Savage .308

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ChaseReynolds

New member
I was just browsing around at Wal-Mart last night and saw this nice Savage .308 for under $300. Since I had been looking at a Remington 700 this price appealed to me. Has anyone got any reason not to go with Savage? Let me hear your stories, Thanks.
 
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PatientWolf

New member
You were probably looking at an Axis series. These are Savage's opening price point rifles. They won't have the Accu-trigger or the fit and finish of the standard Savage lines or most likely the Remington ADL which WM also carries. that being said, I'm sure the rifle can take deer at most distances needed. The rifle just may not be as accurate as the main line Savages. If I shot MOA with a main line series, I'm guessing I'd shoot 1.5 or 2 MOA with the Axis.

I've almost never seen a gun drop in value over time, so if you don't have the money for a main line series, you won't probably lose money, although the Remington may be better from an "investment" value. Me, I'd buy a gun to shoot.
 
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Rimfire5

New member
It has been two years since I bought my Savage .308. Because it shot so well out of the box, one range buddy went right out and bought one just like it and it shot just as well. Two other buddies decided on Savage .223s and they also shot lights out right out of the box.

My son then bought both a .223 and a .308 and the two also shoot just as well.
Finally, one of the .223 buyers also bought a .308 and it is also a good shooter.
That totals 7 Savages that all shot great out of the box and needed no adjustments.

The .308s shoot in the .6 MOA range on average.
The .223s shoot a bit better, probably because of the lighter recoil, and average around 0.4 MOA with their best loads shooting slightly better.
After reloading for my .308, I have gotten the 25 best loads to average 0.458 inches at 100 yards over 188 measured groups.
Its best 10 loads average 0.419.

From those experiences, I would conclude that most Savages will shoot really well out of the box. An Axis without a accutrigger might not shoot quite as well but there are lots of posts on this forum that report very good accuracy for them as well. I would suspect that the Axis will still be able to break the 1 MOA mark with ammo it likes.

As a side note, I bought a Remington 700 SPS Varmint for a clearance price of$436 in .22-250 and it shot well averaging about 0.7 inches at 100 yards. The trigger was heavy and gritty so I replaced it with a Timney. The factory stock was binding on the barrel so I replaced the stock with a Bell and Carlson. It now averages under 0.4 with its best ammos.
Unfortunately, my bargain Remington cost me another $ 350 to get it to shoot as good as the Savages that none of us have done anything to.
It is now a great rifle and is definately a keeper, but it did need some extra work to get it to its full potential.
 
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Catfish

New member
I also would say you are looking at the Axis. I picked one up chambered in 22-250 at a gun show. I tried some loads that I had here and it shot them abt. .6 moa, very good for a cheap gun. It has a trigger that is pleanty good for hunting, but far from bench rest. I like the stock on it better than the synthic stock I have on my 110`s. The only thing I don`t like about it is that there is no recoil lug on the barrel. Instead the milled a knoch in the frount of the action and have the recoil lug molded into the stock abd it fits in the milled out grove and is held by the barrel nut. All in all it is very good for the price and still easy to change barrels on.
 
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Jimro

New member
I shot my friend's Axis 308 this weekend. The bolt was smoother than my Savage 10, and the stock was well designed at least as far as recoil was concerned. The trigger was a typical stock hunting trigger, on par with a Ruger 77 or stock Rem700. Definitely not an Accutrigger though.

All in all I'd say they are well worth the money to someone who can live with having a basic functional rifle with no quick/easy upgrades currently available. Easy to scope, don't cost so much that you get teary eyed if there is a ding on them.

Jimro
 
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MJ1

New member
;) lots of fun

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Polinese

New member
Both my savages shoot MOA or better with ball ammo at 100 yards. One of them is an Axis and the other is a Stevens. I'll take Savage over Remington any day of the week.
 
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Jay24bal

New member
Go for it...

I own a Savage Axis with stainless barrel in .223 and love it. Shoots good groups (on average about 1" @ 100 yards with PMC ammo) and the action is as smooth as my 110. While it may not be the best to hit a bottlecap from 500 yards, I have found it to be more than capable of handling anything I have asked it to do so far.
 
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tobnpr

New member
JMO... If you want a Savage (and I'm a fan, just built one) check the local pawn shops for a used model 10/110 in .308.

Lots of great deals on lightly used rifles now, and you should be able to find one for about $300.

The ability to mod/upgrade, along with the better quality than the Axis would lead me to buy used.
 
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4runnerman

New member
You won't be disapointed with it. HInt-- pull trigger out and cut 1 1/2 coils off spring and you will love it. Very accurate rifles.
 
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Jay24bal

New member
+1 for modifying the trigger

I should add that I also snipped a bit off of the trigger spring (2 coils) to make it more manageable. The pull was not awful before modification, but was so much better after being lightened up.
 
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Rebel9793

New member
The only downfall of the savage axis is the heavy trigger pull. I bought one in .223 and the trigger was set at 8.2lbs! A pair of side cuts on the trigger spring took care of that though. all in all great shooting gun! Buddy of mine bought a .308 after I got mine and it shoots great. 3/4" at 100 yards and my .223 shoots 1/4" at 100
 
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Murph_308

New member
I used my Axis XP (.308) to deer hunt this past week. I'll agree, the trigger pull is heavy, but the bolt is smooth, even not having a lot of range time with this rifle. On a deer drive, I killed a coyote that was on the run at somewhere around 75 yards. In the stand, I killed a doe at around 150 yards. Fatal shot; shot and she dropped.

The rifle is somewhat heavy to carry for long periods. Santa will have to bring me a sling.

I'm not a real technical shooter; I'm ignorant but I can tell you the results - this gun will put them down. I'd say for the price, it's a good deal. I'm very pleased with it.
 
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alex0535

New member
The stock isn't replaceable. You literally get what your paying for.

It will probably shoot fine, but if you want to put a different stock on it because you are not satisfied with the one that came on it, you won't be able to change it.
 
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