Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

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The History of Savage Arms

Savage Arms was founded in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York. Arthur Savage held two important patents at the time: a patent for a repeating rifle with a single-column magazine lever-action rifle, which he acquired in 1891, and a patent for a hammerless lever-action design. That paved the way for Savage’s quick rise to success.

The company’s first breakthrough came in 1895 when it introduced Model 1895 – the first hammerless lever-action rifle on the market. It was modeled after Model 1892, an earlier design that never saw production due to losing a bid for a US Army contract. Model 1895, however, won the contract for New York National Guard, but it was soon canceled due to getting caught in a contemporary political climate.

Savage continued investing efforts into the production of military-grade weapons. It was named one of the two finalists in the US Army trials for a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and it lost only to the now-famous Colt M1911. Savage used the gained experience to produce high-quality pocket pistols, though, which resulted in the introduction of Model 1907, 1915, and 1917.

During World War I, Savage was merged with the Driggs-Seabury Ordnance company. The joint company focused all its efforts on the production of Lewis machine guns and heavy equipment for war purposes.

Between the two wars, Savage decided to expand its business inside the USA. In 1920 it bought Stevens Arms of Chicopee, followed by A.H. Fox Gun Co. of Philadelphia and Davis-Warner Arms and CrescentArms Co. of Norwich in 1930. Success followed and in 1939 Savage introduced the Model 24 combination gun which sold over a million copies.

When World War II commenced, though, Savage was once again ready to answer the call of duty. It focused all its resources on war efforts, producing a staggering number of weapons. It already signed a contract with Auto Ordinance Co. in 1938 to manufacture the famous .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun, and most of these submachine guns that were used in WWII were produced by none other than Savage. The company was also contracted by the US government in 1940 to produce .30 and .50 caliber Browning machine guns. On top of that, Savage manufactured one of the most mass-produced bolt-action rifles of WWII, the British No. 4 Lee–Enfield. A record of 1.2 million Lee-Enfield rifles was produced by Savage during the time of war.

Production dialed down after the war, though. In 1946, Savage closed its facilities in Utica and moved all its operations to the Stevens manufacturing premises. Even though the Model 110 was introduced in 1958, which remains one of the company’s most successful rifles to this date, Savage started to experience some issues. In 1960 all production was moved to the current location of Westfield, Massachusetts, and what followed was a series of different ownerships over the company. Savage gradually ran into serious financial problems and in 1988 the company declared bankruptcy.

The company had to cut back on its manufacturing costs to the point where it even stopped producing short-action configurations of its most successful model, the aforementioned Model 110. It wasn’t until 1995 when Savage returned to private ownership led by Ronald Coburn who sort of rejuvenated the whole company.

In 2002 Savage introduced and patented AccuTrigger – a safe and user-adjustable trigger that soon became a success. The following year, in 2003, the company was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence, further reaffirming Savage’s distinction. Four years later, on May 15, 2007, Savage 93R17 BTVS has been named the best rifle in the Best of the Best presentation by Shooting Times, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Gazette magazines.

In 2013 Savage once again changed ownership. It was acquired by Orbital ATK for 315 million dollars, and it was later handed over to Vista Outdoor which later sold it for $170 million in 2019 to a group of private investors led by Savage’s management.

The company also had its logo changed in the middle of the 2010s when it decided to retire its old logo that presumably featured Chief Lame Deer, a native-American tribesman leader. The latter supposedly approached Arthur Savage in 1919 to purchase rifles for his tribe. In exchange for a discount, Lame Deer agreed to a deal. According to the deal, Savage was allowed to use Lame Deer’s face for promotional purposes. Many doubt the authenticity of this story, however, and Savage itself removed it from its official website as well.

Savage Axis I (Picatinny) Rifle Review

This page is dedicated to Savage Axis models that come with a factory-installed Picatinny Rail.

Savage Axis is a bolt-action rifle that was first introduced in 2010. Interestingly enough, it was first named “Savage Edge”, but the name changes already followed in 2011, only a year after its release. Presumably, it had to be renamed due to legal issues regarding its initial name.

Following the market crash in 2008 Savage tried to cater to the new wave of hunters, ones that were on the lookout for cheap yet quality replacements for the more expensive contemporaries which all of a sudden weren’t affordable anymore. Savage’s main objective when designing the Axis model was thus to produce a modernized but cheaper alternative to the established Savage Model 110. What followed was an accurate, dependable, and cheap rifle fit for beginners and more advanced hunters alike.

Savage Axis XP in .243 Win.

Figure 1: Savage Axis XP in .243 Win. (source: https://www.gagnonsports.com/savage-axis-243-youth-ladies-w-scope.html)

Savage Axis is built around a cost-effective action of the push-feed style and hosts a 2-lug bolt with an impressively smooth bolt operation. All Axis models have the same overall action length, and they are usually drilled and tapped for scope mounts. This page, however, is dedicated to every Savage Axis rifle with a Picatinny rail pre-installed or milled-on.

As opposed to the Savage Model 110 which has a 3-position safety catch, Savage Axis has a 2-position one. It features a small dimple that allows for ease of engagement. When the safety is pushed forward (away from the shooter), the rifle is in firing mode. This is indicated by a red dot that is otherwise covered when the safety is on and the trigger is locked.

