Savages have a reputation for a heavy bolt lift. There is a world of difference between the bolt lift effort on my two 110's and my winchester model 70. Things you can do about it:
1. There are various aftermarket bolt lift kits which supposedly make it easier. One source is stockadegunstocks.com. How well these kits work and how reliable and durable they are, I don't know. And I don't know if they work on the axis.
2. While not identical to the 110/10 series, I believe the axis is similar in that a cocking button rides up a slot in the bolt body. You can dis-assemble the bolt and polish that slot. Just do it gently and don't remove significant amounts of metal.
3. Get a longer bolt handle or modify the existing bolt handle to accept an extension. Sharpshootersupply.com, stockadegunstocks.com, brownells, midway, and other suppliers offer oversized bolt handles for the 110/10 series. I'm not sure if they also offer them for the axis, but you can look.
4. Or, you can just cycle the bolt a lot while watching TV. It should smooth out some.
You may also want to visit savageshooters.com. They have a sub forum on the axis, plus stickies and specific threads about this issue.
