Greetings all - I'm a new AXIS II owner and new to the forum. I've lurked for about the last month or 2 as I've worked through some pretty disappointing performance with my new .308 win. I purchased the rifle based on price, reviews of the rifle, and my own experience with Savage firearms. I grew up in the original home of Savage, and there were always used firearms in great supply. Having owned a couple of Savage shotguns and a model 111 in .243 I bought in 1995, I didn't think I could go wrong buying the Axis II. I wanted a ready made-bolt action field/truck gun that would allow me to shoot factory ammo and give me 1.5" at 100 yard kind of accuracy out of the box. I figured I had it until I took it to the range..... The 4-6" groups I was getting were extremely disappointing. Like wrap this new rifle around a tree disappointing.

But, I started reading the threads created by others who had similar results. The troubleshooting tips and cogent advice provided by everyone encouraged me to keep at it and work through the problem. 4 additional range sessions and 12 experimental reloads later, I found a shooter. 168 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips gave me .70" groups, and the 168gr Gold Dot Bonded bullet got me an MOA. I'm ready for the Kansas Firearms Season now. I didn't want a new reloading project, but I found the load(s) this finicky rifle likes.

Just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their experiences, fixes, and sage advice. I'm happy to part of an online community made up of knowledgeable shooters that are happy to assist.

- LGJ