Customer Reviews for Savage Axis XP .308 Winchester Bolt Action Rifle

Great for the price. Reliable. I used the standard break-in process of dragging it from my pickup. Shoots well.

Let me start by first saying that ordering from Bud's is always easy, with great service and awesome deals. I ordered this little entry level .308 stainless combo for my oldest son to use hunting after handling a couple in shops and reading several reviews. It's basically a great deal in an all weather rifle--if you are willing and able to work and tune it a little here and there. The rifle is ugly, there's just no way around it. The lack of a rear bolt shroud by necessity for the top tang safety leaves an obvious gap in the rifle's profile. The real shocker was to see that our short action caliber is fitted in a long action bolt. There's nothing new about cost cutting there, but pulling the handle an extra 3/4" irritates me somehow. The rifle is still light enough-barely weighing 6 1/4 lbs. Instead of checkering, the polymer stock is hollow and has molded grooves in the forend and pistol grip. The matte finish on the stainless surface is superb for an economical hunter. The action is smooth and locks up tight. It sits on dual pillar bedding, and is completely free floating, which aids in great accuracy. The recoil pad is excellent, and soaks up even the heaviest loads. The swivel studs are solid, tight, and matte finished. 3/4" groups were no problem from plain old Winchester Power Point 150 gr. factory loads. You can't beat that in a lightweight hunter. Now some serious cons: As other reviewers have also stated, the Bushnell scope is totally useless as it comes mounted from the factory. The bolt handle contacts the eyepiece bell and cannot be moved in either direction to clear it. Since this is a long action length, the distance between the single slotted two piece bases is a huge five inches even. None of my other scopes had tubes long enough to work with this mounting setup. To make it worse, all the screws were loose and the vertical crosshair position was situated in a 10 o'clock to 4 o'clock manner. There is absolutely no way this rifle left a professional's hands having being bore sighted with any type of device- as stated. After remounting a new Sightron SI 3-9x40 in Millett Angle Lock rings, this little gem really started to shine. If you want to use other brands, I highly suggest buying the rifle without the scope and adding a Weaver multiple slot one piece rail for about $12 from Bud's. As for the Bushnell, it has been relegated to duty on a muzzleloader. It is bright and has good finger adjustable turrets, but eye relief is a scant 3". The Accutrigger doesn't come on this rifle. The sear, safety engagement lever, and bolt release are all incorporated in one "U" shaped stamping that wraps around the trigger housing and pivots on the same pins. It is full of creep and overtravel and much too heavy for anything but casual shooting. The good news is it is easy to work on. After trimming 2-3 coils from the spring and stoning and polishing the trigger/sear engagement surfaces multiple times, we came out with one of the best hunting triggers in the house. It easily printed 3/4" groups time after time from the Lohman Site Vise on our bench. As always, perform all necessary safety checks as you go. All in all, The American made stainless Axis is a great value if you tune a little and do your homework before you start. This is now the handiest and most pleasant shooting all weather rifle we have. It will no doubt be heavily used for many generations to come. Thanks again Bud's.

Buds is great. However my issue with this item is the interference with the bolt and the scope... When you cycle the bolt it drags against the scope. This is a savage issue... It is very usable and cheap... If you dont have a long range piece this can fit the bill cheap, and is touted as exceptionally accurate.... I guess bang for the buck is the objective... Affordable and effective... Buds is spot on as always...

I rated this gun a 3 because right out of the box, I had to tighten both of the main screws that mount the stock to the barrel and the trigger is pretty bad. Accu trigger would be a nice upgrade to this gun. Scope mounts were loose clear down into where they mount to the barrel itself. The scope itself is cheap but is fine for shooting at 100 yds. I was able to keep 1.0 inch groups after about 5 rounds to get it sighted in. After I went throught the gun and tightened up all of the loose fastners, it shot pretty nice. My only real complaint is still the trigger. Others have complained about the bolt sticking or jamming up slightly and it does seem to do that but ever so slightly. The only reason I mention it is because others that have reviewed it have complained about it but I don't find it to be an issue. Shipping took about a week to make it to Ohio.