Left handed Tikka and aftermarket vs other options

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I'm left eye dominant, right handed as well. I am super happy i did not learn to shoot lefty. Just teach her right, she'll adapt plenty fast and itll not even be a thought once she's an adult.
It barely matters in scoped rifles anyways. Pistols very much but a scoped rifle, nah.

I think this is a situation where things depend on the person and the only way to know is trial and error. I gave it some thought prior to posting this thread, and think the following reasoning is sound, but am open to having holes poked in it as I may be less informed than I think.

There are degrees of eye dominance. I have watched my wife switch dominant eye twice in a single range session with a handgun (right to left and back to right when I asked why she was holding the gun funny).

But there are also people who report a very rapid improvement in shooting by switching to dominate eye after a lifetime of doing it another way, particularly bows and shotguns. There is also value in being able to use rifles with irons or red dots both eyes open and not having to close one eye for close range work in high stress situations.

There is always enough right handed gear around to make deciding to try switching to her dominant hand easy if eye dominance is not as significant for her. However, going the other way is much harder and if significant the struggle might be enough to turn her off from shooting (particularly her, with her personality).

Plus, even with a scope, why use the eye that doesn't see as well to aim (as is the case with her)?

So, at present I'm inclined to set her up to learn on the dominant eye as I judge (based on gestalt/SWAG) that it is most likely to be successful and have her wanting to shoot. And if she ends up not liking shooting at all, I will not be left wondering if my being cheap was to blame.

 

[Marbles]

Some of this is to put my thoughts down incase someone else stumbles on this looking for information.

I greatly appreciate you taking the time to make recommendations.

Sako 90 has more safety features. I like that for a kid….and for an adult.

I’d just get this and deal with the thread pitch:

https://www.eurooptic.com/sako-90-peak-243-win-1-8-20-bbl-lh-carbon-fiber-picatinny-rifle-jrs90pea415-20

This will vary by kid, but my oldest at 55 pounds gets physically pushed backwards shooting a 223 prone off a bag, enough that I have to make her move forward every 20 or so shots to avoid the barrel resting on the bag, starting position is the magazine touching the bag.

I don't think my youngest is going to be meaningfully larger, so don't see anything with more than 223 recoil as viable.

I like the idea of the bolt release button (my right handed Tikkas all have one now). This is why I was considering the Sago 90 to start, as I agree it is a better setup for kids. I don't see the added firing pin block as meaningfully different compared to the physical blocking of the sear on a Tikka.

If money was not a concern, two Sako 90s would be my choice. But spending an extra $1K to give up the aftermarket support and flexibility of a Tikka doesn't sound worth it (no converting a 223 Sako to 243 or vice versa). Sako's in 223 and 243 will end up costing about $4K plus. A Tikka with everything to convert it between 223 and 243 will cost about $2,300 (I already have the tools). If she really likes shooting and cannot later learn to be good with my right handed stuff, than a second rifle might be required.

I could convert the 243 Sako to 22 BR for lower velocity and recoil, in theory the magazine should work, but it could also turn into a project that never works well. Plus added costs per round compared to the 223, which if I have my way will be in the thousands.