For those looking to get out into the field when deer season hits, Savage has a rifle for you. Images courtesy of Savage Arms.
For more information, visit https://www.savagearms.com/
To buy a Savage rifle on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=savage<id-all=1&as=365&co=2&cid=605
To get access to the rebates, click on these links:
Savage Axis Rifles: https://sporting.myonlinerebate.com/11100/
Savage 110 Action Rifles & Rimfires: https://sporting.myonlinerebate.com/10898/
It might seem like deer season is a ways off but believe me, it’ll be here before you know it. Once it’s here deals will be in short supply. On the other hand, now can be a great opportunity for picking up a new gun at a great price. And Savage Arms has you covered. In addition to dealer discounts, Savage has a great rebate program currently going on for their most popular firearms, including some terrific deer guns. This rebate program is going to run from August 14th through September 25th of this year and will give you an opportunity to save some real money if you use the rebates. Here are the specifics:
- $75 rebate on Savage 14/114, 16/116, Trophy Hunter and DOA rifles
- $30 rebate on Axis, A17 Synthetic
- $25 rebate on Rimfire Bolt Actions (includes B.Mag and Rascal)
Let me state up front that I’m a fan of Savage rifles. As a practical person, I have a great deal of respect for a firearm that delivers what the manufacturer promises and does it at a reasonable price point. If you appreciate getting practical value for your money, Savage probably has what you want.
Which is Right for You?
The right gun depends on personal as well as geographical factors. Are you small, medium or large? Will you be hunting in the brush country of Upstate New York, the plains of Kansas or the mountains of Colorado? Is wet weather something you have to contend with? Regardless of your budget, Savage should have a gun to fit you and your needs.
Axis Line
The Axis series offers a lot of bang for the buck. The XP stainless steel variant comes standard with a mounted and boresighted 3-9X scope.
The Axis series is Savage’s value line. Current MSRP starts at $368 for one with a carbon steel barrel and receiver and synthetic stock. Weight is a light 6.5 pounds, which is great if you’re hiking up and down mountains to get to your favorite lookout. The Axis is available in calibers running from .22-250 Rem to .30-06 Springfield, including popular deer calibers like .243 Win., .270 Win., 7mm-08 Rem. and .308 Win.
In an earlier GunsAmerica article Minute of Angle Accuracy Out of the Box, the Savage Axis compared favorably with a pool of much more expensive rifles. Savage, of course, has always been known as the premier American rifle for accuracy out of the box, but it was a surprise to find MOA accuracy in a gun at this low a price point.
The Most Popular Options
The Axis line is offered in a wide range of variants, including in stainless steel, with camo furniture, with a suppressor-ready threaded muzzle on the SR model, as well as with the popular pink Muddy Girl camo for the ladies. For young hunters and those of smaller stature, there’s even a Compact model. And Savage hasn’t forgotten us lefties. There are left-handed versions of both the standard and Compact Axis.
The Axis II adds the excellent AccuTrigger to the Axis platform. Model shown features hardwood stock.
For those who are fans of the excellent AccuTrigger, Savage also offers the Axis II equipped with this feature. The AccuTrigger offers a built-in drop safety as well as the ability to tune it to a specific pull weight. For the traditionalists, the Axis is available with hardwood furniture in the Axis II XP line. The XP designation means it comes with a factory mounted and bore sighted scope and offers the shooter a ready-to-go system right out of the box.
Savage offers several of its rifles with the popular “Muddy Girl” stock option.
If you’re on a budget, the XP package versions are a terrific value. Savage buys the scopes in bulk and passes on the savings. For example, MSRP on an Axis XP is $407.00. That means your cost for a factory mounted 3-9×40 scope with rings is just $39.00 ($407-368).
Stepping Up
The flagship of Savage bolt action rifles is the Model 10/110. It was designed to match or surpass the performance of the top bolt action guns, and do so at a lower price point. The other models, i.e. 11/111, 14/114, etc., are all based on the same action.
The outstanding Trophy Hunter series of rifles comes standard with a scope mounted and boresighted.
It can get confusing, though. Savage has a plethora of models and series that can blur the line of what they actually represent. For example, the model numbers are 10/110, 11/111, 12/112, 14/114, and 16/116. The series are Classic, Hunter, Weather, and so forth. There may be one model in a series as in the Weather Series which is the model 16/116, or there may be a combination of models like in the Package Series which includes 10/110, 11/111, and 16/116. However, it’s not as complicated as it seems.
Savage rifles are renowned for their precision and performance, and they are built to the highest standards.
First, the numbers separated by a slash indicate whether the gun has a long or short action. For example, 10 is a short action and 110 is a long action. That’s it! So if you wanted a short action round like the .308, you’d get a 10, 11, 12, 14, 16. If you wanted a long action round like the .30-06, you’d get a 110, 111, 112, 114, 116. But you really don’t have to worry about that. Select the rifle that has the caliber and other qualities you want and you’ll automatically get to the right number.
The same holds true of the differences between models – 10/110 versus 11/111 versus 14/114, etc. The differences reflect different characteristics of each gun:
- Model 10/110: generally have heavy barrels
- Model 11/111: sporter barrel, Hunter Series
- Model 12/112: precision/target guns
- Model 14/114: the classic with nicely finished wood stocks
- Model 16/116: stainless steel Weather Warrior guns
But, unless you’re buying a used gun, you don’t have to worry about what the numbers mean here either. By selecting the characteristics that you need, you’ll end up with the gun that has the model number that fits.
