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Old 09-14-2020, 12:02 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Default Rifle Induced Shooting Issues

A friend called and asked if I would go to the range to help him with his shooting form. He was shooting 3"-4" groups at 100m with his new Savage Axis in 308win,, and told me he had developed a flinch. He came over, and we went to the range and set up. I watched him shoot a group, and it was not pretty to watch. He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed, and it was like the rifle wasn't ever going to fire. The result was a 4" group. I sat at the bench and loaded the rifle, and it became obvious why he was having so much trouble, the trigger was an honest 5lbs, and I had issues shooting it as well. I managed to put the first two shots 3/4" apart, but the third climbed 2". I decided to fire a fourth shot, and it climbed another 2". The result was a four shot vertical line stretching about 4". Obviously the heavy trigger pull was an issue, and so was the bedding problem. He asked me how we could fix the issues, and I sadly informed him that the trigger could not be adjusted lighter, and the plastic stock would not be easy to bed. He told me that he didn't want to spend any money in the rifle , and asked for recommendations for a replacement rifle. I recommended a Vanguard or T-3x in one of the 6.5 cartridges, and off he went. Then I had him shoot my Vudoo 22lr for 25-30 rounds, and by the third or fourth group, he was shooting 1-1/2" to 2" for five shots at 100m. His flinch had faded, and his confidence was growing. He called me that evening, and he had purchased a T-3x in 6.5CM. He had the rifle out yesterday, and he was thrilled to be shooting groups under 1-1/2" with the first factory load he tried. He told me his flinch had virtually disappeared, and he was much more comfortable shooting. The very heavy trigger was apparently the cause of his flinch, and the bedding issue was further aggravating the issue.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:16 PM
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Dean2 Dean2 is offline
 
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If you buy a Savage Axis I would presume you do it to get a cheap platform to build a better rifle on. A new trigger and stock would be the minimum needed to get a decent hunting rifle. Like you said, the factory stock is so crappy it would cost more in Devcon and carbon stringers to stiffen it up than a replacement stock. To me, you are buying a barrelled action. There is such a thing as going too cheap when looking for a rifle and the Axis is definitely in that league. To be fair though, the Tikka he replaced it with is more than three times the money, so cost of the gun plus a new trigger and stock would have still been about half the price of the Tikka.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:28 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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The fellow bought the Axis, because he was totally unaware or the difference between rifles, and he was trying to get into hunting for a low price. He paid close to $550 for the Axis with a cheap scope that crapped out the first time he fired the rifle. A replacement trigger would run around $125, and a replacement stock around $150, so that gets him into the $800-$850 range. The T-3x was on sale for just under $1000, so in the end, the difference would be $150-$200, and the T3x is stainless. But the point of my post ,is that the rifle was the cause of his shooting problems, not just bad shooting form.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elkhunter11 View Post
The fellow bought the Axis, because he was totally unaware or the difference between rifles, and he was trying to get into hunting for a low price. He paid close to $550 for the Axis with a cheap scope that crapped out the first time he fired the rifle. A replacement trigger would run around $125, and a replacement stock around $150, so that gets him into the $800-$850 range. The T-3x was on sale for just under $1000, so in the end, the difference would be $150-$200, and the T3x is stainless.

That is a great price on the T3X. Most of the ones I have seen are in the $1300 range. He also over paid for the Axis unfortunately. The ones I have seen bare, sell for $380 on sale. Buying the packages with the cheap scope never works out well. To me this is prime evidence that someone did not do this guy any favours when they were selling him the gun. Depending on how long he has had it I would be talking to the place I bought it from and asking for at least a partial refund for the crap scope. Glad you could help him out.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:44 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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That is a great price on the T3X. Most of the ones I have seen are in the $1300 range. He also over paid for the Axis unfortunately. The ones I have seen bare, sell for $380 on sale. Buying the packages with the cheap scope never works out well. To me this is prime evidence that someone did not do this guy any favours when they were selling him the gun. Depending on how long he has had it I would be talking to the place I bought it from and asking for at least a partial refund for the crap scope. Glad you could help him out.
The crap scope was replaced, and the replacement is sitting on on his 17hmr. The T-3X Lite Stainless is under $1100 at many places now, and around $950 blued. and he bought the Savage at Cabelas, and it wasn't on sale. When he called me last night, he was a happy camper.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:46 PM
AndrewM AndrewM is offline
 
