Help with savage axis 308 ss grouping

My axis 308 ss is paired with a Bushnell Banner 4-16x40mm Riflescope with CF500 SFP Reticle with weaver grand slam rings and weaver rail. I first sighted the rifle in at 25 yard stacking hole on top of each other then moved out to 100 yards and all hell broke loose. I would shot and make adjustments and shot would be way off from where I originally shot. And I did have a whole lot of movement from the shot making me get off target. I am using a Caldwell Steady Rest NXT for sighting in. Any help would be appreciated thanks. I'm useing Monarch FMJ .308 Winchester 145-Gr, Tula 308 Winchester Ammunition 165 Grain, Winchester Super-X 150 gr.

Ammo. Possibly loose scope mounting hardware. Loose action. Trigger. Shooter

You don't say how bad. Can you get it to hit on paper or group at all?

How old is the rifle? Is it even broken in yet? My Axis took several hundred rounds before it settled down. Have you fired it before or is this the first time? Is this your first centerfire rifle?

If it is new and you are an experienced shooter, then one of the first things I would do is remove the scope from the base and check all the screws to make sure they are tight and nothing moves. Then I would get some premium ammo to try in it. For the .308 Savage uses 168gn Federal Gold Medal Match. Yes it is expensive but it is what Savage uses to check a rifle's accuracy.

If this is a used rifle then there are a number of things that could be the problem.

If this is your first centerfire rifle then you might be the problem. How you hold the rifle and your trigger pull will affect the rifle a lot.

This is not my first center fire nor bolt gun I had a savage 110 270 that was a tack driver, gun is new I put 90 rounds threw it yesterday, was using fmj to break the barrel in. I'm pulling butt tight into my shoulder and holding forearm pulling back and down to keep gun in rest and it does jump off target after shot. Its like the gun has enormous amount of recoil, and yes I am on paper I make a shot and make adjustments and the next shot is way off

interesting about the recoil. any pressure signs on the brass?

Change out the scope.

I didnt not notice any everything looked like it should, and it was very interesting about the recoil iv never shot a rifle that that moved as much as this one does, it didnt make much sence as to why it moves as much as it does I feel like the gun is on the light side. I have watched videos on YouTube of other axis rifles and they act nothing like mine my son even noticed that my rifle was more violent in movement of the push back into my shoulder and the movement of the front end coming up off the rest and moving off the target after the shot was fired. I did land a few shots where I placed them but not sure if it is me or the rifle that's causing the problem. I'm not an expert shooter by no means just an average hunter that mostly hunts with a slug gun.

It does sound like a scope or scope mount issue. I'd remove the scope and make sure all screws are tight first. If you have another scope then try it.

Try shooting a group without making any scope adjustments. Just shoot 3 or 5 rounds and see how close they are to each other. If it will group ok but won't adjust to zero, then that tells me the scope is the issue. If you can't get a decent group then it could still be the scope, but, might also be something else. The Axis used to be known for a very flexible fore arm that would touch the barrel if too much pressure was applied to it. Since it is a light rifle it will recoil a bit more than a similar wood stock rifle.

Since you can shoot a rifle ok then you are probably not the issue, but, it would not hurt to make sure you aren't flinching :)

Make sure you position the front rest closer to the front action screw. Axis plastic stocks are pretty light and that will contribute to more recoil. My Axis is 243 and will still jump a bit on the front rest. Like "Charlie b" said, shoot a three shot group before making any adjustments. The light "spaghetti" barrels on the Axis heat up real fast so let the barrel cool a minute or so before the next shot.

I had accuracy issues with my 243 Axis and it turned out to be a bad Weaver scope. I ended up replacing my mount(s) with a Weaver base, Weaver windage adjustable rings and replaced the Weaver scope with a 3X12X40 Simmons I had and groups are now looking good out to 200 yards.

I’d get somebody i know who is a good shooter to shoot the gun.

Based on the OPs experience with a .270 I think he should be able to handle this.

I'd say it's the $45 scope.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by charlie b

Based on the OPs experience with a .270 I think he should be able to handle this.

---

I would agree, the key word being should.
But then my mind doesn’t always work like most, so I’d try a different shooter first, even if it were me with my gun.
Then one thing at least might be ruled out before moving on.
Hey even Sandy Koufax had bad days.

Just had same issue with my new 110-T 6.5 could not keep a group,took rifle apart and re installed scope mount to 20 inch lbs,then action to stock 40 inch lbs,then reinstalled scope 18 inch lbs now shooting 1/2 to 1/4 groups at 100 yards from front and rear bag from bench, with 140gr Federal,Hornady,Remington.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thunder9

Just had same issue with my new 110-T 6.5 could not keep a group,took rifle apart and re installed scope mount to 20 inch lbs,then action to stock 40 inch lbs,then reinstalled scope 18 inch lbs now shooting 1/2 to 1/4 groups at 100 yards from front and rear bag from bench, with 140gr Federal,Hornady,Remington.

---

Not doubting your results mind you, but in the olden days when we bought new guns the first thing we did was remove the bolt and scrub the barrel. Then take it out of the stock and clean all that area. Then install the scope base and scope we bought and bore site it.
All with the set of special ground gun smith screwdrivers we proudly owned.
Today of coarse everything can be included in one package, usually very inexpensive, and all we need is a Fat Boy, as in torque wrench, not Harley, to check things out.
Some scopes can still be tightened down the old way, and some require a very light touch, best done with a Fat Boy.
Except on the big kickers, best then to spend more on the scope, and just use the old screwdriver.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yobuck

Not doubting your results mind you, but in the olden days when we bought new guns the first thing we did was remove the bolt and scrub the barrel. Then take it out of the stock and clean all that area. Then install the scope base and scope we bought and bore site it.
All with the set of special ground gun smith screwdrivers we proudly owned.
Today of coarse everything can be included in one package, usually very inexpensive, and all we need is a Fat Boy, as in torque wrench, not Harley, to check things out.
Some scopes can still be tightened down the old way, and some require a very light touch, best done with a Fat Boy.
Except on the big kickers, best then to spend more on the scope, and just use the old screwdriver.

---

I still do this with a new rifle. When I bough an Axis a couple of years ago I it didn't come with bases as a matter of fact one of the holes was coarse thread so I sent it back but not before I took the stock off and wiped all the oil off. The action was not sitting straight in it and the barrel was touching on one side and had a gap on the other.
They sent it back a few weeks later (after a few phone calls) and they had put some Weaver style bases on it that looked like someone cast them in their basement. I took those off and put some Talley LW one piece rings on it.
I also used a Wheeler torque wrench on everything. It shot right at MOA but I didn't like the trigger so I put a Rifle Basix in it. It is a 243 and I put a Zeiss Terra 3x9 on it and had LRI skip flute the bolt to lighten it up further. I have a guy coming up from Tucson today to borrow it for his daughters deer hunt.
The one thing I'm not crazy about is if you palm the action under the magazine and work the bolt the lugs drag on the lips, so I try not to do that.

If you’ve checked all the action, base and ring screws for recommended tightness and the barrel is floated, then the scope is most likely the problem. Try a scope that you already know will track and hold zero. Over the years I’ve waisted a whole lot of ammo trying to make entry level scopes hold zero.

scope or mounts

Ok I figured out my problem, the gun was to light so I had muzzle hop/rise a friend of mine helped me figure it out. I filled the butt stock in with silicone and birdshot and put birdshot and epoxy in the forend and now the gun shoots a whole lot better. Sighted in the rifle last weekend getting sub moa at 200 yards I didnt spend a whole lot of time tweaking on it. But thanks for yalls input.

I love a happy ending! :tea::thumb: