I seek the advice of the brain trust - Of lefties

[Just a dude in BC]

Good day All,

So I am mostly a lurker on here, and a relatively new member. That being said I am a fairly accomplished hunter (In Canada) and compete in shooting comps at a reasonable level; I am also a fan of reloading, and am subsequently fairly aware of calibers and actions and such. So I am usually a pretty good resource on calibers and rifles... However... I have a substantial gap in my knowledge when it comes to suitable bolt action rifles that come in left handed options! Because I am a righty.

A good friend of mine (despite him being a lefty) and I are planning a trip to Africa in the near future, and he wants to build a custom plains game bolt action. What left handed actions would you look at, that don't break the bank. I mean he would love a GMA or something, but then that is a trophy fee or two just in the action.

I am trying to convince him to build a 350 Rigby, because it would be sweet and would match his 416 Rigby. But he is not married to the idea of the hassle of finding the brass for it. Since he is not yet convinced of this excellent option, we are looking for actions that are either magnum or long in size.

Thanks all!

 

[Nevada Mike]

I have built custom LH rifles on LH Win M70 classics, Dakotas, GMAs, and Mathieu actions. I recommend the WIN M70 Classic for a good quality African PG rifle.

 

[gbflyer]

The Model 70 classic lefty’s are nice rifles. Very hard to find, they aren’t making any more of them. I WOULD NOT cut one up for a build. I have one, but it was an action only and I built it as original as I could expect for the 300 H&H bit.

There are a few Zastava lefty actions around if your friend must have a Mauser. I have had those as well. Good starting point for a build. Today… overpriced in my opinion.

For plains game, if I were going to build a lefty, on a reasonable budget, it would be a Tikka T3X. Buy the complete rifle and rebarrel/stock as desired. Or just buy one ready to go in whichever cartridge that floats his boat. The action is fantastic, reliable as anything you can buy (the Finns do not accept the in-field failures common to American manufacturers). If there is one mark against them it’s a detachable mag, but I’ve never dropped one unexpectedly.

Also there are the Ruger lefties. Again, he would have to buy one whole and tear it down most likely if it’s a custom only proposition.

 

[Altitude sickness]

There are two Sako lefties in the AH classifieds

 

[Fatback]

I have a couple of left handed M70. They are all very reliable and accurate rifles. They are hard to find but there are a few floating around if you keep your eyes open. I don’t have any experience with them but I believe Dakota and Montana Rifle company also make/made good left handed offerings. Also, Ruger has some good lefty options. I also own several of them and have been pleased with their performance. Hope this helps. Let me add, if you find something don’t hesitate to get it because a lot of times they don’t last long. Good luck in your search.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Granite Mountain Arms
Winchester Model 70
Remington Model 700
Savage 110

 

[BeeMaa]

If you are considering spending GMA kind of money you should take a look at the Blaser R8. Left handed bolt assemblies are easy to come by in the US, but I'm not sure about the availability in CAN. Looks like West Coast Hunting Supplies has a couple, but call ahead to see if they have LH actions.

 

[Philip Glass]

Good day All,

So I am mostly a lurker on here, and a relatively new member. That being said I am a fairly accomplished hunter (In Canada) and compete in shooting comps at a reasonable level; I am also a fan of reloading, and am subsequently fairly aware of calibers and actions and such. So I am usually a pretty good resource on calibers and rifles... However... I have a substantial gap in my knowledge when it comes to suitable bolt action rifles that come in left handed options! Because I am a righty.

A good friend of mine (despite him being a lefty) and I are planning a trip to Africa in the near future, and he wants to build a custom plains game bolt action. What left handed actions would you look at, that don't break the bank. I mean he would love a GMA or something, but then that is a trophy fee or two just in the action.

I am trying to convince him to build a 350 Rigby, because it would be sweet and would match his 416 Rigby. But he is not married to the idea of the hassle of finding the brass for it. Since he is not yet convinced of this excellent option, we are looking for actions that are either magnum or long in size.

Thanks all!

Look at the Blaser R8 Pro S. By the time people build a custom rifle they could have had a R8 with its functionality and versatility.

 

[DmacD]

I second the Zastava left hand action as well, for a budget friendly starting point. Perhaps a completed rifle in 9.3x62 or .300 Win Mag, that could be tweaked and polished to his liking at a reasonable cost.
There are a few around on the Canadian gun auction sites ( Kidd, Ward's, Landsborough, Switzer's) from time to time.

 

[R eight]

Buy once, cry once. Buy a Blaser R8 with a lefty bolt.