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Axis is very light and kicks like a donkey with the hockey puck recoil pad!
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Old 09-14-2020, 09:32 PM
Smokinyotes Smokinyotes is offline
 
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I have only ever shot 2 savage axis. The first one I was sighting it in fora friend. When the 3rd shot was fired the cross hairs went like the hairs you would see on the edge of a urinal. The second one I was sighting in the front of the stock flexed so much and the trigger was so terrible the best I could get was 2” groups
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:07 AM
DLab DLab is offline
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The package deal scopes,mounts and rings on the Axis were and still are CRAP,seems to me I read the cost to Savage on them was $6.00 USD.You can't expect to get much of a scope on an entry level rifle.
Having said that ,I have seen and shot some very accurate Axis rifles in .223 and 6.5 CM. Accutrigger models with hand loads and a bit better optics mounted.
The recoil from a .308 in one would no doubt be stout,as would most synthetic stocked light rifles.
Finding one on sale or used for a good deal, makes a passable entry level for someone just starting out hunting,if they enjoy the sport they can always upgrade.
I set my Nephew up with the Axis XP II last year in 6.5 CM ,upgraded his optics/mounts a bit this year, with 129 gr.Interlock hand loads it shoots very well.He took his first WT buck last year with it at 306 yards,I expect he'll do fine this season also.
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Old 09-15-2020, 11:21 AM
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EZM EZM is offline
 
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I never understood why companies put such a crappy scope on ANY rifle.

It's like the Howa package scopes Nikko Sterling ……… they make you feel like you are drunk if you dial the scope up ……….

Everyone of these poor victims of marketing a "package" ends up paying as much to put new optics, trigger and stock on these that they end up spending the same money (or more) in the end anyways.
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Old 09-15-2020, 01:18 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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I had the same fellow out for pheasant, today, with even worse results. He had a new Stevens pump that failed to fire on two birds. Then it jammed solid.Finally it fired on the third bird, but now he is shopping for a new shotgun.
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Old 09-15-2020, 01:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elkhunter11 View Post
I had the same fellow out for pheasant, today, with even worse results. He had a new Stevens pump that failed to fire on two birds. Then it jammed solid.Finally it fired on the third bird, but now he is shopping for a new shotgun.

Well, if nothing else he is quickly learning that cheapest isn't always a good deal.
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Old 09-15-2020, 01:49 PM
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Savage Bacon Savage Bacon is offline
 
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We have a savage axis 2 in 7-08 with the accutrigger and it shoots well.
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Old 09-15-2020, 01:54 PM
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6.5 shooter 6.5 shooter is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean2 View Post
Well, if nothing else he is quickly learning that cheapest isn't always a good deal.
buy once, cry once..Wish I had learned that 20 rifles ago...LOL
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Trades I would interested in:
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especially! with the HHR reticle. (no duplex pls.)
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Old 09-15-2020, 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter View Post
buy once, cry once..Wish I had learned that 20 rifles ago...LOL
To be honest, that is something my dad taught me as a kid. I am left handed so choices in guns a more limited. My first two shotguns were a Citori skeet and a Winchester Pidgeon grade model 23. That Winchester was about 1500 bucks, which was a hell of a lot of money in 1974, but I have thoroughly enjoyed using it for almost 50 years and I could easily sell it today for more than I paid.
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Old 09-15-2020, 03:28 PM
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Twisted Canuck Twisted Canuck is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean2 View Post
To be honest, that is something my dad taught me as a kid. I am left handed so choices in guns a more limited. My first two shotguns were a Citori skeet and a Winchester Pidgeon grade model 23. That Winchester was about 1500 bucks, which was a hell of a lot of money in 1974, but I have thoroughly enjoyed using it for almost 50 years and I could easily sell it today for more than I paid.
Totally agree. Buy quality, whether it is guns, optics, tools, furniture...whatever. It pays for itself many times over in satisfaction and longevity.
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