I have been mulling this for months now...... I have come to a decision so many times its comical, but still cant decide.....
Basically, I am buying a rife for deer hunting this year, but would also like to dabble in long range target shooting....
My must haves are:
.308 caliber
Detachable box mag
accurate out of the box
See, not such a long list huh?
So I was all set to get the edge/axis, when I started thinking. I am one of those people who believe a great trigger can make a good shooter into a great shooter, so the accutrigger definitely appeals to me.... I know I can get an aftermarket trigger for the edge for around $100 and turn it from a good gun into a great gun, so I decide on the axis, but that turns a nearly $300 gun into a nearly $400 gun, nearly halfing the gap between the axis and 11 fcns.... Plus the FCNS has the accustock in addition to the acutrigger, so I would not have to get a bedding kit and spend my time doing that.... So I decide on the 11 FCNS...
Then I come here and read about sub-MOA shooters out of the box and.... well....
I just cant decide!
Any help?
I modified my own trigger on my Edge for about $0.42. It helped a lot with the pull, but it didn't shrink my groups up much. I'm still hovering at just under .5 MOA.
If you want to hunt and dabble with long range, get the Edge/Axis.
If you want to shoot long range and dabble in hunting, get the 11 FCNS.
Or just by both ;D
I own both plus a WW model 16 in 3 different calibers, and they all shoot great. Very good advice from Herman. For hunting I like the light weight of the A/E. It shoots very good groups, but I opted for the Rifle Basix trigger and haven't been sorry for the addition. Some days I shoot better with the model 11 or 16, but some days the A/E shoots better for me. Buy any of them and you won't be sorry, but I really like the A/E for hunting, and I like the Rifle Basix trigger better than the accutriggers in the other two.
Nevermind. Im an idiot... sorry... lol. found you a 11 FCNS .308 NIB for $400 but auction was closed.
Well thanks guys. Ill admit I wrote this post with my mind already made up to get th 11 fcns... but after reading your replies, I think I am back to the axis, LOL.....
I guess it comes down to I get get the axis and a nice scope for less than just the model 11.... I will just have to see what I can do about the trigger, and maybe down the road get the rifle basix one if I cant get it to my liking...
Thanks!!
I know if it was me, I would run away from the Axis.
It is like compairing a Zippo to a Bic lighter. (or a Parker pen to a Bic pen.) One is well built, last a lifetime, and other is designed to be thrown away when your done using it.
You may be right, but I've already put over 2,000 rds. through my Edge 223, which is more than many people will put through a hunting rifle in a lifetime. It gets better all the time. Since I have the 11 and a 16, I can't deny they are better made rifles than the A/E, but at least for me they don't shoot any better. All are consistently sub .5 moa rifles, but I've shot a good number of groups in the teens with the Edge just like I have with the others.
What didn't you like about he Edge/Axis you shot?Originally Posted by 82boy
It is cheaply built. The trigger is the biggest concern I have, with its design there is no way to place the gun in time, or keep it in time, because it floats.What didn't you like about he Edge/Axis you shot?
I am also not fond of the harsh bolt lift. I am also concerned about the way the recoil lug is done, IMO it just doesn't have enough contact with the action. My last complaint is the stock, it is just cheap feeling and looking.
I would say that the Axis is a gun for someone that wants something that they can use, they don't give a care about ,and will throw away when they are done, like a Bic lighter. (The term for this use to be called a "Saturday Night Special.") Yes it works and provides a function, but it is in no way a comparable gun to anything else Savage makes.
Sounds to me like the Edge/Axis is a better gun. The whole purpose of all the items you listed, and just about everything people do to their guns is to get better accuracy. If the Edge/Axis can get just as good accuracy as other out of the box guns without all the bells and whistles and a lower cost, then it's a better gun.
I also find it hard to believe that Savage made the Edge/Axis with the intent of is being a disposable gun.
Also, the original wasn't to compare the two to each other, it was to ask which one would be better for it's intended purpose. You can have the best long range gun in the world and it would be the worst gun for dove hunting comparing in to any shotgun.
The only thing the Edge/Axis can't seem to do is impress the gun snobs. Reviews owners and it's current track record are all excellent. Naysayers can throw their opinions around all they want, but the Edge/Axis it worthy of any gun safe.
in a million years the edge is no way near the quality of the 11fcns! that anyone would even say with a straight face get the axis amazes me. look at both guns in person if you cannot see feel the diff well then you might be a redneck!
accutrigger vs a horrible trigger
accustock vs Tupperware with sub par lug/bedding
magazines- fcns metal mechanism, edge has a plastic release piece that there is no way will last as long as the metal.
list just goes on
savage edge was made as a verry cheap entry level gun that would still shoot well, they cut many corners to get the price point down.
Surely would be interesting to have the figures on how many A/E's have been sold during the past year compared to 11 fcns. Must be lots of rednecks. 8)
they sale more simply by price point, not hard to figure out. Remington sales a ton of 770 also and they are pure junk. double you gotta be smarter than that come on. can you say that the edge is a better gun than the 11fcns? lets get real here the edge is not even in the class of the 11 not even close. maybe you haven't seen both models cause if you have you wouldn't be talk en like that!
ps i are a redneck so i can make those statements
I know around here the Axis runs $273/ Stevens M200s $315 and Savage M10/110 with accutriggers/scope/sling for $397 at wallys world and for the $124 difference I would go with the Savage packaged deal guns & you would be ahead by a mile.
