I own an Axis II XP in .223 (sorry, no muddy girl pattern here ). Seems like it would be a fine starter rifle to me. One caveat: if you're shooting heavier loads, you'll want to either swap out the stock or step up to a rifle with a better stock. The composite stock is fine for my .223, but I suspect shooting .308 would make that composite stock flex a ton - might be able to hold accuracy somewhere around minute of broad side of barn. Still one heck of a rifle for the price point - basic scope and AccuTrigger included for mid to high 3's.