Walk In To Pick Up Ammo, Walk Out with a Precision Rifle...

thegazelle

thegazelle

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I went to my LGS this morning to grab some ammo that I ordered, as it was not there in time yesterday when I dropped by. The sales clerk, upon hearing I dropped by yesterday said, "let me guess, you are here for the Savage..." I said, no, I am here for the (ammo name) ammo. She said, "oh, I will get that for you - I thought you were here for the Savage. A bunch showed up yesterday night a steady stream of customers online and in person have been snapping these up." I said "Really? - what kind of Savage are these?" She said Axis II Precision Rifle.

I asked "Do you have any left?" She looked in the system - "there are two left - the one you see in the rack and one in the back. We had a whole skid of these last night and they are almost gone."

I asked where on the shelf this was - and she directed me to the Savage Axis II. I took a look at it and asked to hold it. Wow, this is HUGE upgrade from my trusty old Savage Mark II. I then saw the price and it was hundreds of dollars off - hence the high customer demand. I couldn't put the rifle down - it was just really nice. I confirmed there was one left in the back and I said, "I will take it." Then we looked at magazine options since I wanted to buy an extra magazine and they said they didn't have any Savage mags, but the Ruger Precision AI magazine will work.

I had been looking or a bolt action .223 for some time - was looking at the BCL Bison, but since I already own a cheap Savage and it's very accurate, I can't imagine what a precision rifle will be like from Savage. Plus, I think these are still made in Canada, so overall feel good story...

I typically don't really do impulse buys, but I was in the market for a .223 bolt action - never even considered this (probably because it was slightly out of my price range). I am very glad the sales rep mentioned this - it's one of the nice things about going to the local gun store.

So new owner here! Open to any suggestions / advice for gear, optics etc. I will probably want to pick up more magazines at the outset...looking forward to taking this to my range!
 
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That's a good story. A good deal and a good salesperson make a sale. I remember Keith Lovett of Lovetts Gun, many years ago, and he was a gifted man when it came to sales. He got excited talking about guns. His original store in Kitchener was stacked high with guns, just enough room to squeeze through the aisles to get to the counter. It was the smell of guns that I liked so much, and anything that caught ones eye was placed in front of you in seconds. I was privileged to be shown upstairs in the old house one day, stacked everywhere were boxes of new commemorative Winchesters, that were just coming out.
 
I feel good about the purchase, not just getting a good deal, but supporting my local shop in the process. This is something different that I don't have, and I look forward to shooting it. I know the Axis 2 Precision Rifle is not anywhere close to the high end performance wise, but I have found even cheap Savage rifles to be decent in quality and this was much easier on my wallet than something I can't afford like a Cadex Defense gun. Now I can go to the range and feel like I am competing in the Olympics...maybe...

I am back to the store in the next hour to get more ammo...I trust I will return with just the ammo this time...lol...
 
I have heard a lot of people complaining about Savage rifles, poor stocks, rough rifling etc. I wonder how many of the complainants have owned one?. They are not the very best looking guns but most seem to shoot extremely well. The Axis is a true bargain, I'm sure you will be very happy with it.
 
I think they are a good buy as an entry level (for real) Precision Rifle. It may not have all the options for upgrades, but it comes in an MDT Chassis, and has a 1 in 7" twist barrel.
 
Donny Fenn1 said:
That girl is a great sales person.
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I would have to agree. And the best part is not like she was just wanting to get rid of the gun - she explained to me why it was a good deal and the features that were different from other similar rifles and also given my budgetary constraints. I was assuming the gun took AR mags, and she said no, it takes AI mags, and while they were out of Savages, they found a comparable Ruger AI one that worked and it turned out to be cheaper anyway.

There was no pressure and she even helped me bring it to my car since I had two hands full of like 800 rounds of various ammo. At my car she was explaining how she picked up pistol shooting four years ago and recommends it. I asked her about HK offerings for rifles and she was explaining why the company is not focusing on the civilian market. Extremely knowledgeable - I was very pleased to have a purchase that I otherwise wouldn't have considered. I am VERY happy with the purchase, especially as an existing Savage owner.

And Savage included stickers and ear protection in the package!
 
redshooter said:
I think they are a good buy as an entry level (for real) Precision Rifle. It may not have all the options for upgrades, but it comes in an MDT Chassis, and has a 1 in 7" twist barrel.
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For sure, I realize the limitations of the gun and that this is not going to be a Cadex or something. That being said, are there any particular pairings of a decent (meaning not expensive) scope? I was looking at a Vortex Diamondback either 44mm or 50mm - I don't have deep pockets so I can't afford high end scopes. Application would be non-competitive target shooting, maybe 100-300 meters.
 
For the money I've had really good luck with Cabela's Covenant scopes. I had a SFP 4-16X44, and I currently have a FFP 5-25X56. I've only paid sale price though, if it was retail I'd likely get something else. A guy I use to shoot with had a Vortex Diamondback, I liked it, again for the dollar. If I had to replace mine today the Vortex Diamondback 6-24X50 ffp mrad would likely be in the running.

It may not be high end but I'd put money on it that it will shoot sub moa with handloads...maybe really good with handloads.
 