Keep in mind the intended purpose the gun will be used stated earlier in this post. Lets take cars for example, Bentley vs. Honda. No way is a Honda a better car when compared side by side, but look which one fits better into what the general public needs. For the average person, the Honda is better for them. It fits the purpose of an every day commuter better. Therefore it is a better choice for the intended purpose.
So....If someone wants to hunt and dabble with long range, the Edge/Axis is better suited for that purpose. If you want to shoot long range and dabble in hunting, the 11 FCNS is better suited for that purpose.
When taking the original question in this post the accutrigger, accustock with good bedding, etc. are just bells and whistles which in the end won't make that much improvement for the intended purpose.
Well, thanks for all the advice guys, I got my gun. I ended up gettin an edge (guess it must have been old stock) .
I got one of the packages. Edge in .308, Camo stock with scope, plus 80 rounds of ammo for under $450 sounds pretty good to me!
The 11fcns with no scope or ammo would have been $100 more so the choice for me came down not to price, but value. After reading lots and lots of reviews and threads on it, It came down to this, I could spend $600-$700 (with scope) get the 11fcns with its fancy trigger and stock and shoot sub moa groups, or I could spend $450 on the edge, scope, and 80 rounds of .308 ammo (with reloadable brass cases) and get the same sub MOA groups..... At this time in my life, I just dont see spending $300+ to shrink my groups from .5-1" down to .5-.75", ya know?
I really do like the accutrugger, but unless you shoot the guns back to back, you arent going to notice the difference. Ive used "horrible" triggers, and one on the edge/axis is FAR from being horrible. Other than being heavier than a custom trigger (duh) Its actualy pretty good IMO for a stock trigger. I dont know if I just got lucky, but mine has no take up and breaks like glass, WAY better than many triggers I have used in the past....
Bingo!
If you reload you can .75-.5 groups fairly easy with the Edge.
Congrats on getting a great gun. You'll like it. Let us know how it shoots when you take it out.
Congratulations!
To res187. I never said the A/E was a better rifle than the 11 or 16 which I own. I did say that it shoots just as good groups most days and some days better than either the 11 or 16. I do have the Rifle Basix trigger and maybe I got lucky accuracy wise with this "cheap rifle" in 223. It also shoots everything from 50's to 75's very well.
I like mine, especially as a truck gun which is what I bought it for. It has done everything I hoped it might do. That's my bottom line.
I had been researching a value .308 for awhile now and this thread helped me decide on an AXIS .308, picked it up this morning. I will use it primarily as a deer gun and will 'dabble' with long range poking holes in paper. Great forum, great discussions. I will not be doing any upgrades with the exception of the trigger job I also learned about in this forum so the AXIS seemed like the best bang for the buck for me. Thanks to everyone for sharing their insight this topic.
With the accuracy and affordability of the Axis/Edge, I can see it being a stepping stone into long range shooting for many people. Once I saw how well I could shoot at 200 yards, I now want to push it further and would love to build a custom long range gun if I had the time and money.
For me the choice is easy. I am a lefty and the Axis and Stevens do not come left handed, so I am stuck with the higher priced Savage 11. I called Savage shortly after the Stevens hit the market and asked if a left hand model would be released. Answer: no.
I am a big fan of the Academy Stevens for under $200. Add a 3-screw trigger from Northland and you have a bargain tack driver.
A while back I was asking myself the same thing=Axis,Stevens or Savage?
I was looking for a lite/cheap truck gun that could be used for deer/goats so the choice was easy=25-06 Axis. Workt the trigger a little to get it not god awfull, throw it in the truck with a little load work it was easily Minute Of Deer to 400 yards.
If I liked the accutrigger(wich I dont) the Savage would be a good choice.
If I could use the 223 for deer I would have gotten a Stevens just in case I wanted to improve it to match my needs a little better.
Sometimes cheap works and other times you will end up spending more being cheap. If you need a great trigger the $100 you spend on a replacement trigger for the Axis might be better spent on a better factory gun??
the accustock and accutrigger the recoil lug the metal mag release all add up to an easy decision the 11 is by far the better choice. is there better triggers and better bedded stocks yes but for the money the savage accutrigger and accustock represent a great deal!
if you live anywhere it get cold tell me how long you think an axis/edge magazine release is going to last? that plastic is not gonna last long as it flrxes and bends in cold weather. can you say design flaw?
Well, I shot it, and I have to say, I think the gun can shoot better than me so far.... I coat wadded up on top of a bag makes a poor shooting rest, apparently.... ::)
First 3 shots.... first shot missed the paper (at 100 yards) because the shot surprised me...I had the safety on and tried to pull the trigger, when it got to the point i was thinking "wait, the trigger isnt THAT heavy" I remembered the safety, took it off, looked back through the scope, got on target and started pulling the trigger again, but since I had just been pulling really hard, it went off WAY before I was ready.... ;D Two and three were about 4 inches apart. I cleaned the gun then, and again after each 4 rounds. Not a 100% cleaning, but about 80-85%....
No groups to speak of until the last mag (rounds 12-15), which shot 2 within an inch, and the other two within an inch, both groups about 3 inches apart...
Again, I think it was just the lousy rest, but I did notice the stock was touching the bbl. I had seen it before but being excited about a new gun, didn't really think about it, but the bbl is noticeably closer to the right side of the bbl channel than the left, and is touching along the last few inches of stock . Today I took it apart and sanded the stock so its got some clearance, will try to find a better rest and shoot again....
Need to decide if i want a bipod or just find better rests when I shoot...
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