Savage Axis II (Weaver)

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 II (Weaver) Rifle Review

This page is dedicated to Savage Axis II rifles that come with a pre-installed Weaver base.

Savage Axis II is a bolt-action rifle that was first introduced in 2014. It is an upgraded version of the original Savage Axis rifle which entered the market in 2010 and was, interestingly enough, first named “Savage Edge”, but the name had to be changed in 2011 due to some legal issues.

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. In response, Savage tried 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.

The latter, however, wasn’t equipped with Savage’s patented AccuTrigger, and some saw this as a major drawback compared to some older Savage models. Therefore, Savage decided to expand the Axis series with models that would feature the AccuTrigger, and so the Axis II model was “born.” AccuTrigger is also the only difference between the Savage Axis and Savage Axis II.

Figure 1: Savage Axis II XP in 6.5 Creedmoor (source: https://www.firearmreview.com/)

Savage Axis II is built around a cost-effective action of the push-feed style and hosts a 2-lug bolt with an impressively smooth bolt operation. It features a 1-sided ejection port and is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. At the same time, all Axis II models have the same overall action length.

Savage Axis II 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 II rifle with a Weaver base pre-installed or milled-on.

As opposed to the Savage Model 110 which has a 3-position safety catch, Savage Axis II has a 2-position one. The catch features a small dimple that allows for ease of engagement. When it 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 II is usually 559 mm (22-inch) long, but there are also some versions with a 508 mm 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.

The stock of Savage Axis II is synthetic, and it ends in a pleasantly designed recoil pad that is quite satisfying considering the price of the rifle.

As mentioned above, Savage Axis II features the Savage’s patented AccuTrigger which allows the user to easily adjust the trigger’s weight of the pull while still ensuring the complete safety of the rifle.

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

Savage Axis II comes with a detachable 4-round magazine with a metal body and plastic bottom. Savage originally utilized the 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 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 II 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 II Calibers

Savage Axis II 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 II Variants

There are several Savage Axis II variants on the market today. Because this model stems from the “original” Axis model that was first named “Edge”, we also included Axis and Edge variants on this list.

These are the Savage Axis II 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

Some Savage Axis II variants come with pre-installed Weaver bases.

Figure 3: The receiver of Savage Axis II Compact with Weaver bases visible on its mounting surface (source: Savage Arms)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Axis II (Weaver)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Axis II (Weaver)

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, most rifles that come with Weaver bases will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage Axis II, but you do need to keep in mind that some Axis II variants come with a 2-piece Weaver base that has a gap which is approx. 105 mm (4.1-inch) wide, so the mount shouldn’t be shorter than that.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Axis

There’s even less dilemma around the interchangeability of two-piece scope mounts since they don’t have to meet any of the length requirements.

Any rifle that has Weaver bases mounted on its mounting surface will have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Savage Axis II.

Best Scope Mounts for Savage Axis II (Weaver)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage Axis II (Weaver)

We would recommend these 30 mm Rusan rings for your Savage Axis (Weaver) 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.

Order Rusan Weaver Rings, 30 mm

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Savage Axis II (Weaver)

When it comes to flexibility, detachable repeatable scope mounts are the way to go. Being able to easily attach and detach an optic without any tools and retaining zero at the same time can be a great advantage. If this is what you’re looking for, you might want to consider this aluminum INNOMOUNT scope mounting solution of German quality for your Savage Axis II with Weaver bases.

Check out INNOMOUNT for picatinny / weaver

Tactical Scope Mounts for Savage Axis II (Weaver)

If you are looking for a sturdier, “bulkier” and more tactical-oriented Weaver scope mount for your Savage Axis II, then we recommend these Tactical Weaver rings by Optik Arms.

They come with a 10-year warranty, are made of steel, and are a reliable and relatively affordable choice.

Click here for Optik Arms Tactical Weaver Rings

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