Review of Savage Axis Ii Xp 308 Win Bolt-action Rifle
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Those of yous who read my reviews and manufactures know that I am by and large a handgun guy. I cutting my shooting teeth on that type of firearm. I gauge growing up in a country that did not permit “regular†burglarize calibers for deer hunting (only pistol calibers were legal) until adequately recently may take had something to do with my bias towards the short arm. Enter some new regulations for deer hunting and the proliferation of coyotes in the fields across the road from our front yard and bingo â€" rifles are cool! I take the required .22, a Ruger 10/22 along with several others. The one that has taken the most deer is a Fell Axis II XP in .243.
Pros
- Adjustable Accutrigger
- Pillar bedded stock
- Large tang safety
- Detachable box mag
- Durable and reliable
- Groovy value
- Proficient activeness
- Cost-constructive
Cons
- Crappy stock
- Plastic clip on magazine
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A Little Backstory
I never really thought about owning such a critter much before a few years agone until the deer laws inverse and the coyotes adult even-more-pushy personalities. Then I thought that information technology might be good to accept something that could reach out farther than my .44 Magnum S&W could, which this gun does admirably. (I was a deer hunter before just I used that .44 and a Ruger .45 Colt â€" I am in the approximate ane% of hunters in my state that take deer with a handgun. The latest actual statistics are available for 2016, with the percentage of deer kills past a handgun at around .five%). Why practice I mention this? I just want to make the betoken that I was a defended handgun hunter merely wanted to expand my universe to include a centerfire burglarize that didn’t shoot a pistol cartridge, and I establish a bang-up.
OK…enough about that. This review is about the Barbarous Axis IIXP. I think one of the all-time ways to talk about ane rifle is to compare information technology with a similar burglarize from some other manufacturer. I had the opportunity to check out a Mossberg Patriot Predator that belongs to 1 of our sons â€" let's look at both guns and and so get from there.
The Savage Axis II XP
Barbarous is a company that has been effectually a while. The company was founded in 1894 by Arthur Vicious in Utica, New York. Within a few years they were making rifles, handguns and ammunition. They congenital the commencement hammerless lever-action rifle, the model 1895. A lot of shooters don’t know that Barbarous was i of the two finalists in the Army’s pistol trials that concluded with the adoption of the Colt Model of 1911 .45 ACP. I discovered that fact when I was researching the former warhorse and its cartridge for an earlier article. Yous can read about the Colt’s history, and the .45 ACP’s. Needless to say, the Filly won the contract but what is interesting is the fact that the Brutal made it to the finals. This, from a visitor that now is known for its rifles â€" non handguns. The company, later on merging with another company, produced Lewis machine guns during WWI.
In 1919, this logo made its first advent:
How practise we go from a company in New York to a logo with the caput of this distinguished gentleman? Well, that was the year that Principal Lame Deer approached Arthur Fell virtually building rifles at a disbelieve for his tribe in New York in substitution for his likeness and a yearly fee. It'south interesting to annotation that the fee has been paid yearly, right up through 2018. At present, Savage uses a logo that looks like this:
I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, as to why the company inverse its logo.
On with the story â€" in 1920, Barbarous acquired the Stevens Arms company and followed it upward nine years later by buying the A.H. Trick Gun Company and moving its production to Utica. Trick was known for its fine shotguns, and Stevens had fabricated popular the rifle-shotgun combination gun. This allowed Savage to expand production into these areas, with the model 39 combination rifle-shotgun being introduced in 1939 and a line of inexpensive double-barrel shotguns around that time. WWII saw the visitor making Thompson sub-machine guns and Lee-Enfield rifles for the British. To hurry this narrative upward a little, know that the visitor filed for defalcation in 1988, but emerged from those ashes very strong.
The famous AccuTrigger was introduced in 2002, and the company was named Manufacturer of the Twelvemonth in 2003 by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence. The remainder is adequately evident if walk into a gun shop and see a Cruel rifle for sale – they’re doing pretty well, by all measurements of success. Some other indicator is the multifariousness of rifles they brand â€" a visit to their website yields too many models to name. They make a lot of rifles.
