.204 Ruger Axis Range Report

**Rosco** · 05-25-2015, 09:13 PM

This post is in reference to this build thread

http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...Critter-Getter

Memorial Day was good!! Finally had a chance to make it out to the range to let loose on a few rounds. Didn't have a lot of time to shoot, but was able to get some groups in a 100 and 200 yds.
Now I had not shot this gun since the muzzle break was installed and was curious to see if it had any effect on accuracy.

Conditions:

72 degrees
Overcast and rained most the time
90% Humidity
Winds 0-5 mph with 15 mph gusts.

Ammo- Hornady 40gr V-Max

100yds

Shot 4 groups

They were suppose to be four 3 shot groups but you can see in the first picture it has 4. The one of the bottom right which I ended up factoring in was because I am still not use to the light pull of the Rifle Basix SAV-1. When I shoot my regular 7mm-08 Axis at 7lbs and then hop on this gun inevitably I pop one off.

3 shot group average- 0.65

**Rosco** · 05-25-2015, 09:21 PM

200 yds

6 3 Shot Group Average- 1.72''

On the second one you can see in the center group I pulled one way off the right, have no idea how that happened. That group ended up @ 2.45'' but the rest were all Sub-MOA with one group coming in @ 0.99 or <.5MOA.
The break didn't seem to effect accuracy either way. In any case, I am very happy so far with this rifle and look forward to getting out to 300+ here soon.

**sixonetonoffun** · 05-25-2015, 09:23 PM

Beautiful rifle. Needs a name now!

**Rosco** · 05-25-2015, 09:27 PM

Thanks and guess I need to come up with something...

**Rosco** · 06-02-2015, 09:15 PM

Got a chance to take the .204 out for round two, and decided to try some Fiocchi 40gr A-Max.

Shot 5 3 shot groups all at 100yds. The orange stickers were my site-in shots.

Group Avg was - .566

**fgw_in_fla** · 06-03-2015, 06:26 AM

Nice work.
Reading your thread on the actual build, it seems you're pretty thorough. Almost to the point of being OCD. You'll fit right in here.

But there is one question....
What the hell were doing on the Sally's Beauty Shop site?

Nice job.

**homefrontsniper** · 06-03-2015, 10:55 AM

Muzzle Break on .204???

**fgw_in_fla** · 06-03-2015, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by homefrontsniper

Muzzle Break on .204???

Why not?
I see guys at the range with muzzle breaks on Ruger 22LR rifles.

To each his own.

Except for the part about being on Sally's Beauty Shop website.

**Rosco** · 06-03-2015, 03:24 PM

When I bought the barrel it came already threaded at 1/2x28. So figured why not the Ross Schuler breaks are only $45.00, plus I had never installed and timed a break before and figured it was a good opportunity to learn.

As for Sally's lol...I discovered this trick on some forum a while back, Long Range Hunting I think. The guy had taken his wife's nail polisher and used it on his gun barrel to lightly polish out some scratches. He couldn't say enough good things about how well it worked. So I went on Amazon looking and abracadabra the first site, Sally's, had these so I picked a few up.

And now I have great nails too!! Lol...

**Texanjohn** · 06-03-2015, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by fgw_in_fla

Why not?

Except for the part about being on Sally's Beauty Shop website.

Come on Frank! Takes a real man to go to the range with pretty nails! JK

**fgw_in_fla** · 06-03-2015, 07:56 PM

I was wondering how their selection of hair care products was looking.
I like to keep mine looking good before it starts falling out.

Hair, not nails....

**Rosco** · 06-03-2015, 09:51 PM

Frank needs to get his hair done before the range!!

**fgw_in_fla** · 06-03-2015, 10:23 PM

Up until about 3-4 weeks ago my hair was about that long.
Then summer starting drifting in and I had enough.

Suddenly I realized why older women wear their hair short.
It's a pain in the wazooli to take care of.

**Rosco** · 06-03-2015, 10:44 PM

I can imagine. Never let my mullet grow out that long, I keep it high and tight now.

**bythebook** · 06-04-2015, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Rosco

When I bought the barrel it came already threaded at 1/2x28. So figured why not the Ross Schuler breaks are only $45.00, plus I had never installed and timed a break before and figured it was a good opportunity to learn. ...

I did the same thing Rosco. I bought a barrel that was threaded and ordered a Schuler break and installed it and timed it myself. It wasn't too much work. I haven't done much shooting with it yet as I have had some health problems.

**Rosco** · 06-04-2015, 10:20 PM

Your right, once you have it figured out it doesn't take much time at all. The shims worked well, but I wish that I had a small lathe so I could have taken a little off the break, and was able to smoother transition to the barrel.

**bythebook** · 06-05-2015, 10:14 AM

Rosco when I ordered my brake from Ross I miked the end of my barrel at the start of the threads and sent it to him and it is smooth.

**Rosco** · 06-05-2015, 11:09 AM

if I didn't have so much into the gun already I would have sent the barrel to Ross and have him do that as well. basically I was trying to save a few dollars and some time.

**bythebook** · 06-05-2015, 07:49 PM

I sent him the measurements not the barrel.

**Rosco** · 06-05-2015, 09:27 PM

OK I misunderstood, but yes I sent them barrel measurements as well and when the brake came and initially put it on it looked great, but was not timed correctly. Ross told me to use some 150-180 grit sandpaper to take some off the break, but I wasn't making any progress. So that's when I got the shims. If I had benchsander or something along those lines things would have been much cleaner.

**bythebook** · 06-06-2015, 05:26 AM

Mine was about 1/4 turn behind top dead center so I used some 220 grit emory paper and it did not take long. Now I have to decide if I should paint the brake or leave it alone. It is on a blued barrel. I have a bench sander but I used the paper on a flat steel plate and took a little at a time.

**Rosco** · 06-11-2015, 09:58 PM

A few more groups @ 100yds

.22 MOA

.46 MOA

**Lorenzo** · 06-18-2015, 04:39 AM

Sweet gun. I'm thinking about doing some kind of axis build, theyre just so cheap and so many people get great results. What would you say the stock trigger pulled at and how did it feel compared to the new one? what rifle was your new barrel from?

**Rosco** · 06-18-2015, 01:52 PM

Wish I had a Lyman Trigger pull gauge so I could tell you exactly, but if I had to guess it would be around 6-7lbs. The Rifle Basix SAV-1 comes in at around 2-2.5lbs and the difference is night and day. After I had installed the new trigger and adjusted the overtravel screw, trigger control and recoil recovery was so much easier. In fact, I was so used to shooting with the factory Axis trigger that even now I almost always let off a shot ot two at the range before I am ready because the pull is so much lighter.

The barrel was taken of a Savage 12, and it came threaded in 1/2x28 with a 1:9 twist which is faster than the standard factory barrels with about 150 rounds down the tube. Pretty sure he had it done by the Savage Shop since I couldn't find any that you could purchase off the shelf that had a 1:9 twist rate.

You will find a wide range of opinions on the Axis, and interestingly a thread going right now in that forum called "Savage Axis Suck". They do fine by me, and I have 4. Guess it all depends on what type of overall experience and intended use you are looking for.

**Lorenzo** · 06-18-2015, 09:18 PM

Sweet gun. I'm thinking about doing some kind of axis build, theyre just so cheap and so many people get great results. What would you say the stock trigger pulled at and how did it feel compared to the new one? what rifle was your new barrel from?
if I do get one I would have to change the barrel and stock right away and probably the trigger aswell. which really wouldn't be too costly. where did you find people who wanted the old barrel and stock?