I’m so pleased with my Howa 1500 in 6.5 Creedmoor that I’m having a difficult time selecting a Savage XP II in 7mm-08. The Howa feels so solid and it isn’t a joke to say a child could shoot tight groups. My daughter who is 10 can shoot 2.5” groups at 100. She did it today and this season the first time shooting a center fire rifle. Mine are always under an inch without a vice. It is a very nice rifle.
I want to get a 7mm-08 in it, but could get a Savage XP II for $130 less. I could settle for somewhat less tight groups and maybe a little less solid of a feel, but would it feel a lot less solid than the Howa? How well do these guns shoot? Is the accutrigger crisp and does it feel solid in the hands? How’s the accuracy in this cartridge?
I’m all ears.

If your talking about the Axis II, the Howa is a better action. Really smooth bolt. The Axis is a good shooting rifle but not nearly as smooth functioning. Axis is accurate, I’ve shot 3/4” groups at 200 yds with handloads. I’ve had both. If buying again I’d buy a Howa.

I am talking about the Axis II and thanks for the comments. I am not what I would consider a rifleman. I like to hunt, but my new gun has me enjoying shooting as well. I’ve shot the Howa at 300 yards and tore up a gong with incredible accuracy. I’ve only put 80 rounds through it and thought I would like to add a 7mm-08 to share with the kids while shooting together. Both cartridges are lower recoil and worthy of hunting as well.
Accuracy and a nice trigger are what I am most concerned with in the rifle. I’m just don’t know whether being spoiled with the Howa would ruin in for me.

Just save up and get the Howa.

I consider my Axis II to be my best overall value purchase ever. Picked it up when Academy was offering them as part of a free hunting license promo and I was looking for something I could leave in my trailer and truck and not expect to lose sleep if it was stolen. A free floated barrel, owner-adjustable trigger with zero creep, overall good workmanship and made right here in the old USA. I liked it so much I purchased one of their limited run, 125th Anniversary Model 110's as an upgrade.

A few months back Savage got from under the Vista Outdoors umbrella when a former employee management team got the money together to buy it back. IMO, the story is much like when Harley Davidson employees bought their company back from AMF.

Took the hog below with my Axis II chambered in .243.

Savage axis are great cheap guns. As good as they come in the price range.

But howa 1500 is a nicer rifle, not even a apples to apples comparison.

I really like savage but if the price difference is $130 and you like the howa then get the howa. The quality will be there long after you forget the price.

If you only have a savage axis budget the savage axis will serve you well for a very long time. But you already have a rifle so unless you are looking for a cheap beater, given the budget for more, always buy as much quality as you can afford.

Howa>Savage

Howa 1500 > savage axis

When you start looking at other models in other price range it's not black and white anymore.

What are you saying?

My Weatherby Vanguard was made by Howa so I can offer you a good comparison between it and my Savage XP II. Both rifles have two-stage triggers but they're designed differently. The Vanguard has a one-piece trigger, while the Savage has a two-piece trigger with blade in the middle.

"The AccuTrigger is a functionally two-stage trigger developed by the Savage Arms Company in 2002. The trigger was designed for ease of use and the ability for end users to adjust the weight of the pull on the trigger.[1] The Savage AccuTrigger's "safety blade" design concept has also been later borrowed by other firearm manufacturers, such as the Pro-Fire trigger from Marlin's XS7/XL7 and XT-22 series and the Marksman trigger from Ruger's "American" series bolt-action rifles."

In terms of performance, the trigger on my Savage breaks as clean and crisp as my Howa or any other rifle that I own. It's also user adjustable. Still, I would check the feel of the AccuTrigger to make sure it satisfies you since it uses a different design. As for quality, the lines are just as clean and consistent on my XP II as any rifle I own. One area in particular that I've found to check on rifles with a free-floated barrel is the gap between the forearm and the barrel. I remember looking at the Mossberg Patriot and finding the gap was wide and horrible looking. The gap on my XP is as clean and consistent as that on my Winchester Model 70 which cost me about $500 more. That's the point I would definitely not overlook with the Savage. While it's true to call it a cheap gun, it carries the overall quality and performance of a more expensive rifle.

Just my $.02.