Tikka's are nice but expensive. If you can afford it (without taking away from your optics budget) go for it.

If you are on a fixed budget go with the Savage for $600 and get a $600 scope - same as the Tikka (rifle only). Just remember that if you are shooting lots a .270 will get real expensive real quick

Tikka's are nice but expensive. If you can afford it (without taking away from your optics budget) go for it.

If you are on a fixed budget go with the Savage for $600 and get a $600 scope - same as the Tikka (rifle only). Just remember that if you are shooting lots a .270 will get real expensive real quick

agree, 308, 5:56, 30-06 and then lesser used cartridges. I have a hunch that if god forbid you had to break into a hunt camp or home to survive, you would likley find a box of these rounds more than a 270. you would also likely find 50 or more 22 rounds.

If you want a rifle for Hunting/ and possible survival, I have to agree with the 308/ 7.62x51.
Easy to find ammunition. You can pick up a basic repoading kit on the cheap and stock up on some components.

Now, here is what you NEED. A rifle that goes bang every time and a scope Oed on a cold bore. This is for Hunting, so your goal is a single shot kill. Fit, finish and function beyond that don’t matter.
You can pick up old rifles in 308 or 30/06 for next to
Nothing. I have several old girls I paid less than 300$ for including scope that will hit the target every time, they may not be pretty but no rifle used in the field will stay pretty for long.

Find something that is comfortable for you to shoot and shoot it enough to be proficient.

Where did you find a 30-06 for $300? This was the main cartridge in my area when I was young. A lot of 300 mag now. I'd eventually like to have both for moose.

U.S. Special Operations Command has been testing the 6.5 mm Creedmoor in a new sniper rifle to replace the 7.62mm. Apparently the Creedmoor stays supersonic longer, experiences less wind drift and has better terminal performance than 7.62 mm ammunition.

The U.S. is apparently planning to replace the M4 and 5.56. They've found that with new body armor being employed, the 5.56 mm lethality drops to an unacceptable level.

U.S. Special Operations Command has been testing the 6.5 mm Creedmoor in a new sniper rifle to replace the 7.62mm. Apparently the Creedmoor stays supersonic longer, experiences less wind drift and has better terminal performance than 7.62 mm ammunition.

The U.S. is apparently planning to replace the M4 and 5.56. They've found that with new body armor being employed, the 5.56 mm lethality drops to an unacceptable level.

Wayne, so what’s the round they are looking at to replace 5.56?

U.S. Special Operations Command has been testing the 6.5 mm Creedmoor in a new sniper rifle to replace the 7.62mm. Apparently the Creedmoor stays supersonic longer, experiences less wind drift and has better terminal performance than 7.62 mm ammunition.

The U.S. is apparently planning to replace the M4 and 5.56. They've found that with new body armor being employed, the 5.56 mm lethality drops to an unacceptable level.

Wayne, so what’s the round they are looking at to replace 5.56?

As I mentioned, it's the 6.5 mm Creedmoor. I've never used this round myself, but the U.S. military seems to be impressed with it...

U.S. Special Operations Command has been testing the 6.5 mm Creedmoor in a new sniper rifle to replace the 7.62mm. Apparently the Creedmoor stays supersonic longer, experiences less wind drift and has better terminal performance than 7.62 mm ammunition.

The U.S. is apparently planning to replace the M4 and 5.56. They've found that with new body armor being employed, the 5.56 mm lethality drops to an unacceptable level.

Wayne, so what’s the round they are looking at to replace 5.56?

As I mentioned, it's the 6.5 mm Creedmoor. I've never used this round myself, but the U.S. military seems to be impressed with it...

I understood the creedmoor was replacing the 7.62!
So are you saying they are contemplating to replace both with the one round?

Some good logistical benefits if they did.

Clarence, I've read information from various sources. One was an article from Defence Review highlighting the testing of a PCP Ammo Polymer-Cased 6.5 SOCOM Lightweight Machine Gun Ammo. SOCOM is currently deploying this weapon as the ammo is 30% lighter than the 7.62 mm.

A Buddy at DARPA mentioned that it's expected to be an upgrade of the 5.56 mm for the reasons mentioned earlier. Testing has/is being conducted by the USMC and Army. They expect the changes to commence in 2020. The 6.5 mm Creedmoor is apparently the caliber of choice.

I haven't heard about the Navy's intentions, as they seem to go their own way (retention of the M-60 and Cobra for example). We will have to wait and see....

Clarence, I've read information from various sources. One was an article from Defence Review highlighting the testing of a PCP Ammo Polymer-Cased 6.5 SOCOM Lightweight Machine Gun Ammo. SOCOM is currently deploying this weapon as the ammo is 30% lighter than the 7.62 mm.

A Buddy at DARPA mentioned that it's expected to be an upgrade of the 5.56 mm for the reasons mentioned earlier. Testing has/is being conducted by the USMC and Army. They expect the changes to commence in 2020. The 6.5 mm Creedmoor is apparently the caliber of choice.

