Remington, Ruger, and Savage have all come out with low-end complements to their traditional bolts, and to be honest, I don't like any of them (the Remington 770 strikes me as especially bad compared to the 700). They usually come in packaged deals with crummy/barely-adequate scopes, feature detachable magazines of cheap plastic, and incorporate Weaver-type bases. My guess is that these guns are intended to look "tactical" (only available with synthetic stocks) and increase profit-margin by utilizing cheaper manufacturing techniques.
I assume the Weaver/Picatinny bases are meant to be more-compatible with the growing black-gun segment, but why the hell one would need a detachable magazine for his/her .270 bolt hunting rifle is beyond me. These things sold like crazy at my store this past Christmas, but I'm guessing most of them will be flooding the pre-owned market within a few years as the kids for which they were purchased move on to better guns or lose interest in hunting due to their sub-standard equipment.
While I'm sure the RAR, 770, and Axis are accurate enough (so long as one throws-away the complementary optic), the workmanship strikes me as poor and I'd rather own something I can be proud of. If you're looking for something your teenager can bang-around for a couple of seasons until he/she gets some common-sense, knock yourself out. Otherwise, buy a Mk-77.
