Left handed bolt-action rifles

[spinmove_]

So hunting season is a little ways away, but I'm trying to start planning for it as this will be my first real time going and I need to get the time off in advance, if I can. That said, I've started looking at options for left-handed bolt guns as I'm left eye dominant and shoot long guns left handed. I've heard of some people just running right handed bolt guns as lefties, but I'm not sure if I want to spend my hard earned money on something that I just have to "live with" or if it would be better that I just get something that fits me.

That said, it appears that there aren't a ton of options for left hand bolt guns. Remington, Tikka, Savage, Ruger and Browning all seem to be about the only ones with offerings. Given Remington's reputation in the past decade, I'm not sure I want to really deal with a 700 that's just going to suck for me. I shouldered a Savage and it felt alright, but they only offer the left handed stuff with synthetic stocks that feel like crap. I haven't shouldered a Tikka or Browning yet. From what I understand the Tikka T3 is like the Glock 19 of the bolt action rifle world. I like that idea, but I'm not sure if I want to go with a synthetic stock or not.

Not sure what I want to spend on it just yet, still very much trying to figure out what I want to go for. Probably get it chambered in either .270WIN or .308WIN. 270 because my step-dad and mom have their bolts chambered in it, so commonality would be nice. From what I understand its a heck of a cartridge for hunting. 308 because of general commonality and practice ammo would be a lot cheaper.

Thoughts?

[SLG]

"I am not left handed."

So take this for what its worth. What will you be hunting? If a 308 will do it, so will a 270. So will a 6.5 Creedmore, which is probably what i would pick, if sharing ammo with your family is not an issue.

I'd take a Tikka, if I was in your shoes. The synthetics are nice enough, and don't warp. Does Tikka not make a wood stock?

[scott]

T3 hunter is wood. Handles really well and it's available in bunch of cartridges, even LH.

[Duelist]

What, and where, will you be hunting?

Will this be your only rifle ever?

[Frank R]

If you want a Tikka T3 in wood, there's a Hunter model (already mentioned) and a Forest model.

I've had two Tikka T3 Hunters for the past seven years. Great rifles, especially for the money.

[farscott]

I am left-eye dominant and right-handed, and it is much easier for me to shoot long guns from my left shoulder. I have owned LH Remington 700 rifles, and I was more-or-less pleased with them. There is no doubt for me that the new rifles are not what the older ones are. If I was going to get a LH 700, I would opt for an older used one. That being said, I would not go that way for a hunting rifle.

Since hunting is pretty much a single-shot event, I opted for Browning 1885 and Ruger #1 rifles that are ambidextrous. The 1885 is a really easy rifle to carry afield due to the very short action.

[spinmove_]

The game will be whitetail deer. The terrain, as I understand it, is semi open, a little hilly, and has some thicker wooded area. So it's a gamut of different possible scenarios. Will this be my only rifle ever? If getting bolt-action rifles is anything like getting handguns, then no, definitely not I would think, especially as I have an AR and building another soon.

Really I'm just kind of getting a feel for what the market looks like right now. So far I've just been able to narrow it down to what brands make lefty bolts. Figuring out which brands aren't complete shite these days is a complete crap shoot on the forums other than PF it seems as far as bolt rifles go. Here's how I'm seeing the brands from what I've gathered so far, perhaps you guys can set me straight.

Remington - Don't touch their rifles unless you're looking to go completely custom and are willing to do work on refining the bolt and action.

Tikka - Glock of the bolt-action rifle world. Hard to go wrong with them.

Savage - They make solid rifles, but they're generally rough around the edges. Seeing some QC issues as of late. QC issues anywhere near as bad as Remington?

Ruger - Decent rifles, but QC is a crap shoot. The Americans are rough around the edges, a la Savage. Hawkeyes and M77s are better, but still suffer from some QC issues.

Browning - Good rifles, leftys are hard to find. A-bolt is solid, AB3 is strongly based on the A-bolt but made cheaper? X-bolt is fantastic, but fairly expensive.

Front what I understand, any of these rifles, if they have no odd or out of place issues, will approximately shoot as precisely as the next. I'd prefer to have an American made rifle, but if the 'murican brands are just going to give me a headache until I work their issues out myself then I'd rather not have to bother with it. I'm looking for a good quality bolt-action rifle that won't break the bank so I can still have some money left over for some glass. Glass of course is a different conversation, but I don't think I'll ultimately need anything too ridiculously swanky.

I'm not going to be doing any long-range precision work with this rifle. I will not need 1/2 MOA groups from it. I probably won't be looking at working up handloads for this rifle for at least 5 years or more. My maximum range will probably be somewhere around 300 yds or so. I would like this to be a purpose built rifle (gives me an excuse to not use it for anything else, like getting into long range precision shooting down the road). Basically the gist of this rifle is "hunting tool". No more, no less.

[41magfan]

I'm a little bit "amphibious" (a few of you will get that) .... in other words I'm right-handed, but I shoot a long gun from the left shoulder.

For the most part I've just made do with right-handed rifles since LH bolt guns were pretty much non-existent when I was growing up, but occasionally I'll test the waters with LH models.

I have a stainless LH Ruger M77 Hawkeye in .270 that will shoot right at an inch with plain old Winchester Super-X ammo and the LC-6 trigger is nice enough that I've not been the least bit tempted to mess with it.

Of the guns you mentioned, the Tikka is the only one I've yet to test-drive so I'll get around to owning one eventually.

My advice; just get a Dakota 76 and be done with it. :^)

[spinmove_]

I'm a little bit "amphibious" (a few of you will get that) .... in other words I'm right-handed, but I shoot a long gun from the left shoulder.

For the most part I've just made do with right-handed rifles since LH bolt guns were pretty much non-existent when I was growing up, but occasionally I'll test the waters with LH models.

I have a stainless LH Ruger M77 Hawkeye in .270 that will shoot right at an inch with plain old Winchester Super-X ammo and the LC-6 trigger is nice enough that I've not been the least bit tempted to mess with it.

Of the guns you mentioned, the Tikka is the only one I've yet to test-drive so I'll get around to owning one eventually.

My advice; just get a Dakota 76 and be done with it. :^)

I'm also cross-dominant. Right handed, left eyed. That said, I have shot a right hand action left handed. Seemed like it was more trouble that what it was worth, but not entirely impossible at all. I'm just basically looking for things that I should definitely stay away from at the very least. So far Remington seems to be the only one that fits that description.

That Dakota 76 looks rather nice, but they don't list a price anywhere. Usually that means that if I have to ask how much it is, I can't afford it. Sigh...

[SLG]

Splitting hair's here, but I don't think the Tikka is the G19 of the rifle world. I think that sells the rifle short, as it is smooth and extremely accurate. There are features a Tikka doesn't have that drove me to m70's, but if I didn't already have my bolt guns covered, Tikka is what i would get. I see them more as the Sig of the bolt gun world. Not very expensive, fairly refined, very shootable.

I don't personally consider the brownings to be worth looking at, but that's me.

Nothing wrong with just buying a used 700 either.

I should know the answer to this but I don't. Are there no left handed Winchester M70's? That would be my first choice.