Savage Axis XP 6.5 Creedmoor 20″ Left Hand Package — Superb Hunting Rifle

Description

6.5 Creedmoor has become the default answer for a reason, and the Savage Axis XP puts it in a configuration that is genuinely hard to find: a true left-hand action with a threaded 20 inch barrel and a scope already mounted. Left-handed shooters make up roughly one in ten of the population and a far smaller share of the rifles anyone actually builds.

Why 6.5 Creedmoor Earned Its Reputation

The cartridge was designed around long, high-ballistic-coefficient bullets in a short action, which gives it a flat trajectory and very good wind performance without the recoil of a magnum. For a hunter that means confident shots at distance; for a new shooter it means learning on something that does not punish them. Factory ammunition is available everywhere and in every bullet weight you could want.

In a 20 inch barrel the Savage Axis XP gives up a modest amount of velocity against a 24 inch tube and gains a rifle that handles considerably better in timber and from a blind. For the ranges most deer are actually taken at, that is the right trade.

Specifications

• Model: Savage Axis XP, left hand
• Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
• Barrel: 20 in, threaded
• Action: bolt action, left hand
• Stock: black synthetic
• Finish: black
• Optic: 3-9×40 riflescope, mounted and bore sighted
• Configuration: XP package

A note on barrel length and 6.5 Creedmoor. The cartridge is often shot in 24 inch barrels and the published ballistics usually reflect that. At 20 inches expect roughly 80 to 120 fps less depending on the load, which moves the point of impact at 400 yards by a few inches and changes nothing at all inside 300. If you shoot past 500 regularly, build your ballistic data from this rifle rather than from a chart.

Why it is worth considering

• 6.5 Creedmoor, flat shooting with mild recoil and universal ammunition availability
• True left-hand action, not a mirrored stock on a right-hand receiver
• Threaded 20 inch barrel
• 3-9×40 scope mounted and bore sighted at the factory
• Black synthetic stock, built for weather
• One purchase rather than rifle, rings, mount and gunsmith

Who it suits

The Savage Axis XP in 6.5 Creedmoor suits the left-handed hunter who has spent years being told to make do, and anyone buying a first centrefire rifle who wants a cartridge they will not outgrow. The package price is close to what a bare rifle often costs, and the Axis action has a long record of shooting better than its price bracket suggests.

Ammunition, Optics and Transfer

6.5 Creedmoor ammunition is among the easiest centrefire rounds to find, in everything from inexpensive 140 grain practice loads to premium hunting bullets and match ammunition. For deer, a 129 to 143 grain expanding bullet covers everything on the continent short of the largest game; for target work, 140 to 147 grain match bullets are where the cartridge earns its accuracy reputation. The threaded muzzle takes a brake if you want one, though recoil here is already mild.

The supplied scope is mounted and bore sighted, not zeroed, so plan a range session before opening day. Manufacturer information is published by Savage Arms. Compare with the straight-wall 400 Legend and the 7mm-08 versions of the same rifle, browse our full Savage Arms range, or the rifle catalog.

All firearm orders ship to a licensed FFL dealer for transfer, and MAG5 Firearms will coordinate the paperwork with the dealer of your choice.

One practical note on left-hand rifles generally: resale tends to be unusually strong. Because so few are built, a used left-hand bolt gun holds its value better than the equivalent right-hand rifle, simply because the next left-handed buyer has so little to choose from.