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If you were around the AR world a while ago, you're familiar with the tier list.
Basically it was a bullshit list that tried to track how different an AR was from a genuine milspec M4.
The biggest problem with that list was the assumption that milspec was best quality.
This has triggered a rash of guntubers making tier lists for bolt action hunting guns, but only by manufacturer, not by model.
Which reveals some specious reasoning.
Savage gets a low tier rating because they make the Axis.
So don't buy ANY Savage because the Axis is cheap and the guntuber doesn't like how they feel.
The more detailed explanation is very analogous to "The Ford Escape is a shitty pickup, so don't buy any Fords."
I also noticed that the stratification didn't include any shooting...
ReplyDeleteI bought a Savage Axis in 308Win that shot damned well. Don't purchase guns for bragging rights; if they shoot good they are good. Had a Remington 788 once; cheap birch stock, sheet metal trigger guard, cheap tin magazine; but that gun (22-250Rem) would hit a chicken egg every shot at 200 yards. Years ago, Guns and Ammo magazine ran an article titled "Clunkers is Fun!" about a guy who would accurize old milsurp rifles, then take them to his local range and embarrass the owners of the latest shiny blast-o-matic flavors of the month. Still funny after all this time...
I've had outstanding luck with my Savage 110XP package gun.
DeleteI've seen some people doing respectable work with the Rem 770 and Axis guns at the range.
I agree, shoots good, is good!
Savage had/has a problem in that they purchase other companies and then keep making those guns with Savage branding. My 93F in .22WMR is an example. Savage bought up Lakefield Firearms in Canada and just kept making their product line.
Stevens and Savage were once separate companies.
The Savage 110 and derivatives including the Axis are inexpensive and accurate due to clever design. The floating bolt head and the barrel nut significantly reduce cost while preserving accuracy. That's why the Axis is very popular for for cheap chassis builds. You can use the money you save on the action to buy a better scope.
DeleteI have an older (pre-Accu-Trigger) model Savage 111 in .30-06 Spr. It was one of the cheap package models sold through Walmart back when the rural Walmarts around here still sold guns (they haven't for 10+ years now). I've been totally satisfied with it, especially given the extremely good price I got, other than the scope that came with it which was a Simmons Blazer 3-9x40. That scope is blurry cheap junk, the kind of thing that gives Chinese optics a bad name. The whole package was still good enough I can overlook that one bad part. I replaced the Simmons with a Bushnell which was not an expensive scope but much better.
ReplyDeleteMcThag has shot it, and generally seemed favorably impressed other than the synthetic stock, which I admit looks cheap, but it feels good and works for me.
Make no mistake that Savage is a budget brand, and the Axis line is the most buget part of their offerings. But the real proof is in how they shoot, and I've never seen a Savage that doesn't perform as well as or better than most big name rifles that cost significantly more.
Savage isn't for you if posturing and bragging rights are more important than anything else, but if you value something that is reliable and accurate and you're on a budget I don't think you can go wrong with Savage.
I also have a Savage Mark II in .22LR, and It's a real pleasure to shoot. I can put 10 rounds into a dime size hole with it all day at the range, especially with Federal Gold Medal Match ammo which it loves. Cheap ammo like Lightning/Thunderbolt/Wildcat will have the occasional flyer as those are prone to (and a lot more duds). The Mark II was also purchased at Walmart and a true bargain for what it is. I miss the days when I could get a 550 round box of Remington Goldens for $7.87 at Walmart and spend all afternoon at the range.
In fact, my shooting experience with that 111 led to my adding Savage to the bolt gun agony list.
DeleteI hated the plastic stock on SWJ's gun, but Savage offered a wood stock when I was shopping.
Savage has started using better glass in their combination packages. We have two Model 11 combos with Nikon scopes and after Nikon left the market the 11 combos got Vortex and I think Axis gets Barska
DeleteMine has Nikon glass. Sadly, Nikon has exited the rifle scope market.
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