Axis do seem to be a bit more variable in the accuracy department. Very few would not be adequate hunting rifles. Once mine had a few rounds shot it settled down to a .5 MOA rifle (.223 heavy barrel walmart special). My other Savage is a 12BVSS so a bit bigger and heavier :) My Axis currently has ads Boyds Pro Varmint stock and Vortex Diamonback scope on it so it has gained a bit in weight as well. And it is still .5MOA even without pilar or glass bedding and the stock recoil lug. If it were anything bigger than .223 I would insist on pilars and glass bedding and probably 'fixing' the recoil lug as well.
Comparing my two is kinda like apples and oranges, but, one big thing is the 12 action is much smoother to me. The Varmint accutrigger is also set much lighter (I do not hunt only paper). IIRC the 12FV has the varmint trigger as well.
The Axis action has a smaller ejection port. Makes getting cases/cartridges in and out of it a bit more difficult. The Axis magazine is a weak point as well, with the plastic latch that sometimes allows the magazine to drop from the rifle. I understand the newer ones might be better and some of the 110 series use the same type now (maybe?). The bolt lift on the Axis is different and makes it less smooth to operate.
FWIW, my Axis came with a scope, one of the inexpensive Bushnell's. It was decent and worked well enough, but, a quality scope is like night and day, especially when it comes to low light clarity. So, I would pass on most of the combo deals out there.
So, that basically means if I were to do a new build I would choose something like the 12FV. 110 action, heavy barrel and no scope.
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