Savage Arms introduced its first iteration of the Axis bolt-action hunting rifle platform back in 2010. Though the rifle has been available in various configurations over the years, the company has phased out most of the Axis and Axis II models at this point. But by late 2024, the company was ready to introduce the Axis 2 Pro lineup that was later updated in 2025 with the addition of 6 mm ARC caliber options and the new Forest SP camouflage stock finish.
Today, the Axis 2 Pro series includes full-size and compact models with right- or left-handed bolt configurations along with wood or synthetic stocks. They are available chambered in an expansive variety of popular straight-walled and bottle-necked hunting cartridges including .223 Remington, .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and .400 Legend, to name a few. This evaluation takes a closer look at one of the Axis 2 Pro full-size, synthetic stock models chambered in 6.5 mm Creedmoor.
The heart of the Axis 2 Pro is a cylindrical carbon steel alloy receiver which is milled from bar stock. In this case, the receiver, barrel and bolt handle assemblies are treated with a weather resistant matte Gun Metal Bronze Cerakote finish. The other steel appointments are blued. The receiver leaves the factory topped off with a 7.5-inch long, one-piece aluminum Picatinny optics rail.
The two-lug bolt assembly features a floating bolt head. This feature, which is standard for the entire Axis line, allows the bolt face to self center so as to make even contact with the base of the cartridge. This in turn contributes to a consistent lockup and better accuracy. The bolt handle's integral knob deserves a mention here. It is slightly oversized with an elongated hexagonal shape and rounded edges. It's comfortable to grasp and easy to hold on to while cycling the action.
This bolt is configured to cock the striker and compress its spring as the bolt handle swings up to open the action. About halfway through the handle’s opening arc of travel, there is a notable increase in resistance. But once opened, the bolt pulls back, slides forward and the bolt handle swings closed again with relative ease. A cocked striker indicator is visible through a port located were the bolt handle joins the bolt shaft.
In short, the work of cocking the gun is completed at the start of cycling the action instead of the end. Whether or not this is better than, or simply different from, other bolt-action rifle configurations is a matter of personal preference. Once I had worked with it for a bit, and got the feel for it, getting the "heavy lifting" out of the way up front has its advantages. Most notable is the reduced resistance felt when closing the action.
This rifle's bolt-release lever is located on the right side of the receiver, just in front of the bolt handle. This is the position often reserved on other rifle makes for a two- or three-position thumb safety lever. Instead, the Axis 2 Pro features an ambidextrous tang-mounted, two-position polymer slider. Shaped like a slightly concave and textured guitar pick, the slider is pulled back with the shooting hand thumb, towards the shoulder stock, into the Safe position, and then pressed forward, revealing a red dot in order to fire.
This rifle employs what appears to be a proprietary, polymer, four-round removable box magazine. The spring loaded magazine release button, located at the front of the magazine, is built into the magazine itself instead of being incorporated into the rifle. A tab at the rear of the magazine body engages the stock first and then the front of the magazine is rocked up to lock it into place. Behind the magazine well is the stock's removable polymer bottom plate which is molded to provide a generously sized integral trigger guard.
The Axis 2 Pro is outfitted with the popular adjustable Savage AccuTrigger system introduced in the early 2000s. Featuring an integral blade safety, the single-stage AccuTrigger can be user adjusted for a trigger pull weight between 2 pounds, 8 ounces to 6 pounds. This particular gun arrived with a trigger that broke cleanly with 2 pounds, 10 ounces of pressure. It felt light, crisp and clean just as it was so I saw no reason to adjust it.
Two of the distinctive features of this rifle series are the barrel configuration and the styling of the stock. The 20-inch long heavy-sporter contour barrel benefits from thread-in headspacing for improved accuracy. It is free-floated and button rifled with a 1:8-inch twist rate. The spiral patter fluting reduces its weight while making it more ridged. The muzzle is threaded at 5/8x24 TPI for muzzle accessories, including compensators and sound suppressors. A knurled thread protector is provided.
The synthetic stock has been redesigned for improved shooter comfort. This particular version has been treated with the recently introduced four color Forest SP camouflage finish. Its layout and contours exhibit a blending of traditional hunting and precision rifle influences. The fore-end is slim with a series of ridges for added purchase. The pistol grip is nearly vertical with improved texturing and ambidextrous palm swells. Other features include a negative-drop comb, front and rear sling swivel studs, a thick soft rubber recoil pad and a 13.5-inch length of pull (LOP).
For this evaluation, the Axis 2 Pro was paired with Leupold's Mark 5HD 2-10x30 mm mid-range scope featuring a TMR (MK) illuminated FFP reticle (#179703; $2,500). It was mounted using a set of Leupold aluminum Mark 4 cross-slot rings (#178531; $130). This first focal plane optic is designed to be flexible, durable and lightweight. Its features include seven illumination settings, an adjustable parallax and a set of lenses that provide an impressively crisp and clear view. Technically speaking, this particular model is more tactically minded in its configuration. But when using it for range tests like this one, it seems like I could reach out and touch the target even though its 100 yards away. That makes it more of a do-all optic in my books.
At the shooting range, the rifle proved to be both reliable and comfortable to work with. It fed, fired and ejected all ammunition tested without any malfunctions throughout the course of testing. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces, the rifle balances and handles nicely for standing shots. The combination of the stock's grip shape, the thick recoil pad and the more moderate levels of felt recoil generated by the 6.5 mm Creedmoor made for a package suitable for small-framed and new shooters, as well as more seasoned hunters.
The formal bench-rested performance testing consisted of firing five, five-shot groups using three different 6.5 mm Creedmoor loads. They were fired into paper targets posted at a distance of 100 yards with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph measuring bullet muzzle velocity averages for 10-shot strings.
The ammunition used for this portion of the evaluation included a Federal Premium hunting load topped with a 140-grain Nosler AccuBond polymer-tipped bullet, SIG Sauer's Elite performance 140-grain open-tip match load and Winchester's USA Ready 125-grain open-tip match. Here are the results:
I've heard members of the shooting sports industry opine that the accuracy standard for modern hunting rifles should be 1 MOA (1.047 inches at 100 yards) these days. And I believe if this gun had been tested with three-shot groups, it would have met and surpassed that standard. But five-shot groups demand more of the gun and the shooter. Nevertheless, with a best individual group of 1.01 inches, and most groups hovering around the 1.5-inch mark, this rifle is certainly accurate enough for its intended hunting role.
The Savage Axis 2 Pro was developed with the intention of providing a feature-rich update to the Axis platform while maintaining a more affordable price point. The rifle sent for this evaluation succeeds on both counts. If the color or caliber of the gun shown here is not quite what you have in mind, then visit savagearms.com to see the many other configurations which are currently available.
Savage Axis Pro 2 Specifications
Manufacturer: Savage Arms
Action Type: bolt-action centerfire rifle
Chambering: 6.5 mm Creedmoor
Barrel: 20-inch carbon steel alloy; fluted heavy sporter contour; six-groove rifling, 1:8-inch RH twist; 5/8x24 TPI threaded muzzle; Gun Metal Bronze Cerakote finish
Receiver: carbon steel alloy; Gun Metal Bronze Cerakote finish
Magazine: polymer four-round detachable box
Sights: none; one-piece optics rail
Stock: injection-molded polymer; Forest SP Camo finish
Trigger: Savage AccuTrigger; user-adjustable from 2.5 to 6 pounds
Overall Length: 40.5 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 8 ounces (with empty magazine)
Accessories: one magazine, muzzle thread protector, lock, owner's manual
MSRP: $1,359
