Newby hunter question....

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cdnmaverick

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Looking to purchase my first hunting rifle.... I am thinking of "pulling the trigger" on the Savage Arms Axis 30-06.... decent price and scope included.... thoughts?
 
I have a couple Savage rifles and like them alot. The package deals normally have a pretty weak scope included .
In my opinion buy just the rifle in 30.06 or .308 and spend a little more and put a better scope on it.
I bought a Bushnell elite 3200 3x9x40 and a Burris Fullfield 3x9x40 and like them both , lots of those around on the E.E
 
Do it. All reports on the Axis have been good and when you eventually swap out the scope for something better you'll have an excuse to buy a new 22 to put the scope on. It's called investing in the future! :D
 
BigUglyMan said:
Do it. All reports on the Axis have been good and when you eventually swap out the scope for something better you'll have an excuse to buy a new 22 to put the scope on. It's called investing in the future! :D
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What I heard off the Axis is that for the price they are all right and might be a good first or beater gun. But at that price nobody is kidding themselves that they are buying a great gun.

My take on it is that you should buy the very best rifle that you can afford, buy your glass separately as the glass on rifle packages is almost always crap, buy a common caliber (read: good ammo availability) that you can shoot comfortably (308 and 30-06 are both great choices), in you caliber selection you should keep in mind the length of the action as it makes a good difference on overall rifle weight, and if you are hard on your gear consider synthetic stocks and stainless barrels/action as they'll take abuse a bit better.

If you do these things you'll have a gun that can last you a lifetime. If you buy an Axis and you really get into hunting odds are you'll be buying another gun within 2 years. That being said there really isn't anything wrong with that... we all love to buy guns...;)
 
Superkeen95 said:
What I heard off the Axis is that for the price they are all right and might be a good first or beater gun. But at that price nobody is kidding themselves that they are buying a great gun.

My take on it is that you should buy the very best rifle that you can afford, buy your glass separately as the glass on rifle packages is almost always crap, buy a common caliber (read: good ammo availability) that you can shoot comfortably (308 and 30-06 are both great choices), in you caliber selection you should keep in mind the length of the action as it makes a good difference on overall rifle weight,
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now ask yourself do you really wan't to spend 1000+ dollars to try out hunting, or once you know you like it. and the axis is long action only even with short action calibers. I plan on upgrading for next year but i won't be getting rid of my axis.
 
I'd buy a Remington CDL or a Winchester M-70 if the budget allows.
Buy the rifle you'll be happy to hunt with for 20 years.....upgrade in 1 or 2 if that's how it works out.
Just my .02 cents worth.
 
Here is my recipe buy the Axis in your caliber of choice, buy a Redfield 3X9X40 and Leopold rifleman rings, swap keeping only the bases that are very solidily installed, now you have a rig that won't let you down in any way for many years, keep the cheap scope for a rimfire...Cheers. JP.
 
If you are going to get the scope and rifle seperate, take a look at the Stevens model 200, they have good reviews, and cost less than the Axis as well. As for a scope, I am quite happy with my Leoupold Rifleman, it's their entry level model, but still very good.
 
If you allow price alone to be the deciding factor of your purchase, you're destined to be disappointed. The scope and those cheap mounts will not be up to the rigors of big game hunting in our climate. The rifle though based on the reliable 110 action, will almost certainly have a lawyer proof trigger and the barreled action was thrown into flimsy plastic stock without regard for bedding or fit to a human shooter, which brings the accuracy potential of this thing into question. This isn't meant as a slap at Savage rifles in general. The mid priced ones are as good as anything you can buy across the counter today, and are a leap ahead of the Remington 710s.

A better low priced high quality option is a commercial Husqvarna sporting rifle from Tradex. These rifles are great value and can be taken into the field with a minor amount of tweaking if any. The choice is yours. You can have a bargain basement rifle which was produced as the lowest common denominator or you can purchase a sporting rifle that was produced on par with other rifles of that era like the M-70 Winchester or some of the 1903 custom sporters.

If you can't afford good quality glass, my advise would be to spend $100 on a good aperture sight and a slightly higher sight blade. Chambered for a moderate cartridge from the 6.5X55 up to the .30/06 rifles equipped in this fashion have accounted for the majority of game until glass sights become popular in the mid to late 1950s.
 
Buy it scope included, shoot it every chance you get. In the fall when most big game seasons start, maybe swap out the scope, I would sugest a Redfield. Redfields are solid quality and nice at twice the price

might I suggest the humble 270 if all youi are after is deer
 
What every one says is good except 1 thing the Axis is more than a cheap budget rifle. Savage did an exceptional job. The barrel is free floated the savage bolt is floated the stock is durable and should las a life time I have a Remington 700 VTR in 308 and an SPS in 223. I bought a 243 Axis as a beater gun for coyotes this winter and my as a low recoil rifle for my girl and I hate to say it but it is thus far 1 of the best grouping rifles I have ever owned and I've owned a good many. Just my 2 cents and the scope isn't that bad but I did put an Elite 3200 on it.
 
I had an Edge .22-250 and for the price it was a damn good gun. It only saw time on the range before I sold it but it shot very well. I'm not sure I would want to fire one chambered in 30-06 though, it is a pretty light gun. But then I'm also not a fan of the 30-06 to begin with. The Bushnell scope that came with mine was not bad, the glass was clear and it held zero without any issues. Personally I think the Edge/Axis is better suited to the lighter calibers, if you want to get a heavier caliber I suggest looking at the Model 11 or 111. They have package deals also and are available with the Accutrigger which the Axis is not. The 6.5lb trigger on the Axis is a little much if you ask me.
 
caramel said:
Here is my recipe buy the Axis in your caliber of choice, buy a Redfield 3X9X40 and Leopold rifleman rings, swap keeping only the bases that are very solidily installed, now you have a rig that won't let you down in any way for many years, keep the cheap scope for a rimfire...Cheers. JP.
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I second that - but perhaps a 2-7 instead :)
 
Rory McCanuck said:
Great place to start.
Be forewarned, it is just a start, and its a slippery slope.
We hold regular meetings Thursday evenings.....
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X2 - Speaking for myself,you never really own a rifle (firearm) any way; it is just rented for awhile....................

so go get one and hunt and see how things go. Above all, fun must be had :)
 
Whoa here. The Axis, and it's predecessor the Edge, are NOT good rifles. Yes I owned one, and yes they shoot well, but they are the most cheaply manufactured poorest centre fire rifle out there. Unless you are really on a very limited budget, go for at least the Marlin XS7/XL7 series entry level rifle (yes, owned one of these too and should have kept it). Marlins are twice the rifle IMO for a few dollars more. Fireproof suit is on now, so I repeat, the Savage Axis/Edge rifles are very poor value for the money. The end.
 
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