Looking for a lh rifle

[wronghanded]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking around here for some time now trying to gather as much information as I can before I make my purchase. I'm in the market for a LH 300WM that will be used mostly for hunting. I want to get a good platform that I can use for long distance shooting in the future.

After doing a lot of research. I find myself getting caught up in the twist rates on the different rifles. I've read that 1:8 is ideal but 1:10 is all I can find.

Am I putting too much of an emphasis on twist? It seems that if so many manufacturers use a 1:10 twist then it must be just fine, right?

Any suggestions for around $1200?

Thanks

 

[dgarrett]

What kind of hunting do you do... Walking 10-12 miles per day, sitting in the blind... Packing a 12-14lb rifle vs packing a 9lb rifle may help you decide which is better. On the heavier side many factory offerings that someone can up grade are available, The sendero's, milspecs, police savage FCP, and so on. In the lighter more packable versions there are many... but may suffer a bit against the heavier types for your long range target shooting.... .. With 99% available bullets for the 300 win mag a 1 in 10 twist would be fine...With the trend of bullet manufactures making heavier and heavier bullets the 300 win probably isn't the best for shooting bullets over the 215gr or close.. the 300 rum or 30 NM size cases are better suited for them.

 

[wronghanded]

What kind of hunting do you do... Walking 10-12 miles per day, sitting in the blind... Packing a 12-14lb rifle vs packing a 9lb rifle may help you decide which is better. On the heavier side many factory offerings that someone can up grade are available, The sendero's, milspecs, police savage FCP, and so on. In the lighter more packable versions there are many... but may suffer a bit against the heavier types for your long range target shooting.... .. With 99% available bullets for the 300 win mag a 1 in 10 twist would be fine...With the trend of bullet manufactures making heavier and heavier bullets the 300 win probably isn't the best for shooting bullets over the 215gr or close.. the 300 rum or 30 NM size cases are better suited for them.

I would be looking for something on the lighter side since I wont be stand hunting. Are those rifles you mentioned available in left handed?

 

[dgarrett]

They are all factory rifles that were available in left handed models but may be a lot harder to find.... You might just go to a larger sporting goods store in your area and handle all the different models and see which one feels and fits you the best and are in your budget. Then check the classified and or Gun Brokers and see if you can save money buying used or ?.. Your idea and my idea of what is best for intended use may be worlds apart...

 

[wronghanded]

I was able to find the Montana Xtreme X3 and the Weatherby Mark V in LH on Gun Brokers. Maybe I will seek those out at the sporting goods stores so i can get my hands on them. On the cheaper side, theres the Savage 110 Storm.. what is the general consensus on those? Would I be better off springing for the more expensive X3 or Mark V?

 

[dgarrett]

I am not really up on those rifles...

 

[Sflutes]

I love my Browning A-Bolt .300 Win Mag Stainles Stalker, it is a fine rifle. I would like to try a Tikka T3 or Savage in a lighter caliber like .308 though.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=259157

 

[SilverbulletMAG]

This doesn't directly answer your question but as a fellow lefty, I would recommend you get used to using right handed rifles, if you aren't already. The lefty tax is real and severely limits your options. 99% of the rifles in my safe are right handed and those feel natural to shoot. Some needed stock modifications to get a good cheek weld but easy to address.

To your question - 1:10 is perfectly fine in a 300 WM. At that price point Browning has some nice LH rifles that are fairly light weight and meet your needs. Availability is hard to come by though. Weatherby also has some nice options and they are actually the only lefty rifles I own (various Mark V's). Higher price point with those and I'm not sure off the top of my head if their more affordable Vanguard series is also available LH. If they are available, that is good value there...sounds like those new Vanguards can shoot.

 

[wronghanded]

I have never owned or even shot a LH rifle. All of my shooting has been with right handed rifles. I just figured if I'm going to spend the money and buy a rifle, it would make sense to get it left handed. I guess since I'm already used to it, a RH rifle wouldn't be the worst idea in the world..

