My knee-jerk reaction when we were presented with this rifle was:
“Why not just get the M&P Sport 2 or 3?”
They’re competitively priced and coming from the same factory… right?
Well... not exactly.
Like a lot of people who have been buying guns for more than a decade, I’m starting to outgrow sub-$1,000 rifles. I’m graduating into caring less about punching paper once a year and more about real-world utilization with suppressors, laser aiming modules and higher round counts.
On paper, the AXE line appears to satisfy a lot of those needs.
Let’s break it down.
Starting at the Muzzle: Gemtech ETM Flash Hider
The AXE ships with a Gemtech ETM flash hider.
To the uninitiated, it looks like an expensive A2 birdcage. But there’s more going on here.
Smith & Wesson acquired Gemtech back in 2017, so this muzzle device is designed to work out of the box with Gemtech ETM (Elite Taper Mount) equipped suppressors.
Unfortunately, I don’t own a Gemtech can so I immediately spun it off and replaced it with a SureFire SOCOM 3 Prong to work with my cans.
The GVAC Gas System: The Big Differentiator
One of the most unique features of this rifle is the inclusion of the GVAC mid-length gas system.
This isn’t a new concept. Gemtech released it a few years ago. The design is similar in principle to technology used in tank barrels. The barrel and gas block assembly act as a mini “bore evacuator” or gas evacuator, utilizing an extra chamber around the barrel to create a vacuum and reduce gas flowing back toward the shooter.
Why Does This Matter?
When you add a suppressor to a direct impingement rifle, airflow is restricted at the muzzle. That pressure has to go somewhere and usually it comes back toward the shooter once the bolt unlocks and cycles rearward. You can mitigate this with adjustable gas blocks but adjustable gas blocks often require tools, trial and error, and time to dial in properly. The GVAC system requires no adjustment. It does not alter the flow of gas entering the gas tube. Instead, it helps direct excess gases away from the shooter’s face and lungs without introducing additional moving parts or requiring you to count clicks on an adjustable block. Just throw your suppressor on and go.
How Did It Perform?
We tested the rifle: Unsuppressed, with a SureFire RC3 (low backpressure design) and a Wolfpack Disruptor 556 (traditional higher backpressure can)
Results:
-Unsuppressed: Very pleasant. No gas issues.
-SureFire RC3 (low backpressure): Also very nice. Gas was not a problem.
-Wolfpack Disruptor (high backpressure): A bit too much.
That last result wasn’t surprising as Gemtech recommends the GVAC system primarily for use with low backpressure suppressors.
The Barrel: Quality Where It Counts
The AXE shares the 1:8 twist barrel found in the Sport 3 and features an Armornite finish which is solid by all accounts. I went way too deep down a rabbit hole researching 5R rifling… and landed on this conclusion:
It doesn’t matter much.
What does matter is that Smith & Wesson historically has a good reputation for rifle barrels. This one is 4150 Chromoly Vanadium steel, Stress relieved in a Proprietary medium profile and includes a Nickel boron coated barrel extension. All indicators of a quality barrel.
Accuracy
In practice, the rifle flirted with 1 MOA performance using 77gr Black Hills ammo. With 55Gr PMC X-TAC, it consistently shot around 2 MOA. We ran our groups using a NightForce NX8 1-8x24F1 whose reticle isn’t exactly built for precision shooting. With something like a 5-25 optic, we likely could have pushed closer to consistent sub-MOA performance.
Out on the outdoor range shooting more realistic, minute-of-man targets suited for the NX8 we had no issues consistently ringing steel out to 600 yards.
For a gas gun under $2K, that’s acceptable performance.
The Rail: Midwest Industries Combat M-LOK
The rifle features a Midwest Industries Combat M-LOK rail with M-LOK in every position except 12 o’clock, Large anti-rotation tabs and Integrated QD sling points. It’s slim, comfortable, and easy to grip. Quad rail guys will cry about it but this is a “no extra pushups required” setup.
Receiver Set & Controls: Ambi Everything
The receiver set is mostly mil-spec except it’s fully ambidextrous and it accomplishes this without being flashy. One highlight is what might be one of the best offside mag releases in the business. Ambi controls often suffer from poor leverage or awkward implementation, but this solution feels intuitive and unobtrusive.
Lefties, take note.
Trigger & Charging Handle
The rifle includes: A flat-face single-stage trigger with around a 5lbs pull weight It’s slightly better than mil-spec. Perfectly serviceable for general shooting, though I did find it a bit stiff when shooting for precision. Smith’s adoption of the Radian Raptor charging handle is a solid choice and seems to be becoming standard for mid-tier rifles.
The Bolt
The bolt is Carpenter 158 standard stuff but the carrier is more interesting. It features a chrome-lined carrier with three ridges on the rear for anti-fouling and is MPI tested
This is better-than-entry-level territory and designed to handle higher firing schedules and dirtier suppressed environments.
It’s one of the more underappreciated components on this rifle.
Note: The AXE uses a Semi-Auto BCG that will NOT be compatible with FRTs or Super Safeties
Furniture & Backup Sights
Behind the castle nut, things are mostly mil-spec. Some of the Highlights are a Magpul endplate with QD sling point, the still-GOATED CTR stock and M&P-style pistol grip with interchangeable backstraps
You’ll either love the grip or hate it but it’s a standard mil-spec interface, so you can swap it if needed.
The M&P-branded backup iron sights are actually quite solid they are metal in construction and Flip-up, with a lever in the rear to fold them down. The rear sight has nice positive detents for windage adjustments and includes two apertures. No complaints here.
Weight, Pricing & Configurations
The Axe weighs in at around 6.6Lbs (Naked) and has a MSRP of $1,599 (in the configuration we tested) However I have seen it frequently go for sub $1,500 online, and can be had in 11.5", 14.5" or 16" configurations.
Who Is This Rifle For?
Left-handed shooters and those who already own or planning to run a low backpressure suppressor. Shooters who want a plug-and-play suppressor-friendly setup and dont want to deal with tools or the tuning process when switching from suppressed or unsuppressed.
Just mount your can and go.
If you’re new to suppressors and don’t understand the differences between low and high backpressure cans, we did a video on that a while back to get you spun up.
Who Isn’t This For?
Someone looking to host a high backpressure suppressor or Someone who wants full tunability via an adjustable gas block. With high backpressure cans, you’re going to get more gas and in our limited testing with the Wolfpack, after 5-8 consecutive shots it became a bit much.
Final Thoughts:
Suppressors aside, the overall fit and finish were excellent. We experienced zero reliability issues during testing across multiple suppressor setups. Accuracy is right where I’d expect it in this price range. With more magnification, I believe we could have pushed match loads consistently to sub-MOA. But I’m perfectly happy with the 2 MOA performance we saw using M193 practice ammo.
Overall?
It’s a squared-away rifle with an interesting gas system from a historically reliable manufacturer.
Here's the video of our experience:
