I recently mounted a scope on a new rifle that had loose base screws. It's wise to tighten or check torque on all screws of a new rifle before shooting. (Burned once...and it still stings.) I'd prefer to have mounts in a bag than to have them loose from the factory!!! Don't trust anything new these days.If you didn't mount the scope bases yourself I'd pull the whole thing and start over. I'd also check action screw torque.
Axis are usually very accurate, so I'd check all the easy common fixes.
We can carp about the cheap synthetics flexing and opening up group sizes, but they still beat the snot out of the old wood stocks that would change point of aim by a foot or more after a couple hours hiking in the rain and snow versus sight-in on a warm sunny afternoon.I never did care for the synthetic "Tupperware" stocks that Savage uses. They are thin and flex way too much for my liking. I always try to buy mine with a wood or laminate stock. And it isn't just Savage synthetic stocks that are flimsy. Proper torque setting and even how you rest the rifle while shooting is more important with a synthetic stock.
Not when properly free-floated and/or bedded.We can carp about the cheap synthetics flexing and opening up group sizes, but they still beat the snot out of the old wood stocks that would change point of aim by a foot or more after a couple hours hiking in the rain and snow versus sight-in on a warm sunny afternoon.
But that's the rub (literally), isn't it? The average person buying a new rifle didn't then (and still likely doesn't now) take the rifle out of the stock and sand/bed it. Far and away the majority of factory guns have a full or partial contact stock. Unless the owner modified it, they were stuck with a squirrelly unpredictable gun. Modern synthetics and pilar beds are so much better. Even if the forearm is flimsy and pushes groups open an inch or more, I'd take that over the headaches we used to deal with.Not when properly free-floated and/or bedded.
Not when properly free-floated and/or bedded.
Remington uses pressure points at the front of the stock.Brought my ADL home. I have ammo for it but did not find 30-06 ammo for the Savage. ADL is much stiffer but doesn't seem to be free floated
I generally don't buy scope rifle packages, but even guns that just come with bases installed I'd suggest taking them apart, cleaning then remounting.With the comments on this thread. Should I pull the action out of the stock and remount the scope?
I was just going to clean the barrel and start shooting my Walmart Axis. Normally I haven't worried about the accuracy to much until I have a couple boxes of ammo through the barrel. My break in process was to clean the barrel after each shot for the first 5. Then every 3 shots for the rest of the first box.
The second box was to clean the barrel channel every five shots. Measure the group size of the 3rd, 4th, & 5th shots with a fowled barrel.
With the comments on this thread. Should I pull the action out of the stock and remount the scope?
I was just going to clean the barrel and start shooting my Walmart Axis. Normally I haven't worried about the accuracy to much until I have a couple boxes of ammo through the barrel. My break in process was to clean the barrel after each shot for the first 5. Then every 3 shots for the rest of the first box.
The second box was to clean the barrel channel every five shots. Measure the group size of the 3rd, 4th, & 5th shots with a fowled barrel.
Excellent groups! Mine shoots handloads about as well, but the rifle I bought as a spare now has a free-floating barrel, pillar-bedded receiver, and epoxy-filled forend to stiffen it. I may buy a new stock for it soon.Buy a boyds stock to eliminate the flex. This is an Axis II heavy barrel with 6-18 scope and Boyds classic stock torqued to the correct specs. Before the Boyds it would hold its own but now I sometimes put a remington 700 22-250 with heavy barrel and 2x more expensive scope to shame when shooting for groups. 100 yard 5 shot groups with the last pic being two 5 shot groups. This is off a cheap Caldwell rest and rear bag. The second pic was shot off a bipod and rear bag. Most of this was load development.
I strongly recommend that, after cleaning the receiver top, using a drop of high-strength Loctite under mount bases, base screws, but not on ring screws. I also use powdered rosin inside of rings to prevent slippage. I also use a torque screwdriver to tighten base and ring screws to values recommended in the torque-screwdriver instructions.I generally don't buy scope rifle packages, but even guns that just come with bases installed I'd suggest taking them apart, cleaning then remounting.
That way you can eliminate THAT variable before even starting with your new gun. I'd also mount a.known good scope for the first box or two, so you have a solid baseline before using the included scope.
And, when would a 1 1/4 minute shooting rifle not kill a deer if aimed at the 8-10+ inch kill zone of a deer or any other critter within a couple of hundred yards? Yeah, I get it that our rifles are supposed to shoot 1 minute groups and mine do better than half that, but it's not really necessary, just desirable!I’m not going to read all the post but I will say that box Ammo is a crap shoot to get under 1 minute groups at any distance