Savage Axis/Ruger American.

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
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colfax, wa
Does anyone have any experience with either of these guns? Im thinking about getting 1 of these for my niece to start hunting with (she just turned 12 and I got her an antelope point!). Both look like a pretty good gun for the money but Im having trouble getting past the cheap feeling plastic stock. I would also be interested in other guns in this price range but Im pretty set on getting her a .243 Win. Thanks!
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
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Dolores, Colorado
I think your caliber choice is good as this is what I bought for my son for his first big game caliber. I do like Ruger, but have not personally shot this model. Have you looked around for something used?
 

sdebrot

Member
Jan 9, 2012
89
0
west michigan
I have the Ruger All American in the .270. Overall it is an accurate rifle and very light. However, the magazine is giving me trouble wanting to feed ammo reliably. Contacted Ruger and they want the rifle back to look at it. Customer service has always been great with Ruger. I still believe the Ruger is a better choice of the two you mentioned.
 

eodmickelson

New Member
Dec 28, 2014
35
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Cheyenne Wyoming
I have a Ruger American 30-06 and I think it's a great rifle for the price. Very accurate and very reliable. I have no experience with the other rifle, but I love my Ruger.
 

Eberle

Veteran member
Oct 2, 2012
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Sasakwa, Oklahoma
I bought a axis in a 7mm-08 for my Son's 8th birthday. It was a little big, so I went back and bought an H&R in a 300 blackout. The axis trigger is really hard, almost 6 lbs. But you can get on youtube and watch a short video on how to cut the spring down to lighten it. I did this and now it is a little over 3 lbs. It is accurate and shoots good but I think I'd try the ruger american in the compact model if I had it to do over again. You can get one on budsgunshop.com for $342. Good luck!
 

go_deep

Veteran member
Nov 30, 2014
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Wyoming
In are group of family for the up and coming youth we've bought them h&r single shot rifles. There unbelievable accurate, very cheap but still good quality, generally lighter than a standers rifle but still don't kick, and give the kid the understanding that I have to make the first shot count count because there isn't a second. In most cases kids are not going to take multiple shots anyway. If you go with the savage go with the accu-trigger I do know a hand full of people that have it and really like it.
 

Musket Man

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Jul 20, 2011
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colfax, wa
Thanks for the input guys! I hadnt thought about a single shot. I was looking at the Ruger at a local store for $340. I havent got a very good look at the Savage yet. I tried to look at 1 at Walmart 1 day but its hard to check a gun out with some idiot breathing down your neck that looked like he had never seen a gun before. I dont think the accu-trigger is an option on the Axis. I am going to hit some gun shows in the next few months and see what I can find before I buy a new one.
 

Plainsman

Member
Apr 17, 2013
53
1
SW WY
There are 2 different models of the axis, the original axis and the axis 2. The only difference between them is the accutrigger and a 3-9X40 weaver scope with a BDC reticle on the axis 2. The original axis has bushnell 3-9X40 with a pled reticle. Not a great deal breaker, but some nice features in a fantastic little rifle for not a lot of money. This year was my son's first deer hunt and I bought him the original axis in .243. The trigger on his breaks at 4.5 lbs.,which I'm ok with. I want him to understand the concept of controlling breathing and squeezing the trigger. At 10 yrs. old though, the stock is a little long. The quick fix for us was to use extended bases and set the scope back a bit. Now he'll be able to grow into it and use it until he's old enough for something a little nicer.

Between the axis and american, it's really a toss up. I've spent time around both (more with the axis though) and they both shoot exceptionally well for the money. With decent factory ammo 1-1.5 inch groups are fairly normal, and hand loads can make these "cheapies" really shine! Good luck with your decision, I think you'll be happy either way.

Cheers,
Plainsman
 
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Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
There are 2 different models of the axis, the original axis and the axis 2. The only difference between them is the accutrigger and a 3-9X40 weaver scope with a BDC reticle on the axis 2. The original axis has bushnell 3-9X40 with a pled reticle. Not a great deal breaker, but some nice features in a fantastic little rifle for not a lot of money. This year was my son's first deer hunt and I bought him the original axis in .243. The trigger on his breaks at 4.5 lbs.,which I'm ok with. I want him to understand the concept of controlling breathing and squeezing the trigger. At 10 yrs. old though, the stock is a little long. The quick fix for us was to use extended bases and set the scope back a bit. Now he'll be able to grow into it and use it until he's old enough for something a little nicer.

