New to the site and new to Savages

Hey guys, as you see i'm new to the site and Savage rifles. I've shot a couple of buddy's Savages and liked them and a local sporting goods store has them on sale now so i picked up an Axis II in 6.5 Creedmore - which is a new caliber to me and i like what i had read about it. The sale included the gun, all back, synthetic with a decent Weaver 3-9x mounted and bore sighted all for $299 after the mail in rebate. They only had 3 different flavors of 6.5 in stock, all different hornady's and i went with the 143 grain precision hunter. Brought her home and started off at 45 paces to make sure i was on paper and fired 3 quick shots and the group was excellent but def needed some adjusting. I got it close and backed out to 100 yards and did some fine tuning and i can say i'm very happy with this gun and cartridge! I've always deer hunted and have always had the same Ruger M77 for about 25 years and it's served me well but i've never been real satisfied with how it grouped but since i rarely shoot over 150 it was fine but i must say i can't wait to get in a stand with the new Savage.

i'm thinking of doing some upgrades which customizing a rifle will be new to me as well but i've read a few post here and had a few questions. seems like Boyd is a popular stock and i'm curious which ones you guys have preferred? I also see some of you recommending a scope rail and i'd like to know what advantages this offers? i know i'll want to upgrade the glass on it and i've got my eye on a Leupold or Vortex. what else am i missing beside a new barrel which i'd like to do last if i do it at all. thanks for any input!

Hey, welcome. I'm new myself...just picked up my first-ever savage a few weeks ago, an Axis XP II in .223.

My original plan was to immediately dive into the upgrades. I'm a wood stock guy, so the plastic stock was my first target. But now that I've shot with it a few times, I'm thinking about waiting a bit. It's such a sweet shooter out of the box...

You're going to have some fun, that's for sure.

Welcome to the forum... Boyd's is a popular stock for the Savage guys as they are of pretty good quality (thus far) for not a big price tag. with that being said, I ordered one on October 12 (Coyote Laminate Pro Varmint) and it only shipped out today... So, be prepared for a lengthy wait.

Now, I see you are wanting to use your rifle for hunting primarily, so my recommendation would be to go with the "Prairie Hunter" or "Classic" model. I have the Prairie hunter myself and really like how it feels. It does add some weight to the gun as the stock is close to 3 lbs. I also would recommend getting some checkering put on it around the for end and the grip as they can become pretty slippery when they get wet.


Scope rails are a benefit because they allow one to adjust the scope more precisely.... Sometimes the standard base and rings just don't line up correctly for where "you" may need your scope to set in relation to your eye and L.O.P. another benefit is that it helps make the receiver/action a bit more ridged as it connects the front and back of the action around the port. Although with the Axis, probably not much of an improvement because of the enclosed port.


Lastly, check out Northland Shooter Supply for when you want to look at a new barrel. Quality options, great customer service, and an affordable drop in replacement... :-)

Good luck to you!!

Welcome aboard