Channel fans and family — if you’ve ever stared at a Cabela’s flyer and wondered whether a centerfire bolt gun priced under a rusty Mosin-Nagant can actually shoot better than one, this is that question on camera. Here’s my unboxing and first-impressions range session with the Cabela’s exclusive Savage Axis XP in 6.5 Creedmoor — Weaver 3–9×40 package, TrueTimber Strata finish, purchased with my own money. This is first impressions + barrel break-in, not the full long-term / 1,000-yard challenge write-up promised as a follow-up.
Purchase note: Rifle bought with my own money from Cabela’s — still sealed in the original tamper-proof store tape when I opened it on camera. Neither Savage nor Cabela’s saw the video before publish. Package pricing, rebates, and finishes move; verify current tags before you buy.
Gear I actually use: SlavGuns Amazon. Precision bolt-handle / accessory upgrades (code SlavGuns on Anarchy-manufactured only): Anarchy Outdoors. Support the channel: join on YouTube.
Why this gun — and why 6.5 Creedmoor?
A few weeks before filming I was browsing my local Cabela’s and saw the flyer front and center: a Savage Axis XP complete with a Weaver 3–9×40 for $259 after a $50 mail-in rebate. That made it an obvious candidate for a challenge — can we get this thing to actually shoot a thousand yards? Before extended-range dreams, though, it needed sight-in and a proper barrel break-in. This was also my very first hands-on with a Savage Axis, so first impressions came with the unboxing.
Cartridge choice matters: a good deal of practical accuracy comes from the selected round, so I went 6.5 Creedmoor — modern ballistics and tighter tolerances — to give the package the best chance. Ammo on tape for the early groups: Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 140-grain ELD-M.
What’s on the Cabela’s Axis XP package
- TrueTimber Strata finish (preferred over the plain camo option in the lineup)
- Entry-level hunting stock — traditional profile, but the grip felt more upright than even on the higher-end precision-focused 110 Tactical I’d already reviewed
- Decent recoil pad and two swivel studs (sling or bipod — bipod went on for the range work)
- Action in the same family feel as a Savage 110; one-piece bolt handle with a knob I’d look to replace
- 22″ light-contour barrel meant for hunting — not threaded, so no easy muzzle brake or suppressor without gunsmithing (that’s reserved for more expensive models)
- Included Weaver 3–9× and rings — factory “bore sighted” claim on the package
- Simple single flat-blade trigger — not AccuTrigger (no safety blade like the 110 AccuTrigger guns)
- Tang-mounted safety that is plastic and feels flimsy
Break-in and first groups
Process on camera: clean before shooting, then a few patches after every shot for the first five, then after every five for the next 15–20. Trigger pull was heavy. First impressions on recoil: more than expected for 6.5 Creedmoor — lightweight gun, no brake. The “factory bore sighted” claim did not hold up; the reticle needed upward adjustment to get on paper.
After the first five and into continued break-in, extraction was a bit soft at times and the barrel got warm. Best early result called out on tape: roughly a ~1″ (just under) three-shot group, with the full five-shot cluster closer to about three inches while still breaking in. I flagged possible scope movement from recoil (marks at the top of the rings) and planned to re-check that before trusting the glass.
First impressions (honest)
- Recoil / weight: Lightweight hunting configuration — fine for the field, not ideal for long range sessions. You feel 6.5 Creedmoor without a brake.
- Trigger: Heavy, but not as horrible as I expected. No AccuTrigger blade in the way. I’d look at lightening it or swapping to aftermarket (Timney mentioned on tape as a path to check).
- Scope: Not bore-sighted from the factory. Typical hunting duplex / SFP 3–9 — okay in good light, not what I’d keep for anything serious. Clicks weren’t terrible; still plan to upgrade unless this stays a pure set-and-forget hunter. Double-check ring torque / movement after the first string.
- Action / bolt: Fairly smooth with some play and a pronounced half-cock-ish hitch when opening — more noticeable on a light gun. One-piece bolt handle/knob is something I’d change; Anarchy Outdoors aftermarket is the path I called out. Bolt removal is stiff (depress trigger + release, same idea as a 110) and feels heavier here partly because of the trigger.
- Stock float: Marketed as free-floated, but the channel gap is tiny and the polymer is flimsy — I could bend it by hand. Any barrel contact mid-string would trash harmonics consistency; that’s a watch item for the full review.
- Safety: Tang safety is convenient in concept; plastic feel is not.
Bottom line
For hunting, this package is not bad at all — and on first impressions it feels and shoots better than a three-hundred-dollar rusty Mosin-Nagant, as much as that saddens the meme. You’re buying an entry-level Axis XP with a Weaver 3–9, Strata camo, and a Cabela’s price/rebate story that made the 1,000-yard challenge worth attempting. Treat this as unboxing + break-in + first groups only; the detailed Savage Axis XP review (standard trigger, Cabela’s exclusive TrueTimber Strata) was promised as the follow-up once more rounds and the distance work were done.
Keep squatting.
Would you keep the Weaver for a hunting rifle, or swap glass before the first season?
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