Savage 223

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newfie bullet

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Was in the market to buy a 223 , a savage , what are the differences in the axix ii , and the model 11 trophy hunter , do the model 11 have a detachable magazine ? If so do it work better than the axis one , seems some people have issues with them. Down the road may change stock, is there after market stocks for both models?
Regards
Newfie Bullet
 
The model 11 will be a true short action where the axis is a long action with a block in the mag to hold the short cartridges. The axis stock is much more flimsy and cheap feeling, the bolt is similar, cheaper feeling. I also found the wrist of the stock is narrower on the axis and didn't fit my hand as well.

I don't know about aftermarket stocks for the axis, i never looked for one, but the 11 has aftermarket options.

That's the general theme overall, anything the axis has will be cheaper, more plastic vs steel, etc. They still shoot well but the difference is in the details.

They both have a detachable mag, but again the 11 will have more metal and the axis is mostly plastic.
 
I have the plain jane Axis - you may experience failure to extract cartridges (common with the Axis) it's nothing that money can not fix. I replaced the internals which lasted about a thousand rounds give or take. I recently replaced it with a new bolt head and have had zero issues. My Axis just broke 3,000 rounds (223) and is still very accurate. I will not buy another product from Savage Arms. My next 223 will likely be either a Howa or Weatherby (a few dollars more) but you get better overall quality. I have had zero issues with the magazine the one that came with my Axis is the newer style.
 
The Savage Axis has been a sub MOA shooter here very consistently. No complaints other than ejection sucks. I don't have the round count that IvoB does though.

The Howa is a better made rifle and I doubt you have to keep throwing money and parts at something that should work out of the box

My absolute fav would be saving a bit more and lookin for a used Tikka.
 
The model 11 is a much nicer rifle, and that says a lot about the axis. It’s as cheaply(don’t mean inexpensive)as an accurate rifle can be. Rough, heavy bolt lift, heavy triggers, cheap as can be stocks. Aside from being accurate they’re embarrassingly badly executed, acceptable when they were sub $300, the prices these days infinitely better rifles can be found for near the same price on the used market
 
The Axis is a 'value engineered' model 11/110. Most of the design is almost identical. An Axis in a light caliber is a roughly finished and somewhat crude but very accurate rifle: definitely wouldn't want one in a heavier caliber. Have owned 3 Axis rifles and 2 11/110's: the latter definitely nicer and sturdier with better and slicker function. It all depends what you're looking for. For a cheap range shooter, the Axis is hard to beat.

IvoB, one very easy fix for the extraction/ejection issue is to replace the ball bearing under the extractor with a 9/64" one. You can buy them on Amazon, tough to get just a few anywhere else. It's just a hair bigger than stock, and will position the extractor properly to hang on the case. I've done that will all of the Axis and 110s I've owned, works perfectly.

The Weatherby Vanguard IIs and Howa 1500s or Mini actions (223, 7.62x39, 6.5 Grendel) are great rifles for sure. Only caveat with Howa minis are the bottom 'plastic', which can easily be overtorqued and broken. Vanguards have an aluminum bottom metal with swing out base plate.
 
Depends also what the intended purpose is, an axis in 223 is a lot lighter than a howa 1500 in 223 so if you plan to carry it a lot hunting then weight might be more of a factor.
 
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i have the first axis model in 223 and 308 not flashy like some others but accurate out of the box at a great price
i got the chrome ones as i am outside mostly with them
 
Savage are good, BUT you must buy a better one for long lasting shooting. Pay a bit more for much better results. Check the price and type of MAG that the gun takes, and available.
 
I have the regular axis in 223, no accutrigger. Trigger was terrible so I installed a Mcarbo spring and it's much better. Came with a 2.5lb spring and a 3.5lb spring as well as some shims(essentially thin washers) to reduce lateral movement in the trigger. After a few hundred rounds the 2.5lb spring lost tension or something cause the action could be set off by closing the bolt too aggressively. Installed the 3.5lb spring and no issues since. I haven't had any extraction issues that others have been having. When shooting the detachable mag will sometimes detach, not enough to drop free from the gun but enough that you won't pick up another round when cycling the action. When i attempted to bend the metal tab that locks the mag in place it broke off, but still works just as unreliably as before. I've also had the bolt decock when I was shooting, that was a pain to sort out but now I just check it for tightness during cleaning cycles. As far as accuracy goes I'd call mine a 1 MOAish gun. Some days I can get 5, 5 round groups MOA or sub moa and others it's closer to 1.5" @ 100m. Might be atmospherics or just need a cleaning cycle but accurate enough for what it is. Like others have said I also have no intentions to buy another savage gun but I also plan on keeping this one.

I did get another 223, CZ 600 alpha. One of there mini actions. Only caution with mini actions is if your handloading for rifles with fast twists the magazine length can really restrict the OAL of your handloads, which is a bit of a bummer for the heavier/longer more ballistically efficient projectiles.
 
The bolt lift on the Axis is a deal breaker for me, the 110 is much of a nicer smoother lift. If I was going to get a savage id get the 110 before I bought an axis, it’s not much more money and a smooth bolt lift is worth the extra cash.
 
Thanks guys for all your views, I've been thinking it over , looking at the pro's and con's , thinking strongly on the howa mini , then read all the reports on the bottom plastic , should be replaced and that would increase cost of that one. Was looking at the Cabela's site and they had a boxing week sale on , so I bit the bullet you might say , and placed an order for a Tikka t3x lite stainless 223 with the 1-8" twist, now to decide on a picatinny rail , who make the best one , here of guys putting certain one on and hole not lining up properly
Regards
Newfie
 
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