I pulled apart my newest Axis today and was astonished by how few steel balls I found in the threads. There are some under the front of the barrel nut, but the shank and receiver threads were relatively clean. I acquired it in Fall 2015 and wish I could tell what year this rifle was made, but the Savage site says it can't find the serial number.

Speaking of serial numbers, this one is raised as opposed to being etched. Curiouser and curiouser.