 

[sedancowboy]

As a left handed shooter by all means buy a LH Rifle for goodness sakes. I have 10 or more LH rifles and that is what works best. I can only imagine all right handed shooters shooting LH rifles.
Montana Rifle Co make fine rifles. I have several LH Savages and they have been good to me.
There are several options for Left Handed shooters without shooting a rifle designed for a right handed shooter.

 

[hunter67wa]

browning xbolt or tikka

 

[Oldschool280]

I have never owned or even shot a LH rifle. All of my shooting has been with right handed rifles. I just figured if I'm going to spend the money and buy a rifle, it would make sense to get it left handed. I guess since I'm already used to it, a RH rifle wouldn't be the worst idea in the world..

I shoot lefty and have only owned one left handed bolt gun and sold it a month later, there is just something about being able to see the chamber when cycling that i like, and the left side felt very very strange. For hunting i love a single shot or a pump gun as well.

 

[SMK1000plus]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking around here for some time now trying to gather as much information as I can before I make my purchase. I'm in the market for a LH 300WM that will be used mostly for hunting. I want to get a good platform that I can use for long distance shooting in the future.

After doing a lot of research. I find myself getting caught up in the twist rates on the different rifles. I've read that 1:8 is ideal but 1:10 is all I can find.

Am I putting too much of an emphasis on twist? It seems that if so many manufacturers use a 1:10 twist then it must be just fine, right?

Any suggestions for around $1200?

Thanks

Never assume that just because most of the manufacturers do it, that it must be right!

Most factory 243 Win rifles are made with 1 in 10" twist, which they know is far from ideal! 1 in 8" twist is ideal for cup and core 100gr+ boat tail bullets in MOST 6mm/.243 cartridges but, still they just keep pumping out 1 in 10" twist barrels for them! Remington did go with 1 in 9.125" twist years ago and a Ruger American 243 Win I just bought last week, came with a 1 in 9" but, a1 in 8" twist would have been better! My Ruger American Predator 6mm Creedmoor (.243 caliber) have a 1 in 8" twist, and it shoots 100gr and 105gr boat tails @ 1/2 MOA or better at 200 yards, on calm days.

As far as .308 caliber goes, my experience over the years is that in 30-06 and more powerful .308 cartridges, and using 180gr boat tail bullets up to 230gr cup and core bullets, 1 in 10" twist will work but, 1 in 9" twist is ideal IME, YMMV. I live in NE FL so in the winter we can occasionally shoot as low as 20°F, and at just a few feet above sea level. I do have several heavy barreled 300 Win Mags that still have 1 in 8" twist. That twist may be necessary for some monolithic bullets over 210gr but, not for the 230gr Berger and 240 SMK bullets I shoot. 1 in 8" twist torques the heck out of your rifle and hands, when shooting heavys without a bipod. Totally unnecessary for my shooting... It's 1 in 9" for most of my 300 Mags and 30-06s now, and ALL my future barrels for them!

 

[yobuck]

Well ive been left handed for almost 84 years and have been hunting for over 70 of them. And beyond that for 50 of those it's been strictly long range using heavier guns from a bench.
There simply is no "good" all round gun, so plan on having several.
From a bench, I actually prefer a right side bolt with the loading port on the left. So some of my guns are right handed guns for that reason, and that includes the ones I use for Prairie Dogs.
The walking around type guns are lefty bolts, with a few being Rem 700s, and a few being Savages.
As for twist, and even the cartridge, I wouldn't worry about that as id be swapping that out anyway
for what I want.
Do some research on Savage and Remage barrel swaps. Join the Savage Shooter site and ask some questions there.
If I were younger or starting over id probably get serious about a nice used lefty Weatherby Mark V, and that would be the foundation for cartridges like a 300 Norma, or a 338.
I do have a righty, in an 18# 300 Norma.