A .243 rifle question from a Southpaw

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penfold

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I'm looking to buy a .243 rifle. I had originally had my heart set on a true left hander which greatly reduces my options to buying new and limited budget. The new Ruger American is available for around £650 mark and pricing in a mod is as much as I can afford. I've a cz .22 left handed bolt which is a pleasure to handle so reluctant to go for a right handed gun.

However I'm prepared to go for a right handed gun if the stock is at least ambidextrous. The Howa I tried was a no go. Could anyone tell me what right handed guns out there have an ambidextrous stock? The only one I've found so far is the Sauer 100 Classic with polymer stock. Thanks
 
No experience of your situation im right handed but have you considered second hand i bet any left handed rifles are cheaper as limited interest
Good luck wth the search
Jake
 
As a fellow left handed shot, wait and find a left handed rifle. They are so much better to use. There are plenty of good options out there. If something comes up in a diffferent calibre then get a variation - although appreciate that is a pain in the backside. Most keep rifles for a long time, so the hunt is worth it.

just done a quick search on guntrader. There are 15 left handed 243s on there.

First one that popped up is a new left handed Ruger American. Second is a T3 hunter

Item Search Results
 
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Thanks for your replies. Of the 684 .243 rifles on guntrader the other day only 14 were lefties, cheapest being the new Ruger American. Despite lefties make up 1 in 10 of the population the market for l/h rifles is disproportionally small. My certificate is away for renewal so not in position to immediately buy. Just drawing up a list of possibilities at the moment.
 
I'm a leftie and lots of RH rifles are ok for me stock wise, you just need to try them yourself.

I've eventually moved from a mix of RH and LH rifles and shotguns to all LH. But it took years!

As Jake says above, a SH rifle is usually a better deal and it's surprising how often a LH rifle comes up these days - more so than in the past. A wanted advert on here (once your post count is up a bit) might be useful, plus trawling Guntrade and Gunstar websites.

Regarding price, if been lucky and bought or swapped to get cheap LH rifles and I've been right royally screwed over buying new with the LH 'surcharge'. So it could go either way for your.

My current LH centre fires are Tikka's (a 590 and a 595) I'd recommend them, with luck you'll get one for less then the Ruger American.

There are plenty of gun shops in the NW where you can try out rifles, so I'd suggest you have a mooch to the likes of McAvoys, Malmo's, Cheshire Gun Room (Bolton), even Bond and Bywater in Preston. Malmo's in particular has a good stock out on racks you can look at and have a hold of - different makes all in one place.

Sorry though my knowledge of Cheshire shops is a bit more limited.

Al the best,

hh
 
This site has the broadest selection of lefthanded actions.
http://lefthandedgun.com/left-handed-guns.html

If by 'ambidextrous' you mean a stock without a cheekpiece or bias then the Tikka T3 qualifies. These are cheap & plentiful secondhand. No bolt-action with a righthand bolt is ambidextrous. It's odd, but there are plenty on Guntrader described (under 'orientation') as such, so see whether these will do. :(
 
Well I would have a good look at Heym .243 SR 20 N Bolt Action Second Hand Rifle for sale. Buy for 800.

if you FAC is away most good dealers will understand and hold something for a small deposit.

There are some good rifles to look at:

ruger american
tikka t3
shulz and larsen
sako 85
sauer 202
heym sr20, 21 and 30
remington 700
mauser m03
Blaser r93 and r08

you will have to hunt and "bodgit and bang" may tell you otherwise, but most good dealers can find what you are looking for, but if new may have to order in. That takes time, but same for right handed, if you want slightly out of the norm. Most of us buy once and then hang on to a good rifle.
 
As a fellow left hander - please do not get suckered into a right hand action rifle - unless it is because you actually like/prefer using a right hand action - and because you already have stated you like your 22, I'm guessing not.
There are lots of left handed rifles around, you just need to look. Mike at Calton Moor Range is a bit of a left handed specialist and worth a chat with. Steve Beaty at Ivythorn seems to have them in regularly too.

