I'm as big a fan of the axis as you can find--have had at least a dozen of them but they eventually have all lost the barrel for an upgrade. I've done everything from improve the "as is" gun with it's notorious Tupperware stock (which to be fair has improved over the years, but still is a flex) as much as I can to basically a complete rebuild with only the receiver remaining. IMO, as a cheap budget gun for off-the-shelf accuracy and hit the field that weekend for hunting--there is no better deal from anyone.
There are IMO several "can't deny physics" aspects though which you may want to consider before showing up at the king of 2 mile competition with one intent on making the folks with expensive jobs feel embarrassed.
Using a light sporter barrel, as you ramp up the number of your shots and frequency those POI's are going to start walking as well as the harmonics are going to change somewhat. That's OK as long as you have the luxury of timing and spacing your shots, which is what I usually do and thus can get great results with the stock barrel. If you have a bore scope DO NOT look at the bore when you get a new axis--it's usually a railroad track horror show which may cause you sleepless nights while scheming about showing up Bryan Litz or the T-rex dude (he always reminds me of Blazing Saddles for some reason
) what's what with your axis.
Just my personal opinion--but what separates the axis from savage's more expensive 110 models really isn't all that much except one key area which I never see mentioned in the optimistic reviews, but the recoil lug in the chassis plan as well as the rear receiver screw which passes through the trigger assembly--essentially making the trigger part of the rear support column between the stock and the receive--IMO means the receiver can never be as movement free as a more solid arrangement like on the 110's on up. It's almost as if savage detuned the design to make the upgrade path to their more expensive designs more palatable. That the axis is
capable of amazing accuracy considering all it's feature's shortcomings is something of a mysterious miracle. If you're willing to baby-sit it's "moods" depending on the bore fouling, temperature and "just right" hold--it is capable of amazing consistency. And there is no denying the hedonistic appeal of showing up far more expensive rifles, but physics will catch up with it if you start taking fast-paced larger groups.
