I'm posting this in the African Big Game Hunting form because it seems most relevant to Dangerous Game. Moderators, please feel free to move it if you feel it belongs elsewhere.

I've been trying to collect in one place information on makers of left handed controlled feed rifles and/or actions for dangerous game and have come up with the following. I've added information where available and added some personal comments. Please fill in any holes and make corrections for any mistakes.

WINCHESTER 70 & DERIVATIVES
Winchester 70 - Now available used only. Long action. Quality control seems questionable at best.

Montana Rifle Company - Long & short actions. Sort of a cross with a Mauser due to the action ring to eliminate coned breech & extractor cut in barrel. Small & Magnum actions may come some day. Have read of concerns with weight of action & investment casting process.

Waffenfabrik Hein - Five action sizes ranging from 2.5" magazine length up to Magnum Mauser size.

Dakota Arms - Multiple action sizes. Out of Chapter 11. Will you get one before they re-enter bankruptcy if you order it? Quality seems to have declined since the death of Don Allen.

MAUSER & DERIVATIVES
Satterlee Arms - 375 length action. Titanium action (size not specified). African Magnum & Magnum Mauser actions (uncertain as to differences since African Mauser is large enough for the 505 Gibbs). Allows push feed of cartridge placed in chamber. Not sure how this is accomplished with a Mauser style action with undercut bolt & dovetailed extractor. One piece bolt available. Smaller front receiver ring than large ring Mauser.

Granite Mountain Arms - Short Magnum (308/WSM length). Standard Magnum (30-06 length). Express Magnum (375 H&H length). African Magnum (416 Rigby & 505 Gibbs). They look to be very traditional Mauser actions. Weight specs seem heavy compared to, say, the MRC actions.

Reimer Johannsen - I can't read German so I can't tell too much other than they have a left handed action.

Dumoulin - Standard & Magnum Mauser actions imported from Belgium.

Empire Rifles - 98L action made by Empire. 98S action is a Dumoulin standard action imported from Belgium. 98M action is Granite Mountain Arms African Magnum action. 98L & 98S actions are H-ring. 98M action is C-ring.

OTHER
Ruger - I'm not a fan of Ruger products but I won't go into the reasons here.

Browning makes a left handed A-Bolt in 375 H&H. I have used it to take elephant and buffalo with no problems. IMO they are dependable and very reasonably priced. I know some people consider the 375 very marginal for dangerous game, but they are easier to shoot accurately than the more heavy recoiling calibers.

I believe he said CRF. Isn't Browning a PF?

jsl is correct, The Browning is not a CRF, although I love mine (A-bolt)

Bought a LH Model 70 Safari Express in .375 H&H about three months pior to their demise. Did a forty dollar trigger job on it. That is one fine rifle. Maybe I got lucky, but it shoots MOA or less with my reloads and Remington 300 grain A Frames. I took game with it, one shot kills, from thirty yards to 300, including Buffalo. I love it and would never sell it. Quality control was high. I got a great one.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by corecpa:
Browning makes a left handed A-Bolt in 375 H&H.QUOTE]

I have two LH Browning A-Bolts in .30-06 and .338 Win. Mag. and they definitely are push feed. I really like the rifles but if the clip gets loose, it won't feed a new round into the chamber. It happened to me once, luckily it was only an Eland and the first shot was a double lung hit.

I was also under the impression, perhaps wrong, that Browning no longer offered a LH Browning A-Bolt in .375 H&H Mag. or was that only the BOSS equipped models.

It seems he has compiled a pretty thorough list (although rumors persist that CZ will produce the 550 in LH sooooomtime). I'd certainly like to hear reports from members who use any of the abovementioned actions including positive and/or negative experiences and how they dealt with those events.

BTW, even when I translate to English there is no place in the Johannsen catalog that discusses their actions. Am I missing something?

quote:

BTW, even when I translate to English there is no place in the Johannsen catalog that discusses their actions. Am I missing something?

Since I can't read German I was relying on a post made in the American Big Game Hunting forum. Check out Deerdogs' post in this thread.

I