Looking for feedback on Savage Axis, Ruger American and Weatherby Vanguard rifles. I will be purchasing one of them and want to know which is going to be the best in quality and accuracy. I have a CIL 830 in .222 for varmints and it deff8nately works for that but I want something with a bit more smash to it for deer and such since I dont shoot varmints all the time. If you have pics , please feel free to post them !!
.243 budget rifle ??
- Thread starter Cole
- Start date
What is your budget for optics?.....
If you are planning on a vanguard and a cheap bushnell banner, scrap that idea and get the American with Redfield package.. If you have a budget for a decent optic, then go with the vanguard....
If you are planning on a vanguard and a cheap bushnell banner, scrap that idea and get the American with Redfield package.. If you have a budget for a decent optic, then go with the vanguard....
nomad 68
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I own both the Vanguard and American and both get a ringing endorsement with the edge going to the Vanguard. It actually has no equal in the budget category other than it's Howa 1500 counterpart. My American is a .243 and it's accuracy continues to amaze me. The vanguard is no slouch either. The Ruger /redfield package is no longer as they have now gone with a cheap Vortex( yuck!). There are probably redfield pkgs still on shelves though.
A Vanguard II (synthetic - the grey with black inserts) is my deer rifle.
I ran me just a touch over 600 bucks (taxes in) when I bought it a couple years ago.
I used Talley Lightweight mounts to hold a Redfield Revenge 3-9x42 scope which added another 300 bucks to overall cost.
By the time you add in a couple boxes of ammo to get shooting you are 1000 bucks in.
But it does shoot awesome - it IS sub-moa out of the box with Federal 80 grain soft points (cheapest stuff on the shelf) - in fact mine doesn't seem to mind much what you feed it - I use 87 grain Hornady SST's as my deer round.
The rifle is "heavy" though - with three rounds in the mag and one down the tube she tips the scales a couple ounces over 9 pounds - so if you want "light", this isn't the rig for you.
I also have an Axis (223) that I use for Yotes. The trigger sucked but clipping the spring made it usable. I spray foamed the butt stock and it took away the hollow sound (no recoil issue with a 223 but hated that hollow sound) - in a higher caliber I would have strengthened the forestock as well... (ok I'll be really honest - unless I wanted a cheap rifle for shooting dogs I would not have bought the Axis at all - in it's off the shelf form, while it shoots great, it is "barely" usable - a great rifle for a guy who hunts one week a year with his buddies and spends more time drinking beer than hunting).
The 783 Rem which costs the same as the Axis, almost to the penny, at least has a usable trigger and shoots every bit as well. But it lacks in exactly the same way otherwise (although to be fair, they have aluminum pillars in the forestock so unlike the Axis, there is minimal flex).
And trying to put the a bare VGII in the same price point as an Axis or an American is a mistake unless you are looking at a "range of 300 to 700 bucks".
A bare Axis can be had for around 300 bucks just about any day of the week. The American often lists for closer to 500 bucks - aside from some sharp edges on the barrel channel (they don't clean up the edges on the synthetic molding - and they are sharp enough to cut you), the rifle holds nice. But if I was willing to drop 500 on an American I would add the few bucks and go with the Wby.
Another option you didn't note in this price range is the Mossberg Patiriot. For the same money as the bare American you can get a Patriot with a scope in either synthetic (under 500) or wood stocked - and the wood stock looks sharp. The glass is "entry level", but if you are on a budget it would do until you can upgrade.
I ran me just a touch over 600 bucks (taxes in) when I bought it a couple years ago.
I used Talley Lightweight mounts to hold a Redfield Revenge 3-9x42 scope which added another 300 bucks to overall cost.
By the time you add in a couple boxes of ammo to get shooting you are 1000 bucks in.
But it does shoot awesome - it IS sub-moa out of the box with Federal 80 grain soft points (cheapest stuff on the shelf) - in fact mine doesn't seem to mind much what you feed it - I use 87 grain Hornady SST's as my deer round.
