Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

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Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by WookyMysta » 29 Jun 2020, 10:50 pm

G ' day to all,


Wondering what the differences between the Axis 2 and Stevens 200 are -

Ican get an ex demo Stevens for under $600 as a bare rifle, or a new Axis 2 xp package for $ 1200.

which would be more accurate out of the box..
Good looks are irrelavent, Just after the best bang for my $$$

Wondering the pros and cons for each

Exdemo Stevens or new Axis 2 ???

thanks in advance.
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by TassieTiger » 29 Jun 2020, 11:00 pm

Aren’t Stevens made by savage anyway ?
Generally speaking and in my experience only - budget packages come with throw away, bargain bottom, scopes and mounts That are worth nothing.
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by boingk » 30 Jun 2020, 5:52 pm

600 bare rifle isn't too bad mate. What caliber are you looking at? I had a mate with a (223? 270?) Stevens 200 that he is as far as I know still very happy with. If so he's had it about 10 years.

Its not a high end gun but will be more than enough if its a first rifle, hunter, range gun, etc. My memories of my mates rifle might not be relevant, but my impressions were a simple, no frill rifle with grey synthetic stock and reasonable action. The trigger on his model felt okay stock, a bit heavyish as most stockers in this class are, but after a job it crisped and lightened up nicely.

For the $600 difference you can top that cheap Stevens with a nice Leupold 4-12x40 VX Rifleman scope and matching rings. I've done just that to my $550 Marlin X7VH, similar rifle but with a varmin style heavy barrel and Accutrigger.

My experiences with that rifle are okay so far, it's working up to be a decent thing. The biggest issue I had with it was reliable feeding from the box magazine - it needed some lubricant on the edges of the follower to stop binding and sending the rounds skewiff. After that, no issues.

Hope that helps!
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by WookyMysta » 30 Jun 2020, 7:36 pm

To boingk,

First of all, thanks for the reply.

I'm looking at 25-06 cal. Most of my mates have .270 which I understand and respect, but I want some different.

I already have a Stevens package rifle in .243. WOW.
I also have a Lithgow la102 in .308. Even more WOW.

At the range with my Stevens .243 on factory 58grn, and 100grn, I can and do out shoot guys with BIG Nightforce, BIG Tactical rigs with BIG shooing vices, and BIG special hand loads. And they wait 10 mins between shots until the barrel cools to 75.3 deg. (The Ferrari factor) LOL..

Mine is a plane Jane hunting rifle. THAT's ALL.......I have no time for the paper shooting Ferrari on social media. Vermin don't care. :-))

Ferrari leans over and says.. "WTF is THAT thing".

I tell them its a cheap Savage @ $460 package. + $12 for lighter gauge wire off flee bay to lighten the trigger pull.

They look at my groups, pack their s**t and go home. Done it several times. LOL.


BTW... I've had similar issues with incorrect feeding of rounds in my .243 clunker. Its annoying, but I would expect that for a cheap budget rifle.


Anyway..... I'm struggling to decide.

Not sure if the brand new Axis 2 with Accutrigger and pillar bedding is worth double the money, with a s**ty scope that I will replace anyway. (about 1K)

OR.

get the Stevens and spend the savings on a trigger replacement, Boyds stock or similar and bedding. And buy the 1K scope all the same.


Stevens 200 display rifle with scratched barrel @ $590 + glass
OR
Savage Axis 2 with s**ty scope @ $1260 + glass.

Is the Axis 2 action any better..... disregarding the trigger and the pillar bedding ?? Which I could do myself.

Also. am I suffering with a 22' barrel, vs 24"/26" or is the fps. extra cost and accuracy not worth the cost for vermin out to 350 mtrs ???

I got a thing for the 25-06, just want to make the correct choice for my application of a pest control rig on a budget.... That's all......

Thanks for your knowledge and wisdom,

The Wooky :-)))
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by TassieTiger » 30 Jun 2020, 8:13 pm

Post up some groups of your Ferrari destroying heap of snot lol. Would love to see the pics :
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by SCJ429 » 30 Jun 2020, 8:22 pm

Would you do better with a $399 Howa from a popular Brisbane funshop?

I wouldn't buy a package rifle with rubbish rings and scope. Unless that was the rings and scope you wanted anyway.
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by WookyMysta » 30 Jun 2020, 8:45 pm

To SCJ429,

TBO.. never considered a Howa corz my clunky junky shoots soo well. Didnt know I could get a Howa that cheap. Cant gt them at that price in NSW. Maybe its because doodz have worked out how good they shoot for the money ??

My m8 has one in .308 it ROCKS.....
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by WookyMysta » 30 Jun 2020, 9:04 pm

To TassieTiger,

My Cheap as F*** Stevens .243. All are 10 shot groups @ 50m. Its all I had corz outdoor range was closed due to Bill Gates Corona Virus....

