Well curiosity got the better of me and I had to see for myself how good/bad these rifles are. It seems like Savage has a pretty loyal following and an equally strong contingent of people who dislike them. When I saw that this combo was 249 at WSS I couldn't resist finding out for myself.
Initial thoughts in store: It isn't that ugly! I was half expecting that I would become nauseated at first sight of this rifle from the description of some people on here. It is very light, with a decent recoil pad and a nice matte finish on the barrel that will be perfect for my intended use. But those scope mounts sure look cheesy. When I checked the bolt I did pick a unit with the least amount of play as you cycled the action but noticed that all the rifles I tried had this in common. They all seemed to have the sticky bolt lift.
Got it home: After initial disassembly this was by far the dirtiest rifle I have brought home new in the box. The forend looks like I will have no problem epoxying in something to stiffen it. I am not as sure how I will add some weight to balance that to the stock as I cant tell how to get the pad off. Reassembled I watched some hockey and continually cycled the action noticing that it got better after cleaning, and continued to improve the more it was worked. At this point I am still skeptical of the scope mounts.
Took it shooting: The very first round I attempted to cycle into the rifle jammed when leaving the magazine on the throat of the barrel. Not a great feeling! This proved to be an issue with about 1 in every 5 rounds. Some reading suggests that some modification of the magazine lips should fix this (anyone with tips here it would be greatly appreciated) I am assuming this issue is similar to the old savage 22wmr magazines that need to be fiddled with to suit each rifle.
The other issue with the magazine that comes down to user error is that one group I thought the magazine was fully inserted and the rifle wouldn't pick up a round from the magazine. Giving some strong pressure on the bottom of the mag I heard the little pop sound of the plastic clip fully engaging its latch. It is something I am now fully aware of for future use. I feel like buying some extra mags would be a good idea.
When settling in to shoot I thought about how nicely this rifles palm swell was contoured for shooting from a rest. I later noticed that shooting offhand is nice with a second contour for this purpose.
The first shot was right of the target at 50 yards. (it sure is nice watching hits in the scope, glad I didn't get a second 22-250) The second shot was on the paper holding on the left edge of the 8" target. With subsequent shooting the rifle was sighted in at 50 yards and then taken out to 100. My last 5 shots were measured at 1.152 inches. This I think is very good for a 250 dollar rifle and value pack ammunition. I was going to be happy starting off anything under 2 moa. I look forward to loading up some Speer TNT and Varmint grenade loads to see what kind of repeatable accuracy is attainable with this rig.
The trigger on this gun is heavier than what I would ideally like, but it is not as bad as internet reviewers had me fearing. I may switch out the coil to a lighter gauge but think eventually a rifle basix trigger will find a home in my Axis.
To summarize my initial review this gun is a shooter. It isn't the prettiest safe queen out there but has great potential in the right hands. The scope is not great but it is workable until a person could put something better on. If anyone has recommendations on how to best fix the magazine, or stiffening the stock let me know as I would greatly appreciate the advice. I will probably continue to post as I shoot the new rifle with any updates on accolades or issues.
Initial thoughts in store: It isn't that ugly! I was half expecting that I would become nauseated at first sight of this rifle from the description of some people on here. It is very light, with a decent recoil pad and a nice matte finish on the barrel that will be perfect for my intended use. But those scope mounts sure look cheesy. When I checked the bolt I did pick a unit with the least amount of play as you cycled the action but noticed that all the rifles I tried had this in common. They all seemed to have the sticky bolt lift.
Got it home: After initial disassembly this was by far the dirtiest rifle I have brought home new in the box. The forend looks like I will have no problem epoxying in something to stiffen it. I am not as sure how I will add some weight to balance that to the stock as I cant tell how to get the pad off. Reassembled I watched some hockey and continually cycled the action noticing that it got better after cleaning, and continued to improve the more it was worked. At this point I am still skeptical of the scope mounts.
Took it shooting: The very first round I attempted to cycle into the rifle jammed when leaving the magazine on the throat of the barrel. Not a great feeling! This proved to be an issue with about 1 in every 5 rounds. Some reading suggests that some modification of the magazine lips should fix this (anyone with tips here it would be greatly appreciated) I am assuming this issue is similar to the old savage 22wmr magazines that need to be fiddled with to suit each rifle.
The other issue with the magazine that comes down to user error is that one group I thought the magazine was fully inserted and the rifle wouldn't pick up a round from the magazine. Giving some strong pressure on the bottom of the mag I heard the little pop sound of the plastic clip fully engaging its latch. It is something I am now fully aware of for future use. I feel like buying some extra mags would be a good idea.
When settling in to shoot I thought about how nicely this rifles palm swell was contoured for shooting from a rest. I later noticed that shooting offhand is nice with a second contour for this purpose.
The first shot was right of the target at 50 yards. (it sure is nice watching hits in the scope, glad I didn't get a second 22-250) The second shot was on the paper holding on the left edge of the 8" target. With subsequent shooting the rifle was sighted in at 50 yards and then taken out to 100. My last 5 shots were measured at 1.152 inches. This I think is very good for a 250 dollar rifle and value pack ammunition. I was going to be happy starting off anything under 2 moa. I look forward to loading up some Speer TNT and Varmint grenade loads to see what kind of repeatable accuracy is attainable with this rig.
The trigger on this gun is heavier than what I would ideally like, but it is not as bad as internet reviewers had me fearing. I may switch out the coil to a lighter gauge but think eventually a rifle basix trigger will find a home in my Axis.
To summarize my initial review this gun is a shooter. It isn't the prettiest safe queen out there but has great potential in the right hands. The scope is not great but it is workable until a person could put something better on. If anyone has recommendations on how to best fix the magazine, or stiffening the stock let me know as I would greatly appreciate the advice. I will probably continue to post as I shoot the new rifle with any updates on accolades or issues.