Comparing Ii Budget Rifles
Now, let’s look at specific rifles. Equally far as the caliber of my Savage rifle, I settled on the .243 Winchester i twenty-four hours when I was in my friend Duane’s gun store and saw his display of Ruger and Savage bargain rifles. With this caliber, I could chase deer, coyotes and other small-to-medium size critters. I telephone call them “bargain†guns because they price less than $500, my capricious upkeep-price cut-off signal. The Brutal Centrality Ii XP lists for $495 merely I paid much less for it at the shop, and information technology even included a Bushnell Imprint 3x9x40 telescopic. (I know, that’s not a great scope but mine works like a charm).
Being the unrepentant reloader that I am, I immediately got a set of dies, some bullets (couldn’t use my abode-cast here), and the proper powders. I started putting together some loads using once-fired Winchester factory cases. I was rewarded, eventually, with pocket-size groups but the grouping that got my attending was one iii-shot group that was fired with Winchester factory stuff which measured .41 inch â€" more on shooting this rifle afterwards. My handloads were not far off that mark.
I subsequently learned that the aged .243 is one of the more accurate burglarize calibers out at that place, beingness based on the .308 example and for other reasons. That meant short-action rifles could bedchamber it which opened upwards a vista of possibilities back in 1955 when it was introduced. The thing just took off, being an accurate, versatile quotient with very lilliputian recoil. So, I ended up with the Savage in .243.
The Mossberg Patriot Predator
The other budget rifle I would like to employ for comparison is the Mossberg Patriot Predator. This is a popular gun that sells very well and is in the same cost range as my Cruel. Son Andy picked up one of these rifles at the same shop a while subsequently. This burglarize was either a trade-in or assignment (probably the latter) that had obviously never been shot. (I think I remember being told that information technology had been won in a raffle by its previous owner).
It was chambered in the modern super-duper quotient, 6.five Creedmoor. This caliber has taken off like a bat out of you-know-where. Introduced by Hornady in 2007, this round (like the .243) was originally based on the .308 instance. Developed for long-range target shooting, the 6.five Creedmoor has earned its share of kudos in that arena but we also know it is popular with hunters. .264-quotient bullets are mostly known for their high exclusive density and ballistic coefficients. This allows them to be authentic and effective at long ranges.
Development occurred via a partnership betwixt Hornady Senior Ballistics Scientist Dave Emary and Dennis DeMille, VP of product development for Creedmoor Sports. At present we encounter where the proper name comes from. At whatsoever charge per unit, Andy had for all intents and purposes a new Mossberg in this cracking caliber â€" he also has a Savage .308 that he likes but he’ll be carrying the Mossberg in the deer woods this fall.
Now that we’ve had a bit of history about these two calibers, let’southward look at the rifles. Here are specifications for each of them â€" we’ll look at these first and then get into a flake more than detail later on.
Why I Similar The Vicious
I like my Savage. I sympathise that information technology is an entry-level rifle, but also know that, if I wanted a more sophisticated platform, I could stay within the Savage make and go a real uptown model, with all the bells & whistles. The advantage of existence able to do that is that you tin larn on a “beginner†burglarize, switch to a more advanced model and not have to learn new ways of operating said rifle. The procedures stay pretty much the same. At present, I get it â€" most manufacturers make what Sears used to call “good-better-best" rifles, but I similar the Savage.
The trigger is an comeback over the older plain-Axis models and is all I need. (The .41-inch-grouping I evidence beneath is proof of that). The rubber is in exactly the right spot for this left-hander…correct on superlative of the stock wrist, behind the bolt. That is huge. I was sitting in a deer blind with my son, who had an older wood-stock Savage 110 variation in .308, and watched him as he took his gun off safe to get ready for a shot. He very slightly moved his hand in order to undo the safety. Now, if nosotros were sitting in the open, that could be enough to put wings under that deer and “there he was…gone!â€. I’ve had deer spook with lesser motility. We learn past doing. My point beingness that, when the time came for me to break the shot, I slid my thumb to the tang-mounted safety and “snicked†it off with no perceivable motion that could give me away. This is a very small thing, but those of you lot out in that location who’ve been in similar circumstances know what I’m talking about.
