The Axis 2 Pro stock has negative drop to help ensure optimal eye alignment with a scope. (Richard Mann photo)
June 25, 2025
By Richard Mann
Hunters received the Axis very well when Savage introduced it in 2010, and rifles in the line have served hunters admirably for more than a decade. Now, Savage has introduced the enhanced Axis 2. This model is similar to the original Axis only with a modernized design and new features, but it’s still very affordable. Depending on how you count them, currently Savage offers seven variations of the new Axis 2. I recently got a chance to wring out the Pro version , and I think it should appeal to a lot of hunters, especially since it comes in numerous chamberings and stock configurations.
Savage’s goal with the Axis 2 Pro was to offer an entry-level, performance, feature-rich rifle that was a step above the original Axis. (Savage has discontinued most of the Axis and Axis II models.) The heart of the rifle is a cylindrical action which Savage machines from bar stock, and the action comes with a one-piece scope rail already installed. Savage positioned the bolt release on the right side of the action, just behind the ejection port, and the company uses its renowned, thread-in headspacing system to attach a 20-inch barrel. (The Axis 2 Pro in .350 Legend comes with an 18-inch barrel). All Savage Axis 2 Pro barrels come with a threaded muzzle and a thread protector.
UPGRADED FEATURES The two primary enhancements of the Axis 2 are the trigger and the stock. Like with Savage’s 110 rifles, the Axis 2 rifle comes with the famous Savage AccuTrigger. This trigger is user-adjustable, and it has a passive lever at its center that is pressed with the trigger. It’s the ingenious addition of this passive safety lever that allows Savage to offer AccuTriggers with such light and fantastic feel without worry of litigation. Out of the box the AccuTrigger on the Axis 2 Pro broke crisply at 2 3/4 pounds, and that’s where I left it for all the test firing I conducted.
The stock on the Axis 2 Pro has a very appealing profile that sort of seems like a hybrid crossover between a traditional hunting stock and a precision rifle stock. The comb is high and has a bit of negative drop. Negative drop means the comb is lower at the nose and rises toward the heel. It works to improve shooter comfort and eye alignment behind the riflescope, but it also helps with recoil against the cheekbone. The stock also has a nearly vertical grip, which is a style a lot of hunters are coming to prefer, and there is a pebbling texture at the grip and along the fore-end. The barrel on the Axis 2 Pro is free-floated, and the stock has distinctive recesses where the front and rear sling swivel studs are located. These rifles are available with either a Woodland or Western camo pattern, and both are very attractive, especially when combined with the matte Gun Metal Bronze Cerakote finish on all the metal surfaces.
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The Axis 2 Pro feeds from a detachable 4-round magazine that fits flush with the bottom of the stock, and it has a push-button release at the very front. Finally, the bolt handle on the Axis 2 Pro deserves mentioning. Savage fashioned the knob in an elongated hexagonal pattern with smooth edges, and it’s slightly oversized.
Overall, maybe one of the most appealing aspects of this rifle is how many configurations Savage offers. In addition to the two different stock finishes, you can select a righthanded or lefthanded Axis 2 Pro, in a full-size or compact format, with 11 different chamberings, including the straightwall .350 Legend and .400 Legend. Depending on where you like to shop, you should be able to pick one up for just a shade more than $500.
RUNNING IT THROUGH THE PACES After taking the rifle out of the box and running a dry patch through the bore, I mounted a Swarovski Z8i 2-16x50 mm P riflescope with a set of steel Tally quick-detach rings. It only took a few shots to establish a useable zero, and the first five-shot group I fired with Federal’s 140-grain Fusion load measured only .65 inch. As it turned out, that was the best group I fired with the rifle, but overall, for nine, five-shot groups with three different hunting loads, the Axis 2 Pro averaged less than an inch at 100 yards.