More than happy to assist - drop me a PM if you like.
 
Thanks for all your help gents. It's much appreciated. Allan's Sako is spoken for but will let me know if sale falls through and notify me of anything suitable that comes his way.
 
Talk to Mike at Carlton Moor. He usually has a selection of lh rifles. All mine are left hand. Had right hand but clambering a round is a pain. So unless you are ok with cycling a right hand keep an eye out and get a left hand. They come up for sale here. In fact just after I bought my 243 a complete package came up on here.

Never 1 bus at a time. Always two.
 
As a left hander I carry my rifle on left shoulder. I took my right handed Rigby out last night. Bolt handle bangs into your kidneys, safety is also rubbing against jacket so could be pushed off. Another good reason for correct sided rifle.
 
You already know you prefer a true LH action (as do I). Don't compromise. Life is too short. There are several LH centrefire on guntrader, including a 308 Tikka 595 for 400. I would just get it in 308 and see if it shoots (1 for 1 243 for 308) - but if you are set on having a 243, I would have thought you could get it rebarreld in 243, then you'd basically be getting a brand new (excellent) rifle that is otherwise out of production.

I would say that fit is more important than calibre, but then I took up handloading precisely so that I would not have to worry about ammo availability and would be able to buy any rifle that fit me well. Your circumstances may be different of course - but don't let the tail wag the dog on this - get something nice that you will enjoy shooting and you will shoot it better!
 
Go through all the 243 on guntrader as some are actually left handed but say right handed in the descriptions! So there are more on there than people realise.... I'm sure countryman at Derby have a tidy tikka m590 in left hand .
As a left hander don't compromise and go with a right handed rifle.... youll regret it.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Contacted Countryman in Derby. Unfortunately they don't have a l/h .243 for sale. I'm sure something will turn up with patience and a touch of luck.
 
Don't know why I said countryman when I meant northallerton shooting supplies!!!.... they have a tikka m595 in left handed for 450 and they did have a nice sako 308 left handed for 495 but don't know if they still have it.
 
I use left cast shot guns and right hand rifles. Standard plastic stocks on my 700's out the box in the shoulder.

It is just what you get used to which I am quite happy with....

Tim.243
 
NAW! True left hand is the only way to go 'You know it makes sense Rodney' There are heaps out there and if you have to wait a bit longer to get one, you may have put by a bit extra cash to get what you really want!
I have cal .22 223 6.5 30.06. ALL LEFT HANDED.

BC..
 
Bit of an update here - I was up at the range yesterday to get to know a new-to-me (but pretty old) rifle - not directly relevant to this discussion (except to say that a lever gun with a straight stock makes an excellent lefty gun)...

BUT the shooter at bench next to me had a LH bolt Ruger American in 308 Win.

First of all, I could see he was struggling to load it, and (as public ranges are generally very friendly places) I asked if he'd like some help. The cheap plastic catch had fallen off the magazine. Beware of that if you do look at this rifle. Fortunately he had a spare mag, and was able to put rounds downrange. With factory Fed and Remington he was grouping about 2" at 100 yds.

Having established a rapport between us, and unhappy with his groups, and asked if I would mind shooting a group for him - which of course I was happy to do!

I managed to put 3 rounds of the Remington into about 1.5", with the scope hitting me in the face each time (my gibbon-like physique gives me an unusual length of pull requirement).

The bolt was MUCH nicer than ones I have handled in stores, so I assume that it soothes with use, and the plastic stock was comfortable, if rather short (for me). I didn't check the barrel for free floating. Feeding and extraction were pretty slick.

All-in-all - it was a better rifle than I initially gave it credit for (on the strength of handling brand new vice actually shooting).

600 quid is way too much for one given the crappy magazine, but if you can beat a dealer down to a fairer price, or a nice deal with some optics, then its actually quite a nice bolt action
 
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