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I just picked up a Leupold 3-9x40 for my CZ rimfire - based on this, I decided to try the Leupold 4-12x40 for my Axis 2 Precision Rifle. Honestly, my eyes are not great, so I am not going to be taking Chris Kyle distance shots. I would think 4-12 should be decent for 300-500 yards maybe...

I am new to precision rifles...would a 44mm or 50mm scope be better than the 40mm I just bought? I do have a fairly limited budget.

Was looking at a Diamondback as those seem highly recommended, and seemingly in reviews they are on par with the Leupolds.

I am also looking for bipods - preferably one that has MLOK and is reasonably priced. Anyone have any suggestions? Seems like Harris is a popular brand as is Caldwell. There are so many choices, and I am reviewing multiple YouTube videos and online reviews to try to make heads or tails over a good one. I guess there's no good entry level budget price decent for general shooting type of model, is there?

Thanks for any assistance and input, in advance.
 
I bought an Athlon 8x32x56 for under 600 for my savage 110 precision elite .223. Glass is as good as my vortex diamondback but the dials are better on the athlon. My bipod is an atlas , rock steady and I switch it back and forth with my tikka chassis rifle it's twice as much as a caldwell but worth it
 
The 4-12X40 should work for the moment, plenty of guys use to shoot an M-14 with a Bushnell fixed 10X. You will probably want more magnification down the road. A $500ish Scope will work, my Cabelas Covenant 5-25X56 is a pretty nice Scope for under $400. They have one on sale at the moment 3-21X56 for $399. Although the Vortex Warranty is a nice thing on a cheaper scope.

A Harris is nice, some of the Clones are pretty much as good, but the Harris should be stronger. I also have a Magpul, seems nice and sturdy, and some of the UGT Bi-pods are pretty strong as well. Anything else is going to be over $200. The cheaper Harris clones can be really good, or start to come apart in short order. If you have the cash a Harris is probably your best buy. Next in the same price range is Magpul, it's well made and strong, but it has some extra movement front/rear when the legs are extended...I find it a little annoying.
 
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redshooter said:
The 4-12X40 should work for the moment, plenty of guys use to shoot an M-14 with a Bushnell fixed 10X. You will probably want more magnification down the road. A $500ish Scope will work, my Cabelas Covenant 5-25X56 is a pretty nice Scope for under $400. They have one on sale at the moment 3-21X56 for $399. Although the Vortex Warranty is a nice thing on a cheaper scope.

A Harris is nice, some of the Clones are pretty much as good, but the Harris should be stronger. I also have a Magpul, seems nice and sturdy, and some of the UGT Bi-pods are pretty strong as well. Anything else is going to be over $200. The cheaper Harris clones can be really good, or start to come apart in short order. If you have the cash a Harris is probably your best buy. Next in the same price range is Magpul, it's well made and strong, but it has some extra movement front/rear when the legs are extended...I find it a little annoying.
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Ended up picking up a Harris rotating 6″-9″ SBR Bipod. Got home only to realize my rifle has MLOK and I will need some sort of adapter that has an MLOK to that nubbie thing - QD or whatever it's called...bipod definitely seems very solid.
 
redshooter said:
The 4-12X40 should work for the moment, plenty of guys use to shoot an M-14 with a Bushnell fixed 10X. You will probably want more magnification down the road. A $500ish Scope will work, my Cabelas Covenant 5-25X56 is a pretty nice Scope for under $400. They have one on sale at the moment 3-21X56 for $399. Although the Vortex Warranty is a nice thing on a cheaper scope.

A Harris is nice, some of the Clones are pretty much as good, but the Harris should be stronger. I also have a Magpul, seems nice and sturdy, and some of the UGT Bi-pods are pretty strong as well. Anything else is going to be over $200. The cheaper Harris clones can be really good, or start to come apart in short order. If you have the cash a Harris is probably your best buy. Next in the same price range is Magpul, it's well made and strong, but it has some extra movement front/rear when the legs are extended...I find it a little annoying.
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I tried putting the 40mm scope on last night. I immediately realized I should have probably bought something bigger than 40mm. Seems like even if I put my scope as far back as I could, I did not anticipate the long distance from the scope to the end of the buttstock due to it being a pretty long rifle - never figured out a comfortable eye relief - I was seeing crescents at the bottom, and unlike my last scope experience (cheap Bushnell 3-9x40 on my 10/22), I could not find a comfortable distance and eye relief. I may try adjusting the cheek piece (unfortunately have to loosen/take out two screws to raise it) and try it again. Too late to buy a 50mm or higher and unfortunately no return / exchange policy on opened optics. I got Weaver picatinny rings in medium and 1" to match my tube. The medium rings appear to sit rather low - I know one should put the rings as low as possible but not sure if this is part of the problem here - I thought medium rings would work. May try it again tonight when I am less frustrated.
 
Hush07 said:
That's a good story. A good deal and a good salesperson make a sale. I remember Keith Lovett of Lovetts Gun, many years ago, and he was a gifted man when it came to sales. He got excited talking about guns. His original store in Kitchener was stacked high with guns, just enough room to squeeze through the aisles to get to the counter. It was the smell of guns that I liked so much, and anything that caught ones eye was placed in front of you in seconds. I was privileged to be shown upstairs in the old house one day, stacked everywhere were boxes of new commemorative Winchesters, that were just coming out.
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is this place still around?

Your recollection takes me back to time with my dad spent there....holy smokes.
 
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