Savage Axis Problems

Rem700WY

Rem700WY

New member
I bought a Savage Axis XP SS for a prairie dog chambered in .223. I took it to the range after breaking in the barrel to see how it would shoot. First I fired some factory Remington White box 45 grain rounds looked like a shotgun pattern. Tried again with 50 and 55 grain Remington factory loads no improvement. I tried some Black Hills 77 grain match ammo and the results were the same. The twist rate is 1:9 so I know the 77 grainers were a stretch. Has anybody else had problems with there Axis? Any ideas I haven't thought of to try?
 
Originally Posted By: Rem700WYI bought a Savage Axis XP SS for a prairie dog chambered in .223. I took it to the range after breaking in the barrel to see how it would shoot. First I fired some factory Remington White box 45 grain rounds looked like a shotgun pattern. Tried again with 50 and 55 grain Remington factory loads no improvement. I tried some Black Hills 77 grain match ammo and the results were the same. The twist rate is 1:9 so I know the 77 grainers were a stretch. Has anybody else had problems with there Axis? Any ideas I haven't thought of to try?


Go to Savageshooters.com My son and I have a .308 and it was "so-so" but improved considerably after following the two fixes, trigger and stock.
 
If it's that bad, I'd try another scope, make sure the rings and bases are tight, and check the action screw torque first. Unusual to have a Savage that bad outta the box without something greatly amiss.
 
Going heavy on the 223 I'd expect possible problems with the twist/bullet. But if it's shooting the same across the board I'd guess something with the gun itself.

Past that hit the shooter side.

Vice or no vice, bench or offhand, and how big of a pattern? Last because when I shoot a lot my 'pattern' definition is a lot tighter than currently when I'm not shooting much at all
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Curiousity, otto range?

And because I like to bash them, I've never gotten core-lokts to shoot better than MSOT, "minute of somewhere over there".
 
I have the same gun, did a trigger job on it first off. That helped considerably. Another thing with mine is, it shoots better with a dirty barrel. Mine won't start getting really great groups till I have 40 rounds or more through it. Why is that? I have no idea but I do know it will shoot 3 shots and you can hide them behind a dime @ 200 yards. It's the best shooting gun I own.

I am shoot 55gr. Sierra HP's pushed by Win 748.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rem700WYI bought a Savage Axis XP SS for a prairie dog chambered in .223. I took it to the range after breaking in the barrel to see how it would shoot.

I have that exact rifle and the worst factory groups were less than 1.5 inches and that was with the stock trigger with no adjustments made. I've tested 45 to 55 grain slugs and all have had acceptable performance, although my rifle seems to favor 50 grain slugs. The only thing I did to the rifle out of the box was to run a clean patch down the barrel to make sure there was no grease or fouling from manufacturing. The first 5 shots I fired after adjusting the zero at 50 yards, I shot 45 grain loads and the 5 shot group measured 1.1.

With handloads dialed in, the rifle is sub-1 inch at 100 all day long and it's around an inch at 200.

When you say "breaking in" the barrel, could you explain what you did?

Also, when you say "shotgun pattern", honestly how big of a group?

What scope did you use and could the scope, rings, base be the problem?

Grouse
 
NDIndy I was shooting off of a bipod with a rear bag for support. I did take 2 coils off the trigger spring and got the trigger pull to just under 3 pounds. The groups are averaging around 2-2.5 inches
 
The scope is a Sightron Si. With weaver rings and bases. As far as barrel break in went. I shot and cleaned after every shot for the first 10 with no bore brush. Then did 3 shot groups and cleaned for 12 more rounds.
 
Mine didn't really come in until about the 100 rd mark, but was still shooting around 1.5 in the beginning. I was shooting handloads, but it would shoot everything from 40's to 75's well under an inch. I mostly shot 50's with it. It was the Edge before they had to rename them Axis, and all I ever did was put a Rifle Basix trigger in it.

Loaned it to a friend for his daughter to use on a bobcat hunt with her grandfather. She managed to kill 3 bobcats with 2 shots. She shot the Tom while he was mounting a female and killed them both, and then shot another one later that day. She just had to have that rifle, so I sold it to her dad, but it was a sweet shooter for sure. Hope yours works out as well.
 
I'd suggest trying these things:

1. Change scopes. You don't say if the scope is new or used, but either way I've personally known two people who tore their hair out trying to figure out what went wrong with a rifle only to eventually figure out it was the scope that was bad. It does happen.

As long as you have the scope off, make sure the bases are tight.

2. Stop cleaning it and just keep shooting it. I have personally shot over 200 rounds through my Axis in one day with no sign of accuracy loss. Bottom line is the Axis likes it dirty.