The rifle is "heavy" though - with three rounds in the mag and one down the tube she tips the scales a couple ounces over 9 pounds - so if you want "light", this isn't the rig for you.
I also have an Axis (223) that I use for Yotes. The trigger sucked but clipping the spring made it usable. I spray foamed the butt stock and it took away the hollow sound (no recoil issue with a 223 but hated that hollow sound) - in a higher caliber I would have strengthened the forestock as well... (ok I'll be really honest - unless I wanted a cheap rifle for shooting dogs I would not have bought the Axis at all - in it's off the shelf form, while it shoots great, it is "barely" usable - a great rifle for a guy who hunts one week a year with his buddies and spends more time drinking beer than hunting).
The 783 Rem which costs the same as the Axis, almost to the penny, at least has a usable trigger and shoots every bit as well. But it lacks in exactly the same way otherwise (although to be fair, they have aluminum pillars in the forestock so unlike the Axis, there is minimal flex).
And trying to put the a bare VGII in the same price point as an Axis or an American is a mistake unless you are looking at a "range of 300 to 700 bucks".
A bare Axis can be had for around 300 bucks just about any day of the week. The American often lists for closer to 500 bucks - aside from some sharp edges on the barrel channel (they don't clean up the edges on the synthetic molding - and they are sharp enough to cut you), the rifle holds nice. But if I was willing to drop 500 on an American I would add the few bucks and go with the Wby.
Another option you didn't note in this price range is the Mossberg Patiriot. For the same money as the bare American you can get a Patriot with a scope in either synthetic (under 500) or wood stocked - and the wood stock looks sharp. The glass is "entry level", but if you are on a budget it would do until you can upgrade.
For a few more $ the Vanguard and American have better set-ups. One can obtain a Vanguard with a raised cheek-piece - which is a nice feature when one is using a scope. The American has the rear tang safety which is nice, and a few other features that make it a practical rifle. The axis is an inexpensive hunting rifle that gets a new shooter/gun owner out in the field and hunting. I'm not a big fan of it - yet I do understand why it is bought by plenty of gunners. With Savage I prefer the Weather Warrior, Or the heavy barrel varmint. They cost more - but one gets the accu-stock and a bit more weight, which firms up the chassis a great deal and makes for a pleasant shooting experience.
Agreed, I have a Blaze S2 in 243 bought during the WSS sale and it is the most consistent 243 I have ever owned...
elliott264
Regular
- Location
- Eastern Ontario
I have a savage axis in .223. It didnt cost much and goes bang when it should. Accurate too. The plastic stock is kind of a joke but its a utility gun so I dont care if it gets banged up or scratched.
But if I was to do it over, I would have spent a bit more and got the Vanguard. "woulda, coulda, shoulda"...
But if I was to do it over, I would have spent a bit more and got the Vanguard. "woulda, coulda, shoulda"...
I own one and don't think giving an "honest opinion" compared to other rifles out there is "diss'ing it".
I bought it because it was cheap and it would fill a specific need for me. I wanted something to shoot Yotes with and a 223 Axis fit the bill.
It was on the shelf for about 350 bucks, with a 20% sale going on where you got a $50 gift card if you spent over 200 bucks. So the rifle was $280'ish before taxes - called it $230 (with the gift card which bought a couple boxes of ammo for it) and then Savage gave me a $50USD rebate on top of that (close to 70 more bucks). So in the end the rifle cost me barely $180 in real terms.
I sell a lot of these, have handled many before I bought and did so despite "knowing, from my own experience with them" that the trigger sucks - it's just plain heavy out of the box - mine measured 7lbs 3oz - after some work I got it down to a usable 3lbs 15oz (not nice, not desirable, but usable). The bolt is sloppy and the butt stock, in particular, sounds like an empty pop can being blown down the road if you tap it, bang it or brush it against something - not a sound you want to carry in the woods when trying to sneak into your deer stand in the dark.
I can't speak to the overall stock "stiffness", again, because it's a 223 - not like firing a 300 WM with all the barrel torque/whip.
