The New Savage Axis 2: Tested and Reviewed

Settling in behind the scope at a humid Massachusetts range, I mentally berated myself to buckle down and print the best group possible out of the little rifle I had just assembled. With just three rounds left in my box of 20, the first two landed touching, while the third skirted a tad to the left, clocking 0.58” center-to-center.

Slated for Fall 2024 release, the Savage Axis 2 Pro was by far the easiest centerfire rifle I’ve ever personally put together. Sharing the signature external barrel nut that Savage has long used on the 110 rifle and its many iterations, the Axis differs mainly in that one action size covers every chambering offered and the trigger/safety unit is a sub-assembly in and of itself.

Simple design concepts that streamlined production resulted in a rifle nearly 60% faster to manufacture than the classic 110 while sharing its reputation for nearly unfailing accuracy. Considering the two platforms share the exact same barrels and floating bolt faces, it’s no wonder that Axis rifles just shoot.

From Steel to Savage

Coming into the building as raw steel, the action and barrel are drilled, reamed, cut, and finished on site at Savage’s long-time factory and headquarters in Westfield, Massachusetts. While nowadays that might be considered by many to be behind enemy lines, they are one of the few remaining companies still nestled into America’s great Gun Valley along the Connecticut River.

With roots going back to George Washington and the establishment of the original Springfield Armory, gunmaking in the valley is as old as our nation itself. In and around the Connecticut River are more than a handful of cities that should be familiar to gun folk, from New Haven and Hartford to Hamden, Southport and Monson.

Still in the same facility they’ve occupied since 1960, Savage Arms has weathered the ups and downs of the firearm industry while modernizing production in place. Unlike other companies who leverage tax incentives and relocation packages to allow them to build brand-new facilities in other areas of the country, Savage’s legacy factory underwent a major manufacturing revamp starting in 2015 that continues today.

From the basics like material flow and station layout to the continual investment in modern robotic stations and cutting-edge CNCs, walking the floor of the factory will find gleaming new computerized machines set right next to stalwart WWII-era behemoths. The corners and flats of action broaching stations are worn to deep depressions from continual tool changes, the result of generation after generation of workers sliding the broaches themselves across the machines’ solid-steel frameworks.

Batch Builds for Accuracy

While many may think such a factory would be focused on mass-production, it’s quite the opposite. Products are made in small batches, most consisting of 20 guns or less. From centerfire bolt-actions and straight pulls to semi-auto pistols and the Renegauge shotgun, it seems to be that half the rolling gun racks on the floor play host to more than one make or model. A trio of heavy-barreled varmint rifles with microscopic bores sit next to dark bolt guns with short, deeply-fluted barrels and gaping muzzles built to sling 450 Bushmaster. Beyond them are camo-clad Axis 2s, spooling up production so they can land on dealer shelves for launch day.

First introduced in 2010, the Axis line filled the void as a more affordable alternative to the 110, itself once a go-to rifle for the cost-conscious consumer (of which my father was one). Our family deer rifle when I was coming up was a simple synthetic-stocked 110 equipped with a 3-9x scope from the factory. It must have been quite the splurge for him, considering its $330 price tag at the time would have been significant given our family’s budget.

In 2014, the Accu-Trigger was added to the Axis line, delivering a user-adjustable pull weight along with a mechanical trigger safety that added another level of security if a loaded gun were jarred or dropped. With an available range of 2 ½ to 6 lbs., no doubt many opt to turn it all the way down which is accomplished with an included tool.

The most recent revamp delivers a fresh stock design with a vertical pistol grip and thumb rests borrowed from competition rifles. A larger trigger guard accommodates even heavily gloved fingers, while a reinforced forend provides greater stability and rigidity, a welcome addition for those who run a bipod. Also in the mix is a redesigned bolt handle shaped to accommodate the many scopes on the market with large ocular bells.

Options Galore

The base model Axis 2 can be had in three colors of stock, right-handed or left-handed, and in standard length of pull or compact. You can mix and match those options to your heart’s content! With nearly a dozen chamberings from .223 Remington and .22-250 to 350 Legend and .270 Winchester, there’s an Axis to fit the bill for most any hunter. And that bill won’t be too dear, with a base MSRP of $489.

Much like the package rifle my father bought so many years ago, the Axis 2 can be had with a factory-installed, bore-sighted 3-9x40 scope in the XP variations. With all the same options as far as color, length, and chamberings as the standard model and at an MSRP of $549, that’s not too shabby. For those who like the solid feeling of walnut, a wood-stocked version can be had, though it brings a bit more coin.

For me, the heavy sporter barrel and threaded muzzle of the Pro model was the ticket. Clad in one of two different camouflage patterned stocks, all metalwork is ceramic-coated with ‘Gun Metal Bronze’ Cerakote, sealing it away from the elements. An extended one-piece Picatinny rail gives greater rigidity than standard bases as well as a little more forgiveness for optic mounting, while the chambering-appropriate threads (1/2x28, 5/8x24 or 11/16x24, depending on chambering and barrel) contour make mounting a suppressor or brake a no-brainer.

Straight out of the box, I’d threaded on one of Savage’s own aluminum hunting suppressors and set to getting the 3.5-10x40 Leupold VX-3HD sighted in, noting a crisp if heavy trigger weight. Putting it to a pull gauge returned 4 lbs. 10 oz. (probably one of the heavier pulls I’ve shot in recent memory), though, I was the one who put it together and hence wholly to blame. Luckily, that pull weight is adjustable, though the tool with which to adjust it hadn’t accompanied me to the range.

Overall Impressions

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t struggling with the somewhat heavy trigger, but after getting the scope dialed in and playing around a bit, I’d used my final set of shells to print a group just a bit over ½ inch. I couldn’t wait to see what the little rifle might do with some bigger glass and a trigger adjustment.

After a bit of gun work at my home range in Wyoming, the little Axis’s trigger broke a full two pounds lighter while a chunky 21-power piece of glass perched on top. Try as I might, I couldn’t get it to best that group back in Massachusetts. The rifle had its favorites, with several factory loads returning regular ¾-1-inch groups even given the slight morning swirl as the sun heated the hills. The missing factor very well could have been the lack of suppressor, surely a tick on the side of those who believe a well-built can improve group sizes (a camp I’ve got one foot firmly in).

As the Axis 2 hits dealer shelves, it seems to me a worthy successor to an already successful line. Delivering ample accuracy while hitting a price point to meet most budgets, it goes to show that American manufacturing is still alive and strong in the Gun Valley and that a family without much excess cash can still afford a quality hunting rifle.

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