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Some other matter I like about my rifle is the texturing on the forend and on the pistol grip. We hunt in November and December, and brother, information technology can be common cold here. Add in a pair of insulated gloves and it doesn’t take much of a mis-motion to driblet your rifle. The texturing allows me to get a firm grasp on the gun and to continue my hands there, even with bulky gloves on. I’ve experienced slick stocks on both long guns and handguns, and it’due south not fun to have to effort to catch the gun as it slips from your frozen fingers.
One last plus is the accurateness. I know that rifle accurateness can be an ephemeral, flighty thing that doesn’t always fall on the gun you have in your easily at the time. Information technology merely seems that the Axis IIXP is born authentic, at to the lowest degree those that belong to some shooters I’ve talked with. Mind, mine is the bargain-basement model that sells for around $400 with a telescopic and is not the almost-custom-shop level guns that Savage also makes. I was truly impressed with this burglarize, particularly when information technology shot a less-than-half infinitesimal of bending group at 100 yards. I said up top that I am a handgun guy, first and foremost, and for me to go a group similar that, this gun must be something sort of special. I can forgive a burglarize virtually any fault, just if it ain’t accurate, nobody wants it.
OK. I said we were going to look at the Savage alongside the Mossberg, and so let’s look at some specifications…
Brutal Axis Ii XP vs Mossberg Patriot Predator
| Savage Axis II XP | Mossberg Patriot Predator | |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP: | $495 | $540 |
| Action: | Bolt | Commodities |
| Butt Color: | Blackness | Cerakote Patriot Brown |
| Barrel Finish: | Matte | Matte |
| Barrel Length: | 20 in. | 22 in. |
| Barrel Material: | Carbon Steel | Carbon Steel |
| Caliber: | 243 Winchester | 6.v Creedmoor |
| Magazine Capacity: | four, detachable box | 5, detachable box |
| Length of Pull: | 12.75 in. | 13.75 in. |
| Overall Length: | 39.5 in. | 42.25 in. |
| Rate of Twist: | one in 9.25 in. | 1 in eight in. |
| Receiver Colour: | Blackness | Cerakote Patriot Brown |
| Receiver Finish: | Matte | Matte |
| Receiver Material: | Carbon Steel | Carbon Steel |
| Stock Color: | Black | Strata Camo |
| Stock Stop: | Matte | Matte |
| Stock Material: | Constructed | Synthetic |
| Stock Blazon: | Sporter | Sporter |
| Weight: | 7.3 lbs. | 6.five lbs. |
The rifles are similar enough to each other, with a few exceptions. They both shot very well, with about the aforementioned felt recoil â€" that is, non a lot. The .243 delivers about 9 lbs. of recoil with the 6.five dishing up just a tad more. At any rate, these guns are not going to punish your shoulder. One master difference between the two is that the Mossberg has a threaded barrel and would take a cage device of some sort â€" suppressor, muzzle restriction â€" although I’1000 non sure why you’d put a muzzle brake on this barely-recoiling rifle. Suppressor, possibly but then you become into the subsonic debate.
The vi.5 Creedmoor was not meant to exist fired in subsonic form. The weight divergence is not all that smashing â€" hard to tell by carrying one afterwards the other. The stock â€" ah, there’s the deviation. Although both stocks are constructed, the Mossberg’south camo stock seems more at domicile in the woods. But, I’ve hunted more than one season with my Cruel and the matte blackness stock disappears in a hunting blind. I’ll go on my matte blackness stock simply the style information technology is, thank you lot. And, speaking of stocks, I can’t striking home enough nearly the texturing that Barbarous puts into their synthetic stocks (at least they did when they fabricated this series of Axis rifles).
Triggers
Let’s talk for just a infinitesimal on the 2 triggers these rifles utilize. The Savage uses what they call the AccuTrigger. They have a brusk video about their trigger â€" you can watch it here. Basically, it’s a pre-set, light trigger that is user-adjustable for pull length â€" if you want a longer pull or shorter, you can exercise that. The blade in the trigger is called the AccuRelease (marketing…). It catches the sear if the gun is jarred or dropped, preventing the rifle from firing inadvertently.