The barrel of Savage Axis is usually 559mm (22-inch) long, but there are also some versions with a 508mm long barrel (20-inch). It is usually made of carbon steel, with the exception of the Savage Axis XP Stainless’s barrel, which is of stainless steel. We also think it’s important to add that (at least to our knowledge) every Axis comes with a small shank barrel that can be interchanged with Savage Model 110 variants that also have small shank barrels.

The stock of Savage Axis is synthetic and is, according to the Savage’s website, designed to fit smaller shooters, but we didn’t find any complaints regarding its size even from the hunters with a bit larger build. It (the stock) ends in a pleasantly designed recoil pad that is quite satisfying considering the price of the rifle.

Because Savage wanted to cut on the rifle’s cost as much as possible, Savage Axis comes without the established AccuTrigger^TM. This changed with the introduction of Savage Axis II (2nd Gen.) which includes the AccuTrigger – this is also the only difference between the two models (Axis and Axis II).

The design of Savage's patented AccuTrigger

Figure 2: The design of Savage's patented AccuTrigger (source: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BwSpbbhIIAE0hUO.jpg:large)

Savage Axis features a 4-round magazine with a metal body and plastic bottom. Savage originally utilized a detachable magazine with a release lever molded as a loop and affixed to the plastic bottom plate, but it changed this design in late 2018 to include a newly redesigned spring-loaded release mechanism. Both designs are compatible with rifles from the Edge/Axis and 110 series that use the so-called "Axis " magazine.

As mentioned above, all Axis models have the same overall action length, but those chambered for short-action cartridges use a short-action length magazine, while those chambered for long-action cartridges use a long-action length magazine.

Savage Axis I Calibers

Savage Axis can be chambered for:

.223 Rem.
.22-250 Rem.
6 mm ARC
.243 Win.
.25-06 Rem.
6.5 Creedmoor
.270 Win.
7mm–08 Rem.
280 Ackley IMP
300 AAC Blackout
.308 Win.
.30–06 Spring.
350 Legend

Savage Axis I Variants

There are several Savage Axis variants on the market today. Because this model was first named “Edge” and was only later renamed to Axis, we also included Edge variants on this list.

These are the Savage Axis variants:

Savage Edge
Savage Edge Camo
Savage Edge XP
Savage Axis Camo
Savage Axis Compact
Savage Axis Left Hand
Savage Axis Compact Left Hand
Savage Axis XP
Savage Axis XP Compact
Savage Axis XP Camo
Savage Axis XP Compact Camo
Savage Axis XP Compact Muddy Girl
Savage Axis XP Stainless
Savage Axis II Compact
Savage Axis II Left Hand
Savage Axis II 300 Blackout
Savage Axis II XP
Savage Axis II XP Stainless
Savage Axis II XP Hardwood
Savage Axis II XP Compact
Savage Axis II XP Compact Muddy Girl
Savage Axis II FDE
Savage Axis II VSX Camo
Savage Axis II SR FDE
Savage Axis II XP Gray Stainless Steel
Savage Axis II FDE Web
Savage Axis II XP FDE Web Compact
Savage Axis II XP Web Camo Gray
Savage Axis II XP Web Camo OD Green
Savage Axis II XP Green Web
Savage Axis II Bottomland Camo
Savage Axis II XP Terra Gila Camo
Savage Axis II XO Break Up Country
Savage Axis II HB XP Whitetail
Savage Axis II XP SR HB
Savage Axis II XP VSX Camo Compact
Savage Axis II XP Timber Camo
Savage Axis II Bottomlands Original
Savage Axis II XP Timber Camo HB
Savage Axis II Stainless Steel
Savage Axis II HB SR Wideland Compact
Savage Axis II XP

The receiver of Savage Axis/Edge with a visible mounting surface (Picatinny Rail)

Figure 3: The receiver of Savage Axis/Edge with a visible mounting surface (Picatinny Rail) (source: https://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?67-Evolution-Gun-Works-Axis-Edge-Tactical-Scope-Base-Review)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension.

Therefore, all rifles that come with a Picatinny rail will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage Axis .

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

There’s a similar situation with two-piece scope mounts. Any rifle that has a Picatinny rail mounted on its mounting surface will have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage Axis, too.

Best Scope Mounts for Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

We would recommend these 30 mm Rusan rings for your Savage Axis (Picatinny) if you’re looking for a quality fixed scope mounting solution. These rings ensure sturdiness and reliability, while they also come at a relatively affordable price. They are made of steel and come with a 10-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

These EAW’s Mod. 365 rings earned our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount for savage Axis. They are reliable and extremely versatile and are thus a great choice for your rifle. They are made of aluminum and come with a 30-year warranty.

Tactical Scope Mounts for Savage Axis I (Picatinny)

If you are looking for a sturdier, “bulkier” and more tactical-oriented Picatinny scope mount for your Savage Axis, then we recommend this 30 mm ERA-TAC one-piece mount.

It is manufactured in Germany, is made of aluminum, and has a 2-year warranty attached to it.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu