Left handed rifle help

[rmyoung1]

I have a nephew that is in need of a left handed rifle. Preferably in 270 Win. He’s a young kid but not looking for a youth stock model. What would you buy if you were in his dad’s or mom’s shoes?

 

[npaden]

Budget?

Christensen Arms and Tikka both have pretty good options for left handers.

 

[Steelsearchin]

Tikka or Browning, but Savage is also making lefties.

 

[rmyoung1]

Budget?

Christensen Arms and Tikka both have pretty good options for left handers.

Open to all options at this point in the game. I appreciate the suggestions.

 

[brymoore]

My left handed son started with a left handed tikka in 270.

 

[FairWeather]

I have been quite pleased with my lefty Savage model 11. My only complaint about it is the magazine design, where it’s just a bent piece of plastic that acts as the latch. It hasn’t failed me yet, but imagine it will eventually.

Mine’s a 308, though. Not sure if they made/make a 270.

 

[Brad W]

I got my son a Savage ultralight in 6.5 creedmore and it has been great. The accustock makes adjusting LOP and cheek rest height easy as kids grow, the rifle is very light, threaded for a suppressor and it is a tack driver. It is easy to find aftermarket items for savage actions. He has killed two bucks with it now (at 10 and 11 years old) and will honestly never need another rifle. They were having a big sale earlier this fall and if you can find one they are excellent rifles. People love to hate on savages but they check all of the practical boxes for me.

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

If my daughter ends up hunting when she’s older she will be getting a rifle with a suppressor so she doesn’t end up with tinnitus like me.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Any particular reason a 270 Win is preferred?

I am a lefty. I have had six Remington 700s, a Weatherby, and a Tikka. I will probably wind up with another Tikka, in either 6.5 PRC or 7mm PRC.

I am not a fan of how the squarish Tikka stock feels in my hand when I am carrying it.

 

[npaden]

Open to all options at this point in the game. I appreciate the suggestions.

I went through this and my son ended up with a Christensen Arms Mesa in 7mm-08 topped by a VX-5HD firedot.

That was 6 years ago and still hunting that rifle and happy with it. Shot 2 elk, I think 5 whitetails and a pronghorn with it so far. Never missed shooting at an animal.

 

[rmyoung1]

Any particular reason a 270 Win is preferred?

Definitely not married to the caliber. But you know… ammo availability, familiarity etc

 

[BAKPAKR]

Definitely not married to the caliber. But you know… ammo availability, familiarity etc

I would be tempted to get a 6.5 PRC instead of a 270. The bullet weights are similar to the 270 but the ballistic coefficients are better.

 

[Jbotto]

Ruger American and the Winchester XPR would also be some budget-friendly options.

I’m trying to get myself into a few lefties in the next couple years and I think I’ll be going the tikka route.

 

[blackbeard]

Nephew just got a lefty Tikka, 270 wsm, very solid. Shot the factory ammo good, really shined with reloads.

 

[Nuts]

For a kid I like the Ruger American. Its a good price point. The accu-trigger can be a good training point. My reasoning for not starting with a Tikka or Christiansen is simply kids are not as careful as they should be and need taught. Taught to be careful with a gun and not scratch it up or damage it. (Not gun safety)

 

[Mussgrass]

I am a lefty. I just use a right handed bolt action. No big deal, just like most everything else we lefties must adapt to.

 

[BAKPAKR]

For a kid I like the Ruger American. Its a good price point. The accu-trigger can be a good training point. My reasoning for not starting with a Tikka or Christiansen is simply kids are not as careful as they should be and need taught. Taught to be careful with a gun and not scratch it up or damage it. (Not gun safety)

Nothing against the Ruger because the few American rifles I have experience with have been very accurate, but there is not much you can do to hurt a synthetic stocked, stainless steel Tikka.

 

[Tmbrgost]

I would be tempted to get a 6.5 PRC instead of a 270. The bullet weights are similar to the 270 but the ballistic coefficients are better.

Aren’t the biggest coefficient differences mostly at the longer ranges? Like over 400 yards?

 

[Tmbrgost]

For a kid I like the Ruger American. It’s a good price point. The accu-trigger can be a good training point. My reasoning for not starting with a Tikka or Christiansen is simply kids are not as careful as they should be and need taught. Taught to be careful with a gun and not scratch it up or damage it. (Not gun safety)

This advice but add in a Savage as a possibility. Both are great guns to start on and learn to become a shooter.

 

[targetpanic]

For LH bolt guns I have both a Browning A-bolt II in 270WSM and a Browning X-bolt in 7mm-08. THey are both fantastic shooters with the right ammo. I would not hesitate to buy any LH Browning or Tikka in 308, 270 or 30-06 if ammo availability is ever a question.