Funny how my Axis was the same for me. After decades of pistol shooting I decided to try long guns again. Saw the Axis with a heavy barrel in .223 and figured it would be a cheap way to shoot. Right and wrong :) Yep, it was cheap to shoot, until I realized how accurate it could be. So, reloading saved me and hooked me on accurate rifles. I still use the action for my cast bullet shooting.