Bottom left group , the barrel is hot enough to cook a rump steak. 40 shots in less than 20 minutes
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by marksman » 30 Jun 2020, 9:12 pm

WookyMysta wrote:To TassieTiger,

My Cheap as F*** Stevens .243. All are 10 shot groups @ 50m. Its all I had corz outdoor range was closed due to Bill Gates Corona Virus....

Bottom left group , the barrel is hot enough to cook a rump steak. 40 shots in less than 20 minutes


you need to get it out to 110y mate :thumbsup:

l cracked up seeing your quote "Bill Gates Corona VIrus" bit :clap: :clap: :clap: good on you
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by WookyMysta » 30 Jun 2020, 9:17 pm

Note.. I only shot between heart beats, didnt really care about finger/trigger pull technique.

I was at the range and they let me shoot the piss outa this thing... so I got my $$$ worth and melted the barrel enough to cook a steak on. :-))))))))))

Pretty sure it will be acceptable as a hunting rifle ....
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by marksman » 30 Jun 2020, 9:18 pm

yep pretty sure you will be right :thumbsup:
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by WookyMysta » 30 Jun 2020, 9:28 pm

How high above bullseye @100m would you set your scope P.O.I. to use ONLY hold over, out to 250-300m, as a hunting rifle ??

Give or take abit of human error
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by TassieTiger » 30 Jun 2020, 9:30 pm

WookyMysta wrote:To TassieTiger,

My Cheap as F*** Stevens .243. All are 10 shot groups @ 50m. Its all I had corz outdoor range was closed due to Bill Gates Corona Virus....

Bottom left group , the barrel is hot enough to cook a rump steak. 40 shots in less than 20 minutes


Those flyers would piss me off...shakes? Earthquake? Fly buzzing up the nose?
Tikka .260 (Z5 5x25/52)
Steyr Pro Varmint .223 - VX 3
CZ455 .22 & Norinco .22 (vtex 4-12, bush 3-9)
ATA 686 U/O 12g & Baikal S/S 12g.
Adler a110 reddot
Sauer 30-06 - VX 3
Howa 300 win mag. SHV 5-20/56
Marlin SBL 45/70
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by marksman » 30 Jun 2020, 9:45 pm

WookyMysta wrote:How high above bullseye @100m would you set your scope P.O.I. to use ONLY hold over, out to 250-300m, as a hunting rifle ??

Give or take abit of human error


l would be sighting it at around an inhigh at 110y and keeping my shots under 200 but you do need to test at 110y first and keep the barrel cooler

l am still having a laugh at the fly up the nose bit Tassie :lol:
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by wrenchman » 30 Jun 2020, 9:54 pm

if the stevens is a demo it has been around for some time the axis replaced it i dont think think you can go wrong with both axis 2 has a better triger.
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by boingk » 30 Jun 2020, 11:44 pm

WookyMysta wrote:To boingk,

First of all, thanks for the reply.

<snip>

At the range with my Stevens .243 on factory 58grn, and 100grn, I can and do out shoot guys with BIG Nightforce, BIG Tactical rigs with BIG shooing vices, and BIG special hand loads. And they wait 10 mins between shots until the barrel cools to 75.3 deg. (The Ferrari factor) LOL..

Mine is a plane Jane hunting rifle. THAT's ALL.......I have no time for the paper shooting Ferrari on social media. Vermin don't care. :-))

Ferrari leans over and says.. "WTF is THAT thing".

I tell them its a cheap Savage @ $460 package. + $12 for lighter gauge wire off flee bay to lighten the trigger pull.

They look at my groups, pack their s**t and go home. Done it several times. LOL.


No worries mate. And yep the 25-06 will be something different. I've gone the other way recently with big cal low velocity stuff like my 45-70 and 450 Bushmaster. They're hilarious fun and under 300m you will take down pretty much anything you encounter.

Love the attitude here, so many guys like you've described spend up big (often on their first and only rifle) and then spray rounds out with zero marksmanship or understanding of why their groups aren't competitive, and think the solution is even more money to throw into their kit... when often some simple understanding and tinkering is the answer.

I'm definitely in the "WTF is THAT thing?" club haha. My Marlin 1895GBL with a Barska 4x40 from the 90's shoots sub-MOA all day long on basic, cast-bullet handloads... again "WTF is THAT thing?" factor off the scale. I'm working on an X7VH in 223 I picked up cheap to try and get a similar thing happening.

Here's to the value conscious shooters!

- boingk
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Re: Savage Axis 2 vs Stevens 200

Post by MJW380 » 03 Jul 2020, 8:39 pm

Got a mate who got a Stevens 200 in 22-250, it would have been lucky to chamber 1 out of four round, ended up returning it to the dealer and the dealer substituted it with a savage axis in a scoped package, it was a couple of hundred over the Stevens, so mate was happy, even though it was the first Axis, without the accutrigger, which is the heaviest and creepiest trigger I’ve come across, and was packed with a 3-9x40 scope that had bushnell on it but was a throwaway, like looking thru the bottom of a coke bottle. I’d have spent the same amount of money ($600 ish) and got a Ruger American and never looked back.
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