I haven't heard about the Navy's intentions, as they seem to go their own way (retention of the M-60 and Cobra for example). We will have to wait and see....

I wonder what that will mean for cost of 5.56 ammo and rifles! Cheaper or more expensive. Guessing ammo will become more expensive as the military contracts diminish and production shifts to others. On the other hand, a heck of a lot of surplus!

...wonder what that will mean for cost of 5.56 ammo and rifles! Cheaper or more expensive. Guessing ammo will become more expensive as the military contracts diminish and production shifts to others. On the other hand, a heck of a lot of surplus!

Good point Clarence. I'd suspect that the supply would be high with much lower demand. This would drive the price down, even for a short period of time.

As an aside, I purchased a 20 round package of .22 Hornet rounds last week for $32.00 it brought home the high cost of less popular ammunition. 5.56 and 7.52 mm continues to make a lot of sense as a caliber choice.

Ugh... the 308, 556, creedmore and so on argument. I don't know how many gun forums I belong to where this argument is brought up on a monthly basis. From a purely prepper point of view here's the deal... you can spend your money on the 308 and have a good rifle... you want it to perform extremely well it's going to cost you some bucks, simple fact. Is it a good round and decent rifle? .. yes it is... is it overkill for what you want to do with it?... very much... according to your own words... 100 yrds max. That .270 savage axis... you want it to perform like a high end sniper rifle... then buy the Boyds One stock and either do the trigger job or make sure you have the accu trigger in it when you buy it. The Boyd's stock can take that rifle from ok... to competition rifle in quite literally a few minutes, it is a multi configuration stock from hunting to long range competition and will still cost less than a stock .308 rifle and a decent scope. In the end though... your gonna buy what your gonna buy... regardless of what is said here. Choose the gun that fits your budget and needs... if you can't afford a much more expensive rifle as the sales guys always push then stick with that savage and you won't be disappointed with the money spent.

The Axis has a smooth bolt operation and it comes with dual-pillar bedding, The standard stock is composite and comes with a 22-inch free-floating barrel. The four round detachable magazine is adequate and this rifle may well be the best entry level rifle ever produced. It delivers sub-MOA accuracy out of the box.

For the professional Sniper hpwever, it's not up to par, but for the part-time hunter or amature competator it provides a real value in it's price range. For less than $500 you can have a good accurate rifle. A definite bargine at the price point.

Hi everybody

If you're in the north, I hope your winter is going well. If you're in the south, well, sorry, there just isn't enough room up here for everyone 😆

I finally passed the local long gun safety course so I'm hoping to pick up a couple rifles. For a long time I thought a Savage 270 would be a nice gun for deer but now I'm confused.

Sales guy at the local Big-Box outdoor store (Cabela) says, "there are fewer choices of ammunition for 270, like that may be a trend". Then tries to steer me toward a Tikka 270. About 50% more expensive.

I always thought a Savage 270 was a good quality rifle, but now their main seller is scope included for $600. Sorry that just sounds too cheap. The Tikka is $900 and obviously no scope. Scopes are expensive. So even a $500 scope + Tikka = $1400.

Has Savage quality been dumb-down? Would the pricier Tikka be a better choice?

Anybody know these 2 guns?
Thanks for any help
...and cheers everyone

Tikka is a high end firearm and Savage is a low to medium price point firearms manufacturer. Nothing wrong with either of them. Both manufacturers offers 1 inch grouping at 100 meters (which is pretty much industry standard these days. Not many manufacturers produce firearms without that guarantee). The price difference is in the manufacturing. Tikka is hand made in Finland and all wood stocks where Savage is a machine manufactured product in the US (some production in Canada too) offered in both wood and plastic. Look at it like comparing a Mazda 5 to a BMW.

I am a big fan of Savage firearms and has a few including an Axis chambered in 270. I changed the scope as the 270 has a great range and I wanted to use it out to 500 meters. I did load development for it so all my reloads are dialled in to the rifle. I am considering playing with the trigger as the Axis does not have an accutrigger (Axis 2 and up does) and I may bed the rifle for accuracy. However this is a hunting rifle so military long range precision is not required and it fits my hunting needs. If you are buying an Axis II or any of the above models you get a better precision stock and the better accutrigger and should not need any more work.

The 270 is a great hunting round for which you can harvest all larger animals in North America bar Grizzly's. It does have a kick to it as you are firing a smaller projectile with a much bigger powder load (my 270 loads are a 130 grain bullet over 62 grains of powder versus my 308 reloads which are 147-175grains and between 42-46 grains of powder). Factory rounds are expensive and unless you reload and have access to the 270 brass it may be costly to have any quantity on hand when shopping is no longer an option. Still a great choice and you can trust the Savage brand for quality.