Charlie B

[Mr.Snerdly]

Didn't you say your Axis shot better as more rounds were through it? My Axis seems to be getting better the more I shoot it. It may be that or it may be I am more used to it now. I am more used to the trigger now and may be doing a little better job than I was or maybe they all need a few hundred rounds to really get accurate. I used to not have good luck with the lighter bullets but since I give them more jump they are better and although the 69 grain Sierra is still teh best, the lighter ones are pretty decent.

[Dave Hoback]

This is very normal for almost every new firearm. Even on a hand lapped barrel, there is always remnants of machining “fuzz” that a couple hundred rounds nicely burnish. Not to mention, microscopic imperfections are massaged. And of course, being new to a weapon, one learns the rig better with every round. Good stuff partner!

[charlie b]

Yes. Subject is a Walmart special Axis II, 22" heavy barrel in .223. Now days it has a Boyd's Pro Varmint stock and Vortex Diamondback scope (4-16x42mm).

It kept getting better until it got about 600 rounds through it (or something like that). After that it settled down. I am only capable of about 0.5MOA but I think the rifle is better than that. It is over 4000rnds now and still shoots better than I can.

Accuracy is more dependent on copper level in the barrel. I shoot 100-150 rounds before I clean out the powder fouling. After about 600rnds accuracy will drop a little (3/4MOA). Then I clean the copper out of it as well. 10-20 rounds to get a good layer of copper again.

The other thing that is nice is it shoots nice small groups when it is cold or hot, as in way too hot to touch. I've had to let the barrel cool before I put it back in the case.

The loads it likes best are the 77gn SMK's with 23.5gn Varget at 2850fps. Lapua brass, never annealed, over 20 reloads. Just for fun I shot it at 1000yd one day. <18" group.

PS I was getting some 0.75MOA groups mixed in for quite a while. Then I refined my shooting technique a bit and got it down to a consistent 0.5MOA with small groups common. The Axis trigger, even at the lowest setting, takes a bit of concentration to break well.

[charlie b]

Just for complete info. My 12BVSS in .308 took quite a while to break in as well. I even used some bore paste to smooth out the rough spots so it would gather less copper. It shoots best when clean of visible copper.

[Mr.Snerdly]

Well, I obviously needed more time to get used to the Axis. It is the most accurate rifle I have now and it really was pretty good before.. It is more accurate than the Remington 783, the Model 12 heavy barrel 22-250 and the Model 10 243. I am simply pleased beyond all measure how well it is shoolting now. It was definitely me and not the gun. I figured I got lucky on a group or two but I have shot enough groups now to know it IS highly accurate. Even with the 55 grain bullets it is very accurate.