My "critique" is not "dissing" the rifle - it's an observation of what it's like, compared to other, in my hands.
I had (have) a Burris Veracity FFP 2-10X42 that is waiting for another rifle I have ordered, but decided to put it on the Savage during the waiting period. No, you don't typically put 750 bucks worth of glass on a rifle that cost you $180, but "why not", at least until I need it.
So by the time I bought the one piece base and 30mm rings, a bipod (Vanguard @ 75 bucks), I have a 1K "rifle".
I actually don't mind the feel of the stock, it fits me well, and once I spray foamed the buttstock (down into grip as well), it "sounds" solid. And the rifle is just plain "accurate". Mine does have the spider web stock which (to me) looks better than the plain black. All in all I am satisfied with the rifle "for what it is and what it cost me".
If I hadn't gone wild on the scope and instead put the same scope as my deer rifle (Redfield @ 300 bucks - good enough for hunting deer in Ontario) I would be looking at a $500 set-up - and if that's all you can afford then you would have an "adequate rifle". Too many reason things like this: "I can't afford 800 bucks for a bare rifle so they must be overpriced and they are obviously no better than a $300 Axis".
Out of the box that Axis is not on the same planet as my Vanguard II's (have 4 of them) in terms of fit/finish/machine work.
Just the 2 stage trigger alone would easily be a $250 "upgrade" on the Axis (if one was available for it). On my Vanguard's the bolts aren't sloppy, the stock fits me like a glove and they certainly shoot as well, if not better than an Axis.
But let's be fair, if both rifles were kitted the same, the VGII @ 900 bucks would be 400 bucks more than the Axis with the same glass. But if you are one that would feel the need to swap the trigger (150 bucks) and swap the stock (over 200 for a plane jane from Boyds) you would spend what you would have on the VGII and not really gain anything for your trouble.
This is my thousand dollar Axis with factory stock and factory trigger.
It's OK, but for all the guys that think others are calling down the Axis, just as many on the other side would try and have you believe that they are every bit as good, in every way, as a rifle that you spend double or triple the price on - and that is just not the case.
I would never knock a guy if all he could afford is an Axis. It will get him hunting or shooting and that's a good thing. But I also can't stand there and listen to them argue that it's "just as good" as a Win 70, or Rem 700 or whatever, because it just isn't - not unless your "only criteria" is accuracy - because Savage certainly has that buttoned down.
Tradex has NOS Elite 2-7x32 and 3-9x40 made in Japan scopes for $225....decent glass within everyone's budget.
Just added because we are on budget rifles....I personally don't think the package guns are worth it when you can get decent scopes for that price.
Just added because we are on budget rifles....I personally don't think the package guns are worth it when you can get decent scopes for that price.
driftpounder
Member
- Location
- Martensville, SK
I bought an American in .243 win a couple years ago now, just to see what all the fuss was about. That little gun amazes me everytime I take it out. I am not the greatest shot in the world, but from the bench at 100 yards I can get 3 shots in a one inch group and usually have two of them touching or almost touching. I have yet to kill a deer with this gun, but so far I am very satisfied. I have a Bushnell XLT 3x9-40 scope on it. Not high end glass by any means, but it does what I want for the amount I was willing to pay.
I looked at a Vanguard 2 when I was buying and found it to be a little heavy for me and I also felt like I was reaching way out there the shoulder it.
I looked at a Vanguard 2 when I was buying and found it to be a little heavy for me and I also felt like I was reaching way out there the shoulder it.
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
Got a wby s2 for $399 for that price it beats everything. That said even at the regular price of $550 they are one hell of a deal. Wouldn't even bother with anything less.
As for the axis comment I had 2 and they worked but they are cheap for a reason. They shot well enough but the stock needs to be replaced to get any consistency, the trig ger is terribly heavy.
As for the axis comment I had 2 and they worked but they are cheap for a reason. They shot well enough but the stock needs to be replaced to get any consistency, the trig ger is terribly heavy.
