For a bolt gun I would go with a savage 11/111 or 14/114, other than that you can't go wrong with an old Winchester lever action in 32 special or a Remington 7600, although the 7600 takes a fairly "positive" forward slide to close the bolt, so that could potentially spook your target. I might be wrong without doing a little research, but I think the browning bar might possibly come in a left hand version. All that being said, if you decide to mount an optic, you can't really beat the value for your dollar in a savage bolt action. I would go with the 14/114 with a wood stock, for around 500 on the EE. Lastly, if you're hunting inside of 125 yards, a 30-30 or 32 spl will take any game you're after aside from big bears.
Lefty Rifle Advice
- Thread starter jonny18
- Start date
Having fewer options is not always a bad thing. I know a lot of RH first time buyers that are overwhelmed by all the options. I could go on for days on this subject, but I will try to limit myself. Back when my brother and I were looking for hunting rifles (about 15 years ago) we wanted a detachable mag. The only ones were the A bolt's with the stupid hinged floor plate/det mag thing or the rem 700 (which only came in 3 chamberings) and you had to buy the Kwick Klip conversion that was around $100. So my bro had the money and bought a LH Rem 700 CDL in 30-06 with the conversion. A beautiful gun that puts meat in the freezer every year. I had limited funds and went the Marlin 336 in 30-30 route. Love it as I shot my first few deer with it. A few years later Tikka came out with the LH T3 and I bought one in 30-06. Now the Marlin stays in the safe and the Tikka is putting meat in the freezer. Before you say only truck hunters use det mags, my bro and I are prairie hunters and drive from bush to bush which we then push, and can be many kilometers apart. So after doing that many times a day, a few quick and easy seconds to unload a rifle with a mag or a few clumsy minutes with a rifle without is a no brainier. I shoot RH rifles all the time (usually when helping friends sight theirs in) and it just feels natural using a LH rifle. And as a previous post said that if you go the used option you can't be picky about caliber, because until recently you could only really get a few calibers (usually only 270, 30-06, and 300 Win mag unless a micro rifle or custom rifle). That is my experience as a lefty, you have to to do your own homework and choose what is right for you, but if you ever feel that you made the wrong decision and go a different direction there is always a lot of lefty's on EE.
Another nice option would be a Savage 99 lever in .300 Savage or .308 Win. These come up on the EE quite regularly and can readily be purchased for under $500. Most are able to be scoped and most have irons as well. They come in barrel lengths ranging from 20" to 24". I have two really nice .300's that are nearly collector grade and didn't pay more than $600 for either. I find the 99's to be very lefty friendly.
Ignore Sunray's 'advice', worst ever for a lefty seeking left hand rifle advice. Would you buy a vehicle that didn't fit you at all, that perhaps wasn't the right size or shape to fit in comfortably or didn't allow you to access and use it's features for some reason? Doubt it, why do the same with a hunting rifle that you will own and use for years to come. Dumbest advice ever...
Ignore Sunray's 'advice', worst ever for a lefty seeking left hand rifle advice. Would you buy a vehicle that didn't fit you at all, that perhaps wasn't the right size or shape to fit in comfortably or didn't allow you to access and use it's features for some reason? Doubt it, why do the same with a hunting rifle that you will own and use for years to come. Dumbest advice ever...
speaking as a "true " lefty, " ( that's left eye, left hand dominant folks- in other words you can't get much more left) and having been shooting since I was 11- I\m 59 now- u do the math. I've got a little more experience than most- and what's my major go-to?= a SAVAGE 99 in 308 Winchester, followed closely by a Remington 742- , and a win 94 in 44 mag- sunray is RIGHT- you don't NEED a special left handed job - if you get sprayed in the face, it's b/c YOU'RE CLIMBING the stock and got your nose too close to the ejection port. unless it's a bullpup = even my "big boy" is a browning bar in 338 winmag- about the only thing I haven't shot is one of those Russian pattern rifles, and that's b/c I have no use for the cartridge- and your left hand special will be harder( in other words you'll take a real bath) to sell should you wish to upgrade - most folks usually have some excuse for buying and upgrading- even my 1911 is a colt, not a Mitchell or a randall( mirror image)
the ONLY rifle I have trouble with is the antiquated right handed bolt( if sunray can call it backwards, we can call it antiquated) = even then, with the rifle mounted to the left shoulder, you reach over the top and manouver the bolt with your left hand- so all things are possible- as to the vehicle allusion, the answer is yes, esp if you live in the real world where you have to drive it for a living- that's the reason most of us drive chevs/fords and not dinos
now as to the too short stocked 22, go to Canadian tire and buy a slip- on recoil pad- probably the small size- about 12 bucks- the dead cheap one- and stick that on - I know, you're thinking a recoil pad on a 22- but it's NOT for the recoil- it's about increasing the length of pull and that inch can make all the difference
the ONLY rifle I have trouble with is the antiquated right handed bolt( if sunray can call it backwards, we can call it antiquated) = even then, with the rifle mounted to the left shoulder, you reach over the top and manouver the bolt with your left hand- so all things are possible- as to the vehicle allusion, the answer is yes, esp if you live in the real world where you have to drive it for a living- that's the reason most of us drive chevs/fords and not dinos
now as to the too short stocked 22, go to Canadian tire and buy a slip- on recoil pad- probably the small size- about 12 bucks- the dead cheap one- and stick that on - I know, you're thinking a recoil pad on a 22- but it's NOT for the recoil- it's about increasing the length of pull and that inch can make all the difference
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