Left handed Rifles?

burblecut · #1 11-05-2010, 09:31 AM

I have a Noob Question here...

This is my first year hunting and my uncle gave me a browning .308 lever action rifle. Prior to my first hunting trip, I tried to scope it in, and I'm hitting the target at about 100 yards..mind you i'm not hitting it dead center. Possibly a result of flinching and the good kick the rifle has..still not used to it.

My question is.. Do I need a left handed rifle? What's the difference between them?? I'm a left-handed guy and all but I pretty much know nothing about rifles when it comes to this and I also heard that since I'm tall with longer arms, I may need somthing that will fit better?

Anyhow, I would appreciate some clarification and advice since I would like to purchase a new rifle next season.
Cheers!

AndrewM · #2 11-05-2010, 09:37 AM

You can shoot a lever or pump either way and you will be alright. If you were to switch to a bolt you would want to get a left hand one.

Did you adjust the scope or are you using the previous settings from the other hunter?

burblecut · #3 11-05-2010, 10:12 AM

Thanks for the reply Andrew.
I was thinking of going with a bolt action rifle too. Good to know!
Yes I was using the previous settings, however I did make some minor adjustments.

I was thinking of purchasing a bushnell magnetic bore sight, so I could fine tune it before next weeks hunt.

TheClash · #4 11-05-2010, 10:23 AM

i am a lefty but i have never shot a left handed rifle. i am as accurate and as fast as any of my right handed friends with a right handed rifle...however....the ergonomics aren't as good. when the time comes for me to buy a new rifle i will be going lefty...i am just hoping by then the rifle i want (xbolt) is available in lefty...if not i will go for an A bolt.

Tundra Monkey · #5 11-05-2010, 10:45 AM

Hey Burblecut,

I think the real difference is that if you get that 1/1000000 failure the rifle is designed to fail out the bolt. This essentially puts your face in the path that it's gonna take. Highly unlikely that it's gonna happen but it would sure suck if it did.

That being said I've used a ton of "normal" rifles without issue but my main rifles are all now lefties.

tm

AndrewM · #6 11-05-2010, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burblecut

Thanks for the reply Andrew.
I was thinking of going with a bolt action rifle too. Good to know!
Yes I was using the previous settings, however I did make some minor adjustments.

I was thinking of purchasing a bushnell magnetic bore sight, so I could fine tune it before next weeks hunt.

Sorry if I am reading this wrong but I think you may be confused on how to sight in a rifle. Once you are on paper, you do not need a bore sight. Shoot 3 shots and see if you can shoot a group. If your bullets are all over the place, I would suggest to practice more or try another rifle to rule out human error. If you can shoot a consistent group, then all you need to do is make the adjustments on the scope. If you have any questions on how to do this fire me a PM and I can give you my phone number.

bullrambler · #7 11-06-2010, 08:13 PM

Well burblecut, you are addressing two seperate things here. The first related to honing the accuracy of your lever 308. To do so will take some practice, time and patience. You could ask your uncle what kind of ammo the gun preferred, as many guns will shoot some brands better then others. Also, the weight of the bullet may make a difference too. Having said that, your on your way to enjoying some good experiences with your new-to-you rifle.

Now in relation to shooting as a left hander... I shoot left hand rifles and do so for the ease of reloading a cartridge with my dominant hand. Sometimes left hand rifles can be difficult to acquire in less popular calibers, but the more common calibers are easier to obtain now, then they were 20 years ago.

You will probably find the Tika rifles (made by Sako) to be the most readily available. You can choose wood stock with a blued barrel, a synthetic stock with a blue or stainless barrel; and even a good varmit rifle.

Another good quality left hand production rifle is Browning. You will usually pay a little more then a Tika, but they shoot well and are very nice production rifles... Browning makes about 5 models in left hand. The is the T-bolt in rim fire; Then there is a Micro usually intended for smaller shooters and smaller cartridges like 22 hornet, 223, 243, 7mm08 and 308. Then you have the Hunter, the Medalion, the Stainless Steel Stocker and a Semi Auto-loader in left hand. All of these models have the short action and long action calibers available. Browning is a decent choice if you can afford to pay a little more cash.

Remington, Ruger, and Savage all make a variety of left hand bolt action rifles with wood stocks, or synthetic stocks, blued barrels or stainless, and are usually available in the more common calibers.

Then there are custom rifles that can cost thousands of dollars. Shop around and if you know, or meet any left hand shooters, ask them a few questions and build your knowledge as you go.

Also, it's a good idea to get good scope mounts and a decent scope. These things go up in price all the time so if you get a good set-up now it will pay off in the long run because it's good to have a reliable gun and a good scope that will get you through some tough hunts.

elkhunter11 · #8 11-06-2010, 08:26 PM

Quote:

I was thinking of purchasing a bushnell magnetic bore sight, so I could fine tune it before next weeks hunt.

You don't use a bore sighter to do any fine tuning,you use a bore sighter to get your initial shots on the target.You fine tune by shooting a group and then making a scope adjustment to move the point of impact to where it needs to be.If you then use a different load,even if the bullet is the same weight,you need to shoot the gun again to verify the point of impact.

bullrambler · #9 11-06-2010, 08:32 PM

There are NO left handed designed lever guns.