Savage Axis 308

I was waiting for my Rifle Basix trigger to come in but I couldn't stand it and longer. I had some 150 gr Hornady BTSPs loaded up for my M1A. After bote sighting I was really close so holding the rifle in the rest I dialed the scope to the bullet hole. Second shot almost dead center at 25 yds.
I.moved the target out to 100 yds and found out right away that I either got an inaccurate Savage (which was unlikely) or the rifle did not like 150 gr bullets. I mean the lawyer trigger didn't help but 2 - 2.5 inch groups!
When I got home I got the mail and my trigger was there so I read the instructions and installed it. A very nice 2.5 lb trigger. I loaded uo 2 charges of 180 gr Barnes TSX bullets and headed back out. What a difference. It's no one tack driver yet but has potential. Two 3 shot groups under MOA excluding the called flyer.

Nice. It'd be interesting to see if there is any difference with the original loads with the new trigger.

I've been fortunate in that most of my rifles so far haven't been terribly fussy.

So you dialed the scope to the hit.
Also known as the one shot zero.
Long range hunters or shooters would be wise to learn about using the one shot zero.

I doubt it Tim. The Rem 700 twist rate is 1:10, Tikka is also 1:10. The Savage has a 1:9 which would be better for the heavier bullets.

Well it sure seems like you will have a good shooter. Even if it doesn't get better. That's not terrible for most hunting ranges.

The best group ive ever shot with any rifle was with a factory Savage in 308.
It was bought at Bobs Army/Navy store in Clearfield PA. for my grandson when he was 12 years old, he is now 25.
It has a pretty heavy barrel, and as i recall its a model FPP ? it only came in 308 and 338 Lapua.
I dont know what the twist is.
Anyway i brought the gun to our camp and cleaned it.
Mounted a Buckmaster scope and bore sighted it.
I loaded some 150 gr Hornady spitzer bullets with 43 gr of 4320 powder.
Then took the gun outside to shoot it.
The very first group of five shots at 100 yards could be covered with a nickel, including the first shot which was slightly out from the rest of them.
The shots didnt land exactly where i was aiming, but that didnt matter as i was only testing for accuracy.
As for twist, my 7x300 WBY. built by Howard Wolfe is a 9 twist,
My 30x378 also built by him was a 10 twist, and so is my 338 Big Baer built by Bruce Baer.
My son has a 338x378 built by Bruce Baer with a 9 twist.
If i were to be using Cutting Edge 300 gr. solid copper bullets in the 338 instead of the 300 gr SMKs i am using, the 10 twist wouldnt work for me. My sons 338x378 works best with the 285 Hornadys.
So bullet selection has alot to do with twist selection as well.

Clem Bronkoski said:

I doubt it Tim. The Rem 700 twist rate is 1:10, Tikka is also 1:10. The Savage has a 1:9 which would be better for the heavier bullets.

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Agreed on twist, but overstabilization rarely hurts dispersion that bad. Barrel/chamber just might not like those 150's.

yobuck said:

The best group ive ever shot with any rifle was with a factory Savage in 308.
So bullet selection has alot to do with twist selection as well.

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Yobuck Last count I believe I have 6 Savage rifles. Each and every one of them can shoot very very well. The most accurate one I ever shot was, like you, a youth model 16 in 7-08 and the first time out with Hornady 154 gr hornady Interlock BT bullets with a random load out of the manual, it put 5 shots into 1/4" @ 100 yds. After that I decided no further load testing was needed. I can take that rifle out any day of the week and it will shoot sub MOA all day long. My grandson is now and adult and I had to install a slip on limbsaver recoil pad because now he's right at 6' tall.
The only rifle I have or had that shoots better is my Bergara B-14 HMR 6.5CM.

@Clem Bronkoski,

I'm curious as to what made you think that loads for your M1A would be liked by your Savage bolt action?

That's the whole point of reloading. To Taylor YOUR ammo to YOUR rifle.

I'd be willing to bet if you took the same 150gr Hornady bullets and actually did load development for the Axis, you would have different results.

std7mag said:

@Clem Bronkoski,

I'm curious as to what made you think that loads for your M1A would be liked by your Savage bolt action?

That's the whole point of reloading. To Taylor YOUR ammo to YOUR rifle.

I'd be willing to bet if you took the same 150gr Hornady bullets and actually did load development for the Axis, you would have different results.

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That's what I had loaded. I figured I'd give it a shot - pun intended.
Regardless even without tayloring a load to my rifle it should not have shot that bad or maybe that's how MY rifle feels about 150 gr bullets. Remember this rifle has a 1:9 twist where as Rems, Tikka and others have a 1:10 twist. That could have explained why the 150s didn't shoot that great. Factory ammo isn't taylored for every rifle - right? It still shot "minute of deer" as they say and would have been perfectly fine for 99.999% of my hunting. And that is what this rifle is going to be used for. Not long range. I have other rifles for that. This is my meat rifle for hunting <200 yards. I don't need to put every bullet in the same hole like my 6.5CM can just about do.
I've been at this reloading game for just about 60 years so I have an idea I know what I'm doing.
Merry Christmas

Clem Bronkoski said:

That's what I had loaded. I figured I'd give it a shot - pun intended.
Regardless even without tayloring a load to my rifle it should not have shot that bad or maybe that's how MY rifle feels about 150 gr bullets. Remember this rifle has a 1:9 twist where as Rems, Tikka and others have a 1:10 twist. That could have explained why the 150s didn't shoot that great. Factory ammo isn't taylored for every rifle - right? It still shot "minute of deer" as they say and would have been perfectly fine for 99.999% of my hunting. And that is what this rifle is going to be used for. Not long range. I have other rifles for that. This is my meat rifle for hunting <200 yards. I don't need to put every bullet in the same hole like my 6.5CM can just about do.
I've been at this reloading game for just about 60 years so I have an idea I know what I'm doing.
Merry Christmas

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Many accurate rifles shoot the same weight bullet and different weight bullets very differently depending on bullet and load. The first pic is a classic OCW test. Note the difference in .4 of a grain and the constant improvement after that and then opening again slightly. The second pic is my Ruger American in 308 win shooting six different factory ammo types Load 1, 2, & 3 were all 150s. Load 4 was a 180 and 5 & 6 168s. 3rd pic is same Ruger American with a tuned hunting load zeroed at 200.

I don't think a sample size of 1 determines whether your rifle likes 150s.

Med I agree. It may very well have been the powder and charge. I found that Varget seems to be what it likes.