My first deer rifle.

[buffrider]

Ok so i work at Dick's Sporting Goods and i am looking for my first deer rifle. I get a discount and was looking at our rifles and talked to a couple of the guys there. They suggested the Savage Axis .308. It was in my price range and seemed good. What do yall think?

[WisconsinDeer]

The ones I've handled seem pretty poor. I definitely would not buy one. Check out a Marlin X7 or a Stevens 200 instead.

[Karl.Luhr]

Savage and Remington make fine rifles, but they both have one to pass on. In my opinion the Savage Axis and Remington 710/770 are not a good choice. I recently shot two Marlin XL7s in 30-06 and would definitely recommend anyone to get a Marlin. The Stevens 200 is a Savage 110 with a couple of features deleted and I think would be a good choice. It is amazing how good the rifle can be for only 300.xx dollars if you choose carefully. Try to save some money for a decent scope (~150 dollars) to pair up with your new rifle. It is as important as you pull the trigger on that beautiful Whitetail. You can't shoot what you can't clearly see.

Karl

[timberghost]

I know nothing about 308's...however, I know much about 30-06.

[Karl.Luhr]

If you are buying a rifle for just Whitetails I really think it comes down to whether you want a short action or long/standard length one. In the bullet weights most Deer hunters choose either 150gr or 165gr both cartriges are fantastic. If you want to get the maximum velocity to shoot really far you have more powder in the 30-06 case. Some shooters claim that the 308 Win is more accurate at long ranges. I really don't think the Deer can tell the difference. The bullet does the work and it is the same bullet. The two action lengths do feel different get the one that feels the best to you. Just remember it will feel different after the scope is mounted. That is why I don't like big powerful scopes on Deer rifles.

Karl

[rdrader2002]

Third vote against the Savage Axis . . . . .

If you're going to go with Savage, spend the extra $$ on the 110 series for long action, 10 series for short. I have a Savage Model 111 in .270 and it's plenty of rifle for deer and just about everything else on the North American continent. You'll be glad you spent the extra $$, trust me!
Comes in 130 & 150 grain (from what I've seen) and both are very accurate rounds. (Well, any rifle/round is only as accurate as the nut pulling the trigger!)

Just my $.02 worth.

RR

[turner]

Originally Posted by WisconsinDeer

The ones I've handled seem pretty poor. I definitely would not buy one. Check out a Marlin X7 or a Stevens 200 instead.

+1, I totally agree! And, anyone who knows about a 30/06 also knows about a .308 as they are as close as two rounds can be, the difference being only 80-100 FPS in typical loads from 150 to 180gr. They are also loaded with the exact same bullets (within any manufacturer) so no deer would (will) ever know the difference when sent to the big scrape in the sky with one r the other

[Hellbilly]

browning Abolt also check out the Howa rifles.A friend just got one and what a sweet shooter.rem. 710 and 770 or junk IMO,made in mexico.A savage would not be my first pick.Id buy a older used browning,remington,winchester,ruger m-77,marlin,etc before I got a savage

[Karl.Luhr]

The rifle company Howa is a good one. There rifles are offered by Weatherby as a Vanguard. I think that Weatherby sells more Vanguard rifles then they sell their premier Mark V. The only ding about these that I would agree with is that they are a little heavy and I think come standard with 24 inch barrels in standard calibers. Most other bolt actions by Remington, Ruger, Winchester place 22 inch barrels on standard calibers. For the extra weight you get real steel in the action where it is all milled out with a forged one piece bolt.

Karl