Savage rifle advice
 

Hi all. I am asking about 2 hunting rifles made by Savage Arms.Basically I can get the Axis II that comes with a Bushnell scope for $459

or, the 110 Apex Hunter that comes with a Vortex Crossfire II scope for $619

Assuming that I don’t necessarily want to replace the scope any time soon, is the 110 worth the extra $160?

As you may guessed I will be a first time hunter this year, even though I am 52. I have experience with rifles from the service but never owned a hunting rifle. Any other suggestions in that general price range would also be welcome.

Thanks in advance!

In my opinion, the 110 with a Vortex scope is worth the extra money. The Axis has way too much plastic for my tastes, and I'm guessing the Bushnell wouldn't be their top of the line. BTW, welcome to the forum.

I'm on the other side of the fence from Wingbone. I have an Axis in 350 Legend and I really like this little gun. I did a lot of searching to find one without the Accutrigger. I got one with the standard trigger and installed an MCarbo trigger kit which cut the trigger pull weight in half and fixed the side to side wobble. And that "plastic" is a polymer and is extremely tough. Now the action is not as slick as on my Brownings or Tikkas but works flawlessly. Accuracy is right up there too. Its no 1 MOA shooter but will keep them all in 2" @ 100 yards which is plenty accurate.

I have a Savage Axis in .270 without the accutrigger which I bought a little over a year ago. It is extremely accurate pic below, and I am using it in oct on a pronghorn hunt. The only polymer on it is the bottom of the detachable magazine so I don't see where there is too much plastic. I bought my grandson a Savage 110 in .243 a several years ago and my Axis has a much smoother operating bolt. Judging from the Axis I have, I would not hesitate to buy another. Top group 50 yds bottom group 100 yards.

Do you have a wood stocked one Oldtimr? Mine has the synthetic stock.
I forgot to mention in my earlier post that my trigger spring kit was only $20 and took 10 mins to install.

Did you install the kit yourself? check my post again, I added a target to see how it groups. My stock is wood. here is the rifle.

I have an Axis in .308 with the "bull barrel". Had tons of accuracy problems with it while using a mounted bi-pod (Harris). Come to find out the stock was very flexible and would bend to touch the barrel. I am assuming from the weight of the barrel. I replaced the synthetic stock with a Boyds and the problem was fixed. Now its a tack driver.

[QUOTE=Oldtimr;4404447]Did you install the kit yourself? check my post again, I added a target to see how it groups. My stock is wood. here is the rifle.
QUOTE]
Yes OT...It doesn't take long at all to install. There is even a video on their site to watch before you buy to see if you want it. Mcarbo.com

Kelly you likely could have gotten off cheaper if you would have put a stud farther back on the stock to mount the bipod!

[QUOTE=bronko22000;4404464]Thanks Bronco, which spring did you use, the 21/2 or the 31/2 lb?

[QUOTE=Oldtimr;4404466]I don't recall now OT. I didn't know there was an option. All I know it was a big improvement over the factory springs.

110 over Axis II for me. Either scope is largely irrelevant in my calculus. I’d tend to prefer the Bushnell color and resolution truth over the Crossfire II, but either are serviceable. Either will shoot, but I’d prefer the 110.

I haven't been on HNI in quite a while, but as for Savage rifles, I can only speak for the 110 version. Mine is from the late 90's (back when Savage Arms was faced with Chapter 11 bankruptcy or something like that).... They took the long action models and merged them with the short action models, using only one rifle stock. It saved them countless dollars in the long run, when you look back and research it.

This is my Savage 110, but yet chambered in .308 with a long action stock, chamber, bolt, etc... What Savage did was, they manufactured a "block" of some sort in behind the internal magazine, thus shortening the long action into short action. Like I mentioned, the creation saved their a$$ when it was all said and done, and they rebounded and survived!

This is definitely one criticism of the the axis. The plastic stocks don't work well with bipods for this very reason. Besides moving the stud as suggested earlier or replacing the stock as suggested here, another option is an easy DYI project, essentially epoxying in some steel rods inside the barrel channel. I did it on one and it worked fine. There are tutorials on how to do this.

I have a 110 variant from the mid-90s as well as an Axis. They both shoot well, and the major difference is the nicer wood stock and bluing on the 110 vs. the plastic stock and parkerized finish on the Axis. I like the 110 more, but can't say that it shoots any better.
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If you're looking for a "good enough" deer rifle, I'd go with the axis. The 110 would be a better choice if you wanted to focus on really serious accuracy. I haven't seen an apex up close, but pictures suggest a stock that's more substantial than the Axis plastic (if it is an accustock, it definitely is nicer than the plastic on my axis). Last but not least, compare the value of the two scopes.