I have one, a 223 I use for coyote's.
It does the job.
Yes, the trigger sucks compared to the two stage triggers on my Vanguards. But clipped a coil and a half from the spring and it's usable.
Yes, the bolt is sloppy compared just about all my other bolt guns.
Being just a 223 I can't speak to how the stock might react when fired if it was a 30.06 or 300 WM, but no issues with twisting etc on mine.
I filled the hollow butt end with spray foam and now it doesn't sound like an empty pop can rolling down the road in the wind whenever you bump/bang or rub it on something.
When it's in the safe it's along side another Savage, a few Weatherby's, Remington's, a Winchester, a Henry, a couple Browning's and a pair of H&R's - none of them "call it names or make fun of it".
It shoots well - certainly better than I do - I'm a hunter not a target shooter that measures accuracy in thousand's of an inch.
I'm not sure what people expect. You can find these things in the 300 to 400 dollar range - you can't expect a "Cadillac" at that price. I can buy 3 boxes of factory shells for my 257 Wby or I can buy a "whole rifle".
Not everyone has the disposable income to drop a grand on a rifle or even 700 bucks.
It's easy to say "I would never own one" if you can afford better.
What if you only had a budget of 350 bucks and owned no other guns. Would you say "I will do without until the kids move away or the wife finds a job because I would rather go without any gun at all than own an Axis".
And really, most are only comparing the Axis against other "mediocre" rifles anyhow.
If you put a Rem 700 BDL against a rifle that came out of the Browning or Weatherby custom shop, it looks and operates worse than the Axis in comparison.
It really is all perspective.
