I've been thinking of getting a varmint caliber rifle for a while now. I got rid of a very accurate 220 Swift several years ago because I really didn't have much use for it. However, with the legal changes about using centerfire rifles for furbearers it seems to be a more practical choice now.
I really didn't want to sink a lot of money into one and have been on the hunt for a while for just the right rifle. A great deal on a Savage Axis popped up here and I jumped on it. How can you go wrong with a .223 caliber rifle that has a reputation for sub MOA, and even 0.5 MOA, accuracy that costs $240.00? In addition to that I'm a dedicated Rem 700 man and wanted to give Savage a chance.
First impressions:
The stock looks and feels very cheap and the trigger sucks. However, the stock does free float the barrel and is just stiff enough to keep it that way when resting on a bipod. Though the trigger was a gritty 7.5lbs out of the box, a five minute trim of a single and easily accessed spring turned it into a slightly creepy 3lb trigger. The creep is very manageable with a clear stack after a tiny bit of movement and then a clean break. I think the creep will fade as the rifle breaks in and I could get an even lighter trigger with a little more trimming of the spring, but 3lbs works for me. The barrel seems to be good with no obvious tooling marks and a firm bolt lock up. The detachable magazine is also a nice touch.
In keeping with a cost effective rig (read that as cheap) I went with a Bushnell AR/223 scope in 4.5x18x40 with a multiple recital calibrated for the .223 round with 55 grain bullets that will take it out to 600 yards. This rifle comes with a Bushnell Banner scope included, but that's too cheap even for me. I also decided to go with slightly better rings and mounts than what comes with the rifle. I chose a set of Weavers.
Problem:
The tube on the scope is too short for the placement of the rings. It's obviously meant for a typical one piece AR style combined mount and rings system. Fortunately, they do make a Picatinny rail for this rifle and I have one on order.
I'll do the barrel break-in while I wait for the rail and then follow up with an accuracy and performance report. I think I'll do a rattle can paint job on it, too.
I really didn't want to sink a lot of money into one and have been on the hunt for a while for just the right rifle. A great deal on a Savage Axis popped up here and I jumped on it. How can you go wrong with a .223 caliber rifle that has a reputation for sub MOA, and even 0.5 MOA, accuracy that costs $240.00? In addition to that I'm a dedicated Rem 700 man and wanted to give Savage a chance.
First impressions:
The stock looks and feels very cheap and the trigger sucks. However, the stock does free float the barrel and is just stiff enough to keep it that way when resting on a bipod. Though the trigger was a gritty 7.5lbs out of the box, a five minute trim of a single and easily accessed spring turned it into a slightly creepy 3lb trigger. The creep is very manageable with a clear stack after a tiny bit of movement and then a clean break. I think the creep will fade as the rifle breaks in and I could get an even lighter trigger with a little more trimming of the spring, but 3lbs works for me. The barrel seems to be good with no obvious tooling marks and a firm bolt lock up. The detachable magazine is also a nice touch.
In keeping with a cost effective rig (read that as cheap) I went with a Bushnell AR/223 scope in 4.5x18x40 with a multiple recital calibrated for the .223 round with 55 grain bullets that will take it out to 600 yards. This rifle comes with a Bushnell Banner scope included, but that's too cheap even for me. I also decided to go with slightly better rings and mounts than what comes with the rifle. I chose a set of Weavers.
Problem:
The tube on the scope is too short for the placement of the rings. It's obviously meant for a typical one piece AR style combined mount and rings system. Fortunately, they do make a Picatinny rail for this rifle and I have one on order.
I'll do the barrel break-in while I wait for the rail and then follow up with an accuracy and performance report. I think I'll do a rattle can paint job on it, too.
