Question for leftys

[cody21peterson]

So I have been hunting archery only the last 8 years but I want to dive into rifle hunting this year. I haven’t hunted with a rifle in about 15 years. I’m a left handed shooter. I have been doing a lot of research and it seems left handed rifles are pretty hard to come by. I’m looking for a good rifle that’s light enough to take on a backpack hunt. The sig cross with the foldable stock is very appealing to me but it’s right hand only. Same with the new bergara mglite. As a left handed shooter, would it be wise to stay away from a right handed gun?


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[LookinforDirt]

I wouldn’t necessarily advise to stay away from right handed bolt rifles. A lefty can be proficient with one. There is a safety aspect to a lefty sticking to left handed guns. But if I find a deal on a used rifle I’m interested in that’s right handed I’d buy it. Rifles I plan on splitting time on with my son, I buy right handed. I like old military rifles and righty is all they made for those.

I specifically sought out a left handed rifle when buying new and looking for something just for me. A rifle I planned on being my go to rifle, It is much more pleasurable and efficient to shoot a rifle designed for you and not a compromise. I decided on my caliber, roughy what I wanted to spend and then went to manufacturer websites and searched for their lefty offerings. It helps to be more open to brands, calibers, features and price. If you can’t get something you’re happy with, consider custom, building, or see if aftermarket options can make it what you want.

 

[HOT ROD]

Look at Tikka t3 I am a lefty and have 3 of them and all 3 shoots very well.

 

[SouthPaw]

Plenty of lefty options out there. Tikka, browning, winchester, savage, etc. Sure, we dont have nearly the options of righties and some of the specialty offerings aren't made lefty, but I wouldn't shoot a right handed gun just to get some options. Buy a left handed gun and modify it to your liking. It may be hard to find a brand new one right now, but they pop up on classifieds almost daily.

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[trailblazer75]

I bought a left handed rifle last year after having shot right handed guns for my entire life (32 years...). I wound up selling it because I couldn't for the life of me remember to pull my hand off the grip to work the bolt. For me, it seems like I can work most bolt guns with my support hand without breaking cheek weld and firing hand grip.
Simple take my finger off the trigger, work the bolt with the right hand and get back to work.

 

[Jhy]

At 51 I’m waiting for my first lefty bolt action ever. It’s not a big deal to shoot a right handed rifle. Only issue I have ever had is on some guns the bolt can come out of battery if it doesn’t lock and catches on clothing. I own a fair number of guns and they are either top tang safety or I have converted the safety to LH if kits available. You just get used to this right hand world….I’m waiting for a LH Tikka t3 lite in 30.06.

 

[cody21peterson]

From a hunting standpoint I could see one disadvantage trying to reload if you were shooting off-hand but I’ve watched hunting videos of guys shooting from a rested position and they just use their right hand to reload.


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[Mighty Mouse]

The safety selector is ambidextrous on the Sig Cross, so that's a plus. The bolt is still on the right, which isn't ideal for a lefty but you would get used to it.

I started out hunting with a hand-me-down right-handed Remington Model 7 before switching to a left-handed Browning A-Bolt. A LH bolt feels natural to me now, but I'd also be fine hunting with a RH gun...follow-up shots might be a hair slower.

 

[sram9102]

I have owned both right and left handed rifles. You can get proficient at quickly running the bolt on a RH gun but your not going to keep your sight picture. I was interested in the Cross originally but ended up with a tikka in a XLR chassis for the folding option. In my opinion it's worth the wait to find something that's left handed rather than working on shooting right handed guns.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've shot RH bolt guns my entire life. That was never an issue while hunting and I always shot free hand and cycling the bolt with my left hand. There have been more than a few times where I've put multiple bullets into animals in rapid succession. At this point, it's such second nature that I wouldn't even know what to do with a LH bolt gun.

 

[gbflyer]

Right bolt / right port is nice for a lefty off a bench or really any other rest position. Left bolt / right port is a thing of beauty in that scenario. I prefer left/left in a sporting rifle for better offhand performance. Lefty everything, probably wouldn’t miss my right side very much, lol.

 

[cody21peterson]

I have owned both right and left handed rifles. You can get proficient at quickly running the bolt on a RH gun but your not going to keep your sight picture. I was interested in the Cross originally but ended up with a tikka in a XLR chassis for the folding option. In my opinion it's worth the wait to find something that's left handed rather than working on shooting right handed guns.

I have definitely thought about doing that. How long did it take to get your XLR? Do you think I could build it all and keep it under $2K?


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[sram9102]

I have definitely thought about doing that. How long did it take to get your XLR? Do you think I could build it all and keep it under $2K?


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It took a while to get the xlr but you could probably find a used one if you looked around. Cost for the rifle/chassis should be doable especially if you have time to wait. They typically have very good black friday sales. I don't know how light you are wanting to go but the aluminum would save a fair amount of cash. I have the magnesium and I don't know if the 6ish ounces was worth the money. I didn't attempt to build a lightweight rig and don't know if i would notice the difference.

 

[vonb]

I’m a lefty and have been shooting right handed bolt actions 30+ years. I own left handed bolt actions as well. I feel more comfortable with a right handed bolt action as that’s what I came up using.

I wished I had started with a left hand bolt action but it is foreign to me now. Screwed up as a soup sandwich I am.

 

[Jhy]

I’m a lefty and have been shooting right handed bolt actions 30+ years. I own left handed bolt actions as well. I feel more comfortable with a right handed bolt action as that’s what I came up using.

I wished I had started with a left hand bolt action but it is foreign to me now. Screwed up as a soup sandwich I am.

I’m with ya, 30 years of RH service weapons for work and only converting RH shotguns with LH safeties , rear tang safety bolt actions, I’m probably going to be lost….

 

[Hoosker Doo]

I couldn't commit either way, so I bought Ruger #1 single shots for my first 2 rifles, which have killed many and have had great accuracy.
Then recently I decided I wanted a lighter, synthetic gun for a pack rifle, and went with a Thompson Center encore to do a hobbit rifle build with a folding stock (about 7 lbs scoped and very compact). I'm stuck with single shots I guess. But it makes you focus on shot placement and putting it where you want it.

 

[Wyobohunter]

I’m a lefty
I have 2 Tikka T3’s that shoot very well. I’d never intentionally handicap myself with a wrong handed rifle. I learned to shoot on my dads right handed Sako Finnbear. It worked, until I tried something made for me. Now the thought of buying a right handed gun is about as appealing as sharing a toothbrush with a hobo.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Christensen MPP is another to consider.

 

[Centralcoastca]

When you say left handed shooter I’m assuming that you means that in addition to a bow you’ve also previously shot a rifle left handed? If so and it worked out good, get a righty so it’s easier to sell later, most lefty’s just adapt easily though sometimes it’s funny to watch (my daughter is a lefty). If it didn’t seem right find a used lefty since you might be able to get a better deal since there’s a little less demand and sometimes people get tired of sitting on a gun for sale. Just my 2 cents…

 

[LuvDog]

Tikka does a great job putting out lefty rifles. I will say that I just picked up my first left bolt action rifle and I'm over 50. I've had no problems shooting right handed rifles my entire life. We'll see how I do with a left bolt.