Between the axis and american, it's really a toss up. I've spent time around both (more with the axis though) and they both shoot exceptionally well for the money. With decent factory ammo 1-1.5 inch groups are fairly normal, and hand loads can make these "cheapies" really shine! Good luck with your decision, I think you'll be happy either way.

Cheers,
Plainsman
The AXIS does not have to be purchased with scopes - FYI
 

Tim McCoy

Veteran member
Dec 15, 2014
1,855
4
Oregon
Helped my brother make a similar choice for his son. He got the Ruger American in .308. We hunt Elk often and he wants to try Moose if he is lucky in the draws, so we went with the .308. Reduced recoil ammo is available in factory form, it works well within it's range limits for deer sized game. Only thing it does not have is an adjustable LOP on the stock, was not a big deal to him. It shoots very good and I sort of liked the way it balanced and pointed. Recoil with full power 150 grain loads was not bad, possibly the plastic stock helped there? Not sure, but was pleased with the trigger and recoil when I shot it, as was the boy. If all we did was deer sized game, likely it would have been a .243. He had no issues thus far with about 100 rounds shot.
 

Murdy

Active Member
Dec 13, 2011
359
0
North-Central Illinois
Just to muddy the water a little . . .

Take a look at the Marlin X7 series (XL7 and XS7). I picked one up last summer in 30-06 as a backup gun. Shot great out of the box, the trigger is similar to the accutrigger, and its in the same price range (a little cheaper than the Ruger, I think). They come un-scoped. I have not shot, but have handled the 2 you are looking at. I would not buy the AXIS without the accutrigger (I have other Savages that have it and I like it alot).
 

Hilltop

Veteran member
Feb 25, 2014
3,796
2,161
Eastern Nebraska
I owned and sold the axis in .223. I adjusted the trigger but never got comfortable with the gun. I shopped extensively last year for a new gun for my wife. We liked the Ruger but ended up buying the new savage model 11 in 7mm-08. It comes with a cheaper Nikon but we ended up trading that. It has a nice trigger, feels great, very accurate, and fits my wife better than any other we found. The factory butt pad on these is awesome- very squishy. You feel almost no recoil. We found hers on sale for $299 at Scheels last year. I agree that .243 is the perfect starter round... We still own three of them in different makes and models.
 

dead river

Member
Mar 20, 2011
82
0
NC
I had the ruger as a "guest gun" for a little while. It shot a decent group with Hornaday supeformance but did not like a lot of ammo i put through it. Trigger was a little jerky.

Got my wife a TC Venture 7mm08 and she loves it. i want to get her a savage 116 tack driver and she wont have it :). Trigger is about the same as the ruger but it shoots anything you put in it at a minute of angle or less. Not bad for a 450.00 rifle...

Trigger on my savage 116 made me quit buying remington.

caliber wise---i am opposed to the .243. Model 700 in .243 was my first rifle. in big swamps of the east i lost several deer in my early years before i was about 13 and went to a .308 for a few years. i remember being absolutely defeated by loosing an animal that i made a good shot on and would find it a week later by watching buzzards. I have much younger sisters (18 yrs and 13 yrs younger) and i got them a 7mm08 because i heard the recoil was low. The youngest killed her first whitetail at 9 with it and never knew the difference. i am not sure there is a difference in the recoil of a 7mm08 and 243. i still own my 243 and my wife has shot it and her gun, thinking she would want to practice with the 243 but she cant tel the difference. I think people worry that because it is a 7mm bullet that the recoil is high but they are both based on the same 308 casing....these days you can get reduced recoil rounds and make recoil even lower.... have her practice on something 22 caliber, even if it rimfire, so she develops good form and habits. If you have plenty of room to watch an animal run, it is hard to beat the accuracy of a little .243.
 