About all I could find out about the Mossberg LBA (Lightning Bolt Action) adjustable trigger is that it is user-adjustable from 2 â€" 7 pounds…
The matter near triggers on near any modern rifle is that they are light years ahead of the stock trigger on an entry-level budget rifle of years ago. These triggers allow some really dainty shooting to happen without the added expense of going to an aftermarket trigger or paying a gunsmith beaucoup bucks to work on it. Tin can you exercise better? Of course. The top-line target rifles will have a more sensitive, adjustable trigger â€" in some cases, with a pull weight of down to a few ounces. On a hunting gun, though, you don’t actually want an ultralight trigger. It’s too easy to snag the trigger guard on a branch, with an ensuing “kaboom†as a upshot. For entry-level hunting guns, these triggers are fine. The Mossberg’southward trigger did feel a bit “mushier†than that in the Savage, although the final results feel fairly equal. That sub-MOA group I shot with the Savage is proof that the trigger works. (I did not get a hazard to mensurate the rifles’ trigger pulls with my Lyman gauge only, balance assured, both triggers are very usable the way they sit).
Each of these rifles shot at least MOA groups, and then I think the triggers pass muster. Now, let’s look at the stocks…
Both barrels are gratis-floated to the receiver. Notice the bit of texturing on the Savage â€" this does help if your easily are wet or cold.
Working our style rearward, here are the pistol grips. First, the Mossberg and then the Savage. Over again, there is more than texturing on the Brutal than on the Mossberg.
Now, the buttstocks. I didn’t take photos of the stocks because they are virtually identical. Each gun has a nice pad on the buttstock, with the Savage’s pad ventilated.
As far as these stocks get, they are inexpensively made (relatively) and tend to exist a flake “whippy.†From a bench, the rifles are fine, but y'all might want to be aware of the flex factor. If you lot lean against a tree every bit an impromptu remainder, effort to keep fifty-fifty pressure on the forend. Non a large deal, just something to keep in mind. I utilize shooting sticks in the blind, either a monopod or bipod. That keeps the pressure on the bottom of the stock, not on just i side. The Vicious stock seemed to be fabricated of a bit thicker alloy of plastic â€" information technology didn’t feel quite as "flexible†as the Mossberg stock, but that could accept been me.
Bolts
The bolts are similar, with 2 locking lugs, a single claw extractor, and a bound-loaded ejector. There is not a whole lot of divergence between these bolt faces than the bolt that was in my early-20th-century 8mm Mauser 24/47 surplus rifle. I guess the old proverb still applies â€" if it ain’t bankrupt, don’t set up it. The fluting on the Mossberg’s bolt torso adds to the pizzazz factor and helps the bolt ride smoothly in the channel. But… I’ve never had a trouble with my Savage’s bolt binding. Both are slicker than grease on a glass doorknob.
One thing about the commodities lift â€" each one of these requires a bit of effort to lift the bolt handle. I just figure that a slightly stiff commodities elevator is endemic to the breed of lesser-expensive rifles. Again, no big deal, as this will even out with more shooting. A real plus about the Savage bolt is that it is very hard to get the bolt to bind when pushing on the bolt handle. If y'all hit the handle a bit off-center, the bolt usually notwithstanding goes dwelling house, into the battery. I can’t say this for some other upkeep rifles’ bolts.
Here are the bolt releases. Offset, the Mossberg…
…and at present the Brutal:
Both guns utilize a simple “press-this-lever-downward"-type switch, but there is 1 big divergence: the Fell requires you to pull the trigger in order to release the commodities. Until I learned the drill, I idea I needed three hands to remove the commodities. Once I figured information technology out, information technology was easy merely there was a tiny learning bend. With the Mossberg, no trigger pull is needed. But lift the bolt handle, press the bolt release and pull the bolt out.
