entropy
Member
I can vouch for the Venom being a good scope for the money.
When Walmart had rifles on clearance, they would mark them down in steps. Maybe 15% for a bit of time, then 25%, then 50%, then 75%. There was a website that tracked and reported various big box stores sales and these were closely followed on some forum websites. The general public wasn't really as clued in, so the members of the forums (that would include me) would rush to a store when it hit 50%. Fortunately in this case, every time I do a NICS background check, mine gets kicked out for review. When my background check was delayed at Walmart, they put the gun (or guns) on hold for up to 30 days. During that 30 days, the clearance price hit the next threshold of 75% off, so when I went back to pick it up, it was $62. Then I submitted my receipt to Savage for a $50 rebate .I would certainly put a better scope on even a cheap rifle. IMO there are some acceptable scopes out there with $200 MSRP, and you may well actually pay less. But IME the $200 MSRP is the dividing line. I've never seen anything with a MSRP much under $200 that is worth bringing home. You can spend as much as you want, but for me the $300-$500 price range is the sweet spot. I can live with some $200-$300 scopes, and while the ones costing more than $500 are good scopes, I just don't need them.
Normally I don't think it wise to start throwing money at a budget rifle though. Most of the time the initial expense of the rifle + the cost of the upgrades will far exceed what you could have paid for a better rifle to start with. But if you really only have $12 in the rifle it might be cost effective this time.
And I'd like to hear the back story of how you ended up with a $12 rifle.
Be sure and give us an update after a range session.Upgrade update.
Timney sent a new trigger which I received and installed last night. Clearly an improvement, so we will see how this impacts my precision.
Regarding scopes, I jumped the, (ahem), gun - and bought a new to me scope. It is an Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50. It's not 3x on the low end like I would have preferred since field of view is 22.7 ft @100 vs 39ish ft for a 3x (wider is better, right?), but the price of $400 was right. I have a Sako 270 WSM without a designated permanent scope, so my LRHS 3-12x44, which I hold in high esteem, might no longer be a floater and go on the Axis and the new to me Athlon Ares BTR might go on the 270 WSM, seeing as it is more of a long range scope. All of my other scopes are short to mid range scopes and I convinced myself that a longer range scope would be good to have. With that scope shuffle, that leaves my AR-10 bare. I guess I could put the Weaver Kaspa on it, since the precision of my AR-10 at this time doesn't warrant good glass. The AR-10 is a project for later.
Yeah, Savage sure has sold ( and continues to sell ) a ton of those " pigs " . No doubt a major contributor to that is the price point and . the sales that periodically come up at places like Cabela`s, amounting to the fact that a lot of folks can get a " bargain basement " rifle that`s proven to be reasonably adept at putting metal on targets. I would submit that more than a little meat has been put on tables over the years by the Axis rifle line.Definitely lipstick on a pig lol, but if it shoots good who cares. Eurooptics has the older pro bushnell for I think $300 they look pretty good, if I had the spare cash I'd pick one up to try.
I could have had 4 more Savage Axis synthetic stock rifles that I would have actually been paid to "buy" after rebate, but I passed on those due to my general lack of understanding of the gray area in the ATF regulations,
Yeah, Savage sure has sold ( and continues to sell ) a ton of those " pigs " . No doubt a major contributor to that is the price point and . the sales that periodically come up at places like Cabela`s, amounting to the fact that a lot of folks can get a " bargain basement " rifle that`s proven to be reasonably adept at putting metal on targets. I would submit that more than a little meat has been put on tables over the years by the Axis rifle line.
At our local state run range, right before deer gun season, the most prevalent " traditional " hunting rifles verifying zero are Axis models.
At our local PSA, I asked the guy at the gun counter what was the most frequently sold rifles, other than AR platforms. He didn`t even draw breath. " Savage Axis".
By the way, I`m not a fan, don`t even own one. Just some observations.
I upped my budget to $500. A list of contenders to date:
Vortex Venom 3-15x44
Athlon Helos BTR Gen 2 2-12x42
Swampfox Kentucky Long 3-18x50
Primary Arms SLx 3-18x50 Gen II
Savage sells a ton of the Axis line. No doubt that their place in the pricing scale has more than a little to do with that. Are they the best hunting/traditional style rifles out there from a fit and finish/quality standpoint? No, perhaps not, but they afford the average Joe hunter/shooter ( AKA " poors " on Sniper`s Hide ) an opportunity to purchase and shoot something that`s proven pretty darn good at putting metal on target and meat on the table. I guess there`s a reason that most any list that I`ve seen of top 10 selling rifles in the US usually includes the Axis line.I got an Axis in .308 10 years ago. My son has it now. Mine was the crappy one with the plastic stock, so I had to throw it in a Boyd's stock. Back then there were articles online about doing an at home bubba style trigger job by simply cutting one coil off the trigger spring. I did it, and sure enough... it worked. A much cleaner and lighter pull. Even threw it around some (back in the plastic stock) to make sure it wouldn't go off if dropped. That was 10 years ago, and it's been 100% safe so far. It will shoot .75" with 168 gr Federal GMM. Hell, even the stupid plastic magazine tab has yet to break. Good gun for the money I say. (Wood stocks do make a difference though)
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What scope did you choose for yours?I got an Axis in .308 10 years ago. My son has it now. Mine was the crappy one with the plastic stock, so I had to throw it in a Boyd's stock. Back then there were articles online about doing an at home bubba style trigger job by simply cutting one coil off the trigger spring. I did it, and sure enough... it worked. A much cleaner and lighter pull. Even threw it around some (back in the plastic stock) to make sure it wouldn't go off if dropped. That was 10 years ago, and it's been 100% safe so far. It will shoot .75" with 168 gr Federal GMM. Hell, even the stupid plastic magazine tab has yet to break. Good gun for the money I say. (Wood stocks do make a difference though)
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I had a Nikon M-Tactical .308 4-16X42SF on it.What scope did you choose for yours?