3. Check everything that has a screw head for proper torque. Don't go nuts and over-tighten, just make sure nothing is loose.

4. Have someone else shoot it. No, I'm serious. It pays to check out all sources of variation and you are one of those sources.

I would be very surprised if one or some combination of the above don't fix your problems.

The Axis has a poor stock trigger, but that alone should not cause your problem.

Grouse
 
Originally Posted By: Rem700WYNDIndy I was shooting off of a bipod with a rear bag for support. I did take 2 coils off the trigger spring and got the trigger pull to just under 3 pounds. The groups are averaging around 2-2.5 inches


I would almost bet that the stock is flexing with the bi-pod causing inconsistent pressure on the barrel. If you want to keep it this way, either stiffen the forearm or trim away enough material from the stock that the forearm doesn't touch. To find out if that is the problem, shoot the rifle with a front rest situated under the magazine. If groups tighten up, then you will know what is what.
 
Scope would my first concern but you have good brand ......

Stock would my next issue ........ bipods and Tuppeware stocks don't mix.

Best bet would be to lose that stock, next would be to stiffen and float it.

I use a bulls X type shooting rest so the pressure is shifted rearward on those flexible stocks on my Savages.

Between floating the barrels and that X bag, I get pretty fair performance but just moving to a Carlson "Duramax" stock would be a huge improvement over the factory tuppeware version.

Three 44s
 
Originally Posted By: Rem700WYNDIndy I was shooting off of a bipod with a rear bag for support. I did take 2 coils off the trigger spring and got the trigger pull to just under 3 pounds. The groups are averaging around 2-2.5 inches


2.5" at 100 isn't acceptable for a modern rifle. Especially one with low recoil like a .223. My sks will do that shooting offhand. It will also do about that bagged, that's just as good as it will do
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My 25 would do inch'ish right out of the box, it just got a lot easier to do when I worked the trigger. That's bipod and prone and when I shot a lot more than I have the last couple years.

Want to borrow a vice? I have a cheapy I usually use when I'm zero'ing a scope and want to take as much me out of the shot as possible. Throw it on one of the concrete benches at the range and its as solid as I can make it short of buying a lead sled.
 
Originally Posted By: Three 44sScope would my first concern but you have good brand ......

Stock would my next issue ........ bipods and Tuppeware stocks don't mix.

Best bet would be to lose that stock, next would be to stiffen and float it.

I use a bulls X type shooting rest so the pressure is shifted rearward on those flexible stocks on my Savages.

Between floating the barrels and that X bag, I get pretty fair performance but just moving to a Carlson "Duramax" stock would be a huge improvement over the factory tuppeware version.

Three 44s

I bipod all my rifles and most have plastic stocks. I've never seen an issue. I guess it might if I was going for competition groups but never seen anything but an improvement. I'm a hunter though, inch'ish makes me happy with most of my rifles.
 
Didn't you already swap scopes and shoot it off a front rest? I'll bring the torque wench out next time and we'll give that a go. You have to do all the shooting in case that stuff is contagious I don't want my rifles catching it.
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See ya then
 
Originally Posted By: lhitchcoxOriginally Posted By: Rem700WYNDIndy I was shooting off of a bipod with a rear bag for support. I did take 2 coils off the trigger spring and got the trigger pull to just under 3 pounds. The groups are averaging around 2-2.5 inches


I would almost bet that the stock is flexing with the bi-pod causing inconsistent pressure on the barrel. If you want to keep it this way, either stiffen the forearm or trim away enough material from the stock that the forearm doesn't touch. To find out if that is the problem, shoot the rifle with a front rest situated under the magazine. If groups tighten up, then you will know what is what.

Have you actually had this happen with an Axis? Or are you just speculating?

I've shot over 600 rounds with my Axis off of a bipod and never had such an issue.

Grouse
 
I have an Axis is .223 and it prefers the 50-55 grain ammo. I tried some 62 grain but the groups opened up...a lot. I can shoot under 3/4" at 100yds all day with cheap American eagle 50grain varmint tipped ammo. I did change out the trigger last year, much better. And yesterday I rec'd a Boyd's laminate stock to complete the set-up. I didn't care for the cheap original plastic camo stock.
 
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Speraz; which Boyd's stock did u get for it. The thumbhole stock is on my short list of must haves for my 223 Edge. Not because it doesn't shoot well.
Mine is close to benchrest accurate as is with 1 1/2 coiled off the trigger and a 30$ no brand 3-9×40 scope.

I feel bad for the op. I wish I had a good solution for him. But everything I would do has already been reccomended.
But. I think I have cleaned mine 3 times in over 500 rounds of shooting. . . All mine does is shoot. Real Good.
 
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