Less stress and probably less expensive than a custom build.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Several left handed 375 Rugers are listed on GB for $1200 or so. There might even be a 416 Ruger listed too. Buy one of these and you are in business and can spend more on the hunt.

 

[Nkawu]

Lefty here. I use Ruger M77, Win Mod 70 Classic, and CZ550. For a handy PG rifle I would use a Ruger M77 and build a lefty version of the ‘Hawkeye African’ that Ruger offer, probably in 9.3x62 or 318 WR. The integral bases are something I appreciate on a rifle.

 

[C.W. Richter]

There are two Sako lefties in the AH classifieds

That's the brand w/ the most LH out there-i always pass along the ads to a LH fellow hunter. He loves 'em. Many in 338 WM, but he could simply hunt everything w/ the 416 R!

 

[rifletuner]

I have a number of custom rifles built on Zastava M70 actions. They are good value in my opinion, though they need to work or a fair amount of use to smooth the action up. If you are looking for a classic rifle, the zastava is a great base to build off.

 

[KoadaKane]

In 2015 I attended SCI IN “Las Wages” and decided I owed myself a dedicated multi caliber LH rifle, in addition to my Weatherby LH Mk 5 in .300 Weatherby.
I bit the bullet(s) and bought a Blaser Classic with grade 5 wood. And…. .204 Ruger, .270 WSM, .300 WSM, 7 MM Remington mag, then added a .416 Rem mag Selous barrel. I didn’t look back.
I hunted with the .204, .270 WSM, and .300 WSM in New Zealand ( North and South Islands) in 2015.
I used my Blaser and the 2 WSMs in RSA in 2017 and 2018…on my bucket list and a Krieghoff .470 double on my Cape buffalo….
Sadly, my big game hunting days are pretty much done and time to let a few BG rifles go and concentrate on varmint hunting…
In MHO, the Blaser was an excellent choice; just add a RH carrier and bolt and you have the best of both worlds..(hands.)

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Good day All,

So I am mostly a lurker on here, and a relatively new member. That being said I am a fairly accomplished hunter (In Canada) and compete in shooting comps at a reasonable level; I am also a fan of reloading, and am subsequently fairly aware of calibers and actions and such. So I am usually a pretty good resource on calibers and rifles... However... I have a substantial gap in my knowledge when it comes to suitable bolt action rifles that come in left handed options! Because I am a righty.

A good friend of mine (despite him being a lefty) and I are planning a trip to Africa in the near future, and he wants to build a custom plains game bolt action. What left handed actions would you look at, that don't break the bank. I mean he would love a GMA or something, but then that is a trophy fee or two just in the action.

I am trying to convince him to build a 350 Rigby, because it would be sweet and would match his 416 Rigby. But he is not married to the idea of the hassle of finding the brass for it. Since he is not yet convinced of this excellent option, we are looking for actions that are either magnum or long in size.

Thanks all!

@Just a dude in BC
If you weren't looking for a magnum action I would say a left hand Savage 110 and put on a 1 in 12 twist barrel in 35 Whelen.
Loaded properly with Hodgon CFE223 it is equal to if not better than the original 350 Rigby and a lot cheaper to boot. The money he saves will allow even more game.
The 35 Whelen will handle any plains game you want to shoot including ekand and giraffe.
Bob

 

[GuttormG]

Buy a factory rifle in 30-06. Use what he saved for the trip.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Buy a factory rifle in 30-06. Use what he saved for the trip.

Agree. If he is price sensitive enough that “one or two trophy fees” affects his decision, why buy custom? No shame in a factory rifle. I used a left-handed A-bolt in 30-06 to take a lot of African game and it worked quite well.

Although, if he already owns a 416 Rigby, why buy a new rifle?

 

[Just a dude in BC]

Thanks for the responses all. For the record I have told him that his 416 can take everything. But he does have his heart set on a lefty plains gun in something a bit more unique. I will for sure look up a few of the actions considered here. Thanks again.

 

[sgt_zim]

I second the motion on Zastava. They have gotten a little spendy for what they are, but still pretty solid rifles. If he wants to really go custom, ditch the crappy Turkish walnut stock they come with and put a really fine bespoke stock on it, one with proper LOP and riser height. Mine cracked right in front of the trigger, waiting on a replacement stock from Boyd's (and yes, they actually make a LH stock for Zastava M70).

Zastava is a Pygmalion rifle. Never owned a CZ, but from what I understand, they are Pygmalions as well.