyote hunting.

Anyway, looking forward to testing once set up.

Check the Savage Rebate page too, there may be a rebate on them as well. have to check the models

The manager of my local Walmart told me the sale of the axis rifles was a local/district decision. He said his Walmart would not sell them for 198, but would sell them for 249.

Walmarts in my area have the Savage Axis in 22-250 for $175 now

Don't have an Axis but my old Savage 110E was but-ugly and very accurate. My Savage 11-FXP3 is no beauty either, but first group with it was three touching. Both were pre-owned.

Looks are one thing but I prefer accuracy to looks. High-dollar rifles that won''t shoot better than a used Savage don't have a place in my safe.

They will drop again, if you wait (and they dont sell out). the clearance site I watch is waiting for the next drop. I bought two of them 2 years ago for $169 each, with $30 rebates on top of that. Gave them to my boys for christmas.

I've spent a lot more time and effort on load development, stock bedding, ring lapping, optics, etc. to get "better" rifle's as far as fit & finish to shoot almost as well as the Axis xp ($259) I took to the range for the first time earlier this week. I used a starting book load, with bargain bullets & Tac, cut two coils off the trigger spring and sanded out the forearm to free float the barrel, 1/2 hour labor. It's not great looking IMO but it looks better now.

I have a couple and am not a fan of practically anything about them - stock, original trigger, bluing/blacking, fit of everything, rough bolt just an inelegant turd like rifle - that shoots well. Grandson rings steel at 600 yards with his Left handed 30-06 & daughter smokes targets with her heavy barrel 243.

I would never buy one for me but when I’m giving them away they have a wonderful cost appeal for a sub MOA rifle after the trigger springs are clipped.

Axis rifles have some valid drawbacks, but accuracy isn't one of them. My family may own over a dozen by now. Who can say, after those boating accidents?

Went to a local walmart this morning and saw they had the Axis in 22-250 for $175. They wouldn't sell it to me because I had no ID with my full middle name. She was a manager and said that it was a rule and has been for over a year. I told her she was full of sheet and if there was a more qualified person I could talk to. The dinkless wonder told me to call 1800walmart and walked away. Don't think she like being called incompetent.

I had 8 forms of ID,4 with photo and denied. Anyone heard of this?

Of Walmart employees being incompetent? Or of Walmart sporting goods counter employees being incompetent? Either way, yes. Not all the employees are incompetent, but it seems like they are instilled with a bunch of irrational fears when it comes to selling firearms, like they are moving a bunch of plutonium or something, and so in their minds, they make up a bunch of "requirements" that have nothing to do with any law.

I had a lh axis in .243 and I could shoot golf ball sized groups at 200 yards with it,I sold it for 400 dollars.I never used it hunting and only put 24 shells in total through it.I am not a gun snob,I usually buy higer priced guns but after buying it and a tc impact in 2016 I have changed my thinking as I don't care if it gets scratched or marked up and I never cared about what somebody thinks about my equipment,in real life or online.I figure I can buy a cheap beater for hunting and then have more for my taxidermist bills and hunting trips, along with a nice big bottle of crown to enjoy after a long day in the woods after my prime rib dinner.

I am going to replace that .243 this summer with either a .243 axis compact or most likely a 7mm-08 compact.I just want a beater that will kill animals,I don't need to have the prettiest gun,or the most expensive.I have a safe full of them and they don't do anything "better" from my 28 years hunting and 40 years on earth.

Savage Axis rifles are....ugly, ugly, more ugly.🤮

I just can’t see buying one when I have other options that are just as good or better. YMMV

You are not wrong! I like to buy them when they are on a really good sale just to shoot something new and sell or trade. I am kind of happy with the guns that I have and do not have many I would want to part with so I need something new to buy / sell / trade to stay active in the gun game. It seems tons of people will buy a cheap gun at a higher price, but its hard to sell a nice, quality gun, even it a low price (relative to its worth). I am talking the Facebook, Mewe groups etc, online classified etc. There is a large group of people that wont pay for than $350 for a .270 etc, cuz you can get em for that everywhere. They dont care what kind, what glass is on it, stainless or not... etc. Get the trendy Creedmors and Blackouts etc and trade them for older Rem 700, Win 70 etc.

That is a good point Oakster. Both my Axis sold quickly but the Browning and Weatherbys took over a month in the classifieds.

I do agree that many guys report excellent accuracy with them and cheaper rifles usually do sell easier.