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The rifle balanced almost perfectly, right at the front guard screw, but with the moderately heavy Swarovski riflescope and a Silencer Central Backcountry suppressor, it was a tad muzzle heavy. Speaking of the front guard screw, right behind it you’ll find a recess in the stock for the magazine well. This is a flush-fit magazine that I found easy to load, insert and remove with the release button at the front that also fits inside the recess. The flush-fit design makes the rifle easy to comfortably carry at the balance point.
I think the bolt handle knob deserves some additional attention. As you can imagine, testing well over two dozen rifles each year, I cycle a lot of bolts. Some have simple round knobs and others have knobs in all manners of sizes and shapes, with and without grooves. I really like the bolt knob on the Axis 2 Pro. It was smooth and not overly large, and its shape just seemed to fit my hand perfectly when cycling the action. I know this may seem like a small feature to go on about, but the bolt handle is one of the main points of shooter interface with a bolt-action rifle, and I think Savage got it right.
I only had two issues with the test rifle. I got used to it after a few shots, but it’s worth mentioning that the cock-on-opening bolt was a bit stiff to open after firing. And about half the time, when closing the bolt to load a new cartridge, there was a bit of resistance at the halfway point. It was mostly noticeable during relaxed shooting from the bench, but when shooting offhand and running the action like I meant it, I could still feel a little hitch. However, it was never enough to cause a stoppage. The rifle never failed to feed, fire, extract or eject.
The shape of the bolt handle knob helps ensure purchase for positive cycling of the action. (Photo courtesy of Savage Arms) Though I tend to prefer a hunting rifle stock to have a more traditional shape, the stock on the Axis 2 Pro was very ergonomic and comfortable. I especially appreciated the small flat surface on both sides of the stock at the rear of the action. I am right-handed and like to keep my thumb on my shooting hand on the right side of the stock when I shoot, and this little flat spot provided a perfectly convenient and comfy rest for the thumb, where it can have swift and easy access to the tang safety.
Of course, I would have preferred a three-position safety that locks the bolt handle down when in the safe position. This is especially helpful with a bolt-action rifle that has an enlarged bolt handle. By being able to lock the bolt handle down you circumvent the possibility it might become snagged on something that could pry open the bolt while you’re walking with the rifle slung.
I know, I’m picking nits, but that is my job.
Savage intends the Axis 2 Pro to be an entry-level rifle, and at the suggested price of $599 it is a good-looking rifle that performed well. Based on the rifle testing I’ve done over the last several years, you’ll generally need to spend more than a grand for a rifle that will average less than an inch with three hunting loads. The Axis 2 Pro shot like it cost twice what it does. You should be happy to show one off at deer or elk camp, and just as happy to use it to introduce a bullet to a deer or an elk. If your Axis 2 Pro shoots like the test rifle, you’ll have no excuse if you miss.
SPECIFICATIONS: Savage Axis 2 Pro Type: bolt-action centerfire rifle Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested) Barrel: 20"; 5/8x24 threaded muzzle Trigger: Savage AccuTrigger; user-adjustable from 2 1/2 to 6 lbs. Safety: two-position, tang-mounted slide Magazine: detachable box, 4+1 round capacity Sights: none; Picatinny rail included for mounting optics Stock: polymer with Western camo pattern Metal Finish: Gun Metal Bronze Cerakote Overall Length: 40 1/2" Weight: 6.9 lbs. MSRP: $599 ACCURACY RESULTS: Savage Axis 2 Pro Hornady American Whitetail Bullet Weight: 129 gr. Muzzle Velocity: 2,800 fps Average Group: 1.21” Federal Fusion Bullet Weight: 140 gr. Muzzle Velocity: 2,546 fps Average Group: .69” Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X Bullet Weight: 143 gr. Muzzle Velocity: 2,888 fps Average Group: .92” Muzzle velocity is the average of 10 consecutive shots as measured by a Caldwell G2 chronograph. Accuracy is the average of three consecutive, five-shot groups fired from a sandbag rest at 100 yards.
This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