Cobbhunts

Veteran member
Jan 22, 2014
1,060
1
Kentucky
Some great replies here. I'm currently searching for my daughter a rifle. I've looked at the Axis, Rem Model 7, the Browning youth model (micro I think) and the Ruger American. I actually went to a local Ruger dealer right before Christmas to check it out first hand. I personally didn't care for it. The American felt cheaper made to me than some of the bothers mentioned. I didn't care for the bolt movement and pretty much marked it off my list of options. I would be concerned with feeding problems. Price was really nice though, and I've read that they are accurate. I liked the Axis a lot better than the Ruger. My Uncle has the Rem Model Seven in .243 and it has always been one of my favorite rifles that he owns. And he owns a bunch of rifles. I'm leaning heavy towards the Model Seven, but its hard to find in SS Synthetic like his for some reason. And that's what I'd like to find. I'm looking for a .260 or 7mm-08.
 
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Tim McCoy

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Dec 15, 2014
1,855
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Oregon
Cobb, I have a SS Model 7 in 7mm-08. It shoots well and I love it. Had the trigger worked on and mounted an old Leupold 3x9 compact on it. Makes for a very nice looking package. They are out there, keep looking. You'll find one. I do hear some complain about accuracy, blamed on the whippy barrel I guess, but with my sample size of one, has not been an issue for my rifle. It shoots multiple loads into 1.25moa or better and holds it to well over 300 yards. They may have stopped making that particular configuration, but I bet you can find one used on-line.
 

dead river

Member
Mar 20, 2011
82
0
NC
ive owned a few model 7 rifles and liked them all. I kept taking kids deer hunting and those that killed their first deer ended up with their dads replacing them with the next. If i had not started using the savage 116 i would still own it. you can find them in SS on gunbroker. You just need a local FFL dealer to receive the shipped gun. most dealers charge about 25.00 to handle the transfer.
 

Eberle

Veteran member
Oct 2, 2012
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Sasakwa, Oklahoma
I agree with dead river on the .243, I perfer a 7mm-08 or a .308. There is not much difference in recoil & in my opinion (which is not worth much) they are alot better all around caliber.
 

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
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colfax, wa
My first gun was a Model 70 Winchester in 243. I killed alot of deer with that gun with open sights. It was my dads gun and I still have it. I know some of you have different opinions on the caliber but I really like it and a 243 she is going to get!

I just found a good deal on a 770 Remington. Does anyone have any thoughts on this gun? I have never been around one. I also found a Savage model 10 and 11 pretty reasonable. What is the difference between a 10 and 11?
 

Againstthewind

Very Active Member
Mar 25, 2014
973
2
Upton, WY
I actually don't like the 770. Mine is 7 mm mag. Maybe the .243 would be better. It was a very nice present I got, and thankfully my brother has some skills to fix a few things. He did a trigger job, floated the barrel, and had to do some tuning on the magazine to get it to work right. I don't know a lot about this stuff, sorry. I still have some problems with getting the bolt to open and close and feeding. It seems to only be a problem after a couple rounds, though. Hopefully I will get some oil worked into it and it will work better. It shoots fine, just those issues with the bolt and I couldn't really recommend it.
 

dead river

Member
Mar 20, 2011
82
0
NC
never meant to beat up the 243. Mine will be with me till i die and i hope to pass it on. as an older hunter i learned to lung shoot or neck shoot everything with it because the blood trail from that little bullet is often lacking. But it will put them down quick if placed in the right spot. when i was about 17 i went back to hunting with it and have killed a LOT of deer wit it. Where i grew up we have a lot of depredation permits and i managed a plantation for 6 yrs where i had 125 doe tags to fill every year. Most years, our guests did not shoot more than 30 so me and a few buddies that helped had to do a lot work on the does the last 2 weeks of the season......I was down to only that rifle during those years and it always did the trick. But I was more mature, not taking mediocre shots, and shot placement was not an issue. Some of the hot rounds of today may have improved the lack of blood trail. It loves remington bsp and that is all i have put through it for years. I will say this about the high velocity little bullet, it destroys any soft tissue near the bullet path, it just often leaves very little blood for a perfectly lethal heart shot or high on the body cavity shot.

That said, i have volunteered on youth hunts with nonprofits and you see some really bad shots from some of those kids. the 7mm08 seems to drop everything, right then and there, even gut shot. I cant explain it, but that slower moving 7mm08 drops game in a manner i relate to the deer i have shot with slugs or an old 30-30 i had. So, for me, i want a kid to shoot a round that has room for error and there are not many calibers with light recoil but have flexibility on shot placement (as mentioned above 7mm08 and .308 are options). Maybe