Trophy Hunter Line
The Trophy Hunter line, which is a package series which means it comes with a scope and rings, is based on the Model 10/110, model 11/1111, and model 16/116 bolt action rifles. The Trophy Hunter is designed for the US market, and the International Trophy Hunter is for the rest of the world (and come with different scopes). They all come with the Savage AccuTrigger and with a scope mounted and bore sighted. There are basically five Trophy Hunter models (not counting the predator guns because, of course, we’re talking about deer rifles in this article):
- 10/110 Trophy Hunter (International Trophy Hunter) XP
- 11 Trophy Hunter XP, Compact, Muddy Girl
- 11/111 Trophy Hunter (International Trophy Hunter ) XP
- 16/116 Trophy Hunter (International Trophy Hunter) XP
Note: For all you southpaws, the 11/111 is available in either right- or left-hand versions.
One of Our Favorites
We shoot a lot of rifles here at GunsAmerica. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to sample a host of guns from the least expensive to the most prestigious. But when it comes down to getting the job done, we’ve found that Savage rifles deliver the accuracy you need.
To quote Massad Ayoob, “I’ve never seen the Savage’s bolt action reliability to function questioned by any authority.” Add in the AccuTrigger, which is as good as any factory trigger out there, and the exceptional accuracy Savage delivers, and you have a true winner.
We love to shoot and we love the fact that Savage produces such an accurate rifle at such a low price. You don’t have to be a hedge fund manager to own a sub-MOA American rifle.
Wonderful Opportunity
This is definitely a great time to buy a deer gun. You’ll find the lowest prices of the year and have the chance to get a great new rifle so you’ll be ready for the season open. And Savage makes it that much sweeter by offering rebates on some select new guns. Rebate coupons are available at https://www.savagearms.com/promotions.
To buy a Savage rifle on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=savage<id-all=1&as=365&co=2&cid=605
To get access to the rebates, click on these links: https://sporting.myonlinerebate.com/11100/; https://sporting.myonlinerebate.com/10898/
I have 3 Savage rifles, a 111, a 93, and a 25, and I love them all. They function well, have great triggers, and can shoot better than I can.
The 111 and the 93 both had initial magazine problems, but working with the factory cleared them up.
here here
will a trigger conversion ever be made for my poor axis 1….love love the gun, a trigger drop in would be great. willing to pay.
Get on ebay and search for Axis trigger upgrade and you can get a trigger upgrade spring and screw that brings the trigger down to 3lbs. for $16.00
Work great and not a cob job.
Just bought another Savage rifle, a 93 F. W.M.R., Canadian made. Love it!
In general, ILOVE Savage rifles. Very accurate, functional and very well-made. However, I owned a Savage model 93 in .22 WMR and it was almost everything I love about the brand until I loaded it up and tested it at my range. The magazines are cheaply made, stamped steel and would not properly feed the cartridges to the action. I tried modifying them with a small amount of success, but no matter how I tried to fix the problem would not go away. I was pissed! I have owned nearly twenty Savage rifles that had no quality issues whatsoever but this style Savage rifle has this inherent flaw in all the rifle magazines. I took the rifle to a gunsmith and he confirmed that there is no fix for this flaw. You can use it as a manually-loaded single shot rifle, with a little annoying glitch, but I gave up and sold the rifle back to Gander Mountain where I bought it and bought a Henry in .17 HMR instead.
I also found that the same problem is found in similar related models in this part of the Savage line-up. Beware of this and avoid the B- mag as well.
The model 12 Savage rifle is one of the finest shooting rifles I have ever used. It’s a real shame that the 93 models have a design flaw.
as do the axis series.. i use mine as a single shot..hate the mag….bad cheap a let down waiting to happin
all the guns are great ….girls stock is really attractive
I Purchased my first Savage in 1977 (Model 24C o/u)… I purchased my latest Savage about 2 months ago (Trophy Predator Hunter 22-250 with a 1: 9.25 Heavy Contoured Barrel.) There are a dozen Savage Rifles & Shotguns in between including a Long Action 110E .243 Winchester purchased in 1983 brand new off the shelf for $125.00 and an almost new 1962 (my birth year) Model 99 in a .308 Winchester purchased in 1982 for $200..(eat your hearts out). I can say from personal experience that before the Corporate Restructuring in the mid 80’s, Savage bolt gun accuracy was hit and miss. (pun intended) To say ” Savage, of course, has always been known as the premier American rifle for accuracy out of the box” is just plain B.S. There was a time when Savage Bolt Rifles were at the bottom of the heap, and for good reason…They have come light years since then. I am not a fan of the Axis. It has a terrible trigger, the stock is about as cheaply made as a Gun Stock can be , and it shows. Axis accuracy is acceptable but just barely, especially after the action heats up.. The Magazine set up is junk..Cheap Junk….And they are FUGLY…. $400 dollars out the door is a lot of cabbage for something that looks, feels & handles like something you might put under the Christmas Tree for the kids to “play hunt” with…On the other hand, I am a Fan of new model 11/111 series. Much sturdier Stock, (magazine snaps into place more firmly. The Revolutionary Adjustable Accutrigger, crowned barrel, Action so slick it feels like it’s running on butter. Accuracy out of the 11/111 is simply outstanding. They are almost boring to shoot. That being said, my latest Model 11 was over $700 out the door. Hardly a bargain. $700 used to buy you a Walnut Stock and a metal magazine assembly. I paid less than that for my custom Left Hand .308 Remington Model 700 Deluxe. (1990) Gorgeous Gun but that rifle took a lot of work to make it shoot straight too. I can’t help but wonder the what, where, and when happened to push these Companies into producing accuracy over aesthetics…Personally I’d choose accuracy every time. But wouldn’t it be cool if We could have Accuracy, Aesthetics and Affordability all at once? Yeah I know…Dream On….The Good Ole’ Days…