I've heard that the Axis line is a bit cheaper built than the standard Savages, the clip is held in place by a plastic tab, etc. I don't think it's anything that would cause problems right away, but perhaps 20 yrs down the road? If I recall, the parts from the Axis line don't interchange with other Savages, so you're stuck with what you get. From my limited experience, Savages are affordable and very accurate out of the box... hard to go wrong with a Savage.
Have you looked at any Stevens by Savage? I was looking at a .223 Stevens and they're very affordable and easy to upgrade. Stock, action and barrel are interchangeable.