Magazines & Safeties
The magazines are a chip dissimilar, in terms of construction. The Mossberg is a polymer and holds 5 rounds, while the Fell mag is steel and holds 4. I’ve had several pistols that use poly magazines and they worked fine, so I don’t think that’south a big bargain. Simply, the Mossberg magazine well is polymer as well. Once again, no big bargain but it might matter to some. As for the safeties, the Mossberg uses a slider on the opposite side of the stock as the bolt release. This is traditional, but hard for lefties like me to operate. I like the Fell safe â€" it's a slider on the tang on the wrist of the stock. Correct on top where we lefties can get to it. Both safeties work fine but the Brutal is more ergonomic, at to the lowest degree in my apprehensive stance.
I like the fact that Savage uses a metal magazine and mag well. Another plus for me is the knob on the bolt handle â€" I like round knobs. Phone call me quondam-fashioned, but I similar information technology.
Range Time
To put it in a nutshell â€" these guns can shoot. Collectively, more shots accept gone downwards the Savage’due south butt than shots down the Mossberg’s. As I said above, the Mossberg had non been shot when Andy picked it upwards. He had non had an opportunity to shoot information technology until just recently, and and then only for a few shots. He put a bootleg box target up at his house, 100 yards out and went decumbent across his driveway…
He fired a few, and then went to his knee for a few more than shots. It was about as informal equally it could have gotten, especially since he had not adjusted the Nikon scope on his Mossberg. Later, when life slows down (does it e'er?), he will shoot from an “official†demote at a real target for groups. At any rate, he didn’t do bad because the conditions…
With the order he shot them, these bullets are very close to MOA accuracy. When he gets a chance to shoot for real, we’ll actually see what the gun is capable of â€" he's a very proficient shot. The only ammo he’d been able to go was some S&B 108-grain FMJ ammo he’d picked upwardly with the gun. I have a box of Fiocchi stuff I want him to shoot â€" that is very proficient, consequent ammo. Nosotros volition do that the first take a chance nosotros take.
As for my Brutal, I’d put probably the equivalent of 7-8 boxes of ammo through information technology, both factory and my handloads. It seems that my gun likes a 100-grain soft point over 42 grains of 4350 powder. It simply kisses the three,000 fps mark and is very accurate. However, this target was shot with Winchester 100-grain Super-Ten ammo, as the target shows. The 3-shot group is nether a half inch at 100 yards…not too shabby, because that I’k better with handguns as a rule. Information technology seems that the Cruel Axis owners that I’ve been able to talk to have experienced sub-MOA groups with their stock, factory rifles. That says a lot for the company.
I guess that if even both guns shot only MOA, they would still exist putting bullets into a 4-inch circle at 400 yards. So, these groups will practice for now only the fun comes in the experimentation as we all know. Plus, deer are unpredictable â€" the final ane I shot with this rifle was at almost 70 yards. That’southward revolver territory! Anyway, we will work up loads using my chronograph and back k range. Again, that’s the fun part.
A versatile burglarize. Hither it is in .30-06 with a bipod â€" lethal on deer, or just almost nearly anything that stalks the lower 48. Note the ventilated buttstock pad…it works.
Summing Up
I accept tried, with this footling exercise, to review the Brutal Axis IIXP by itself and in comparison with another budget rifle. I purposely did non get into great detail, with micrometer measurements, facts, figures, etc. considering I wanted this to exist (as it’s titled) a quick review for those maybe considering picking upward a rifle without spending a whole lot of money. Either of these guns would suffice for hunting deer-sized game at reasonable yardages or going into a coyote-rich surroundings and reducing their numbers a bit, but I actually like my Savage.
I liked the threaded butt and easier bolt removal of the Mossberg. Simply I think the Savage has it over its competitor with its tang-mounted safety, “more-grippable†stock, slightly heavier weight (still nether 8 pounds) and the non-binding bolt. And, let us not forget the fact that it volition shoot a iii-shot group at 100 yards tighter than ½ inch. This is a heck of a lot of gun for the coin.
If you’ve had feel with the Brutal Axis IIXP (or any Savage burglarize, for that matter), feel gratuitous to chime in beneath. Equally e'er, shoot whenever you can and be safety!
Updated: July 2021
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Source: https://www.snipercountry.com/savage-axis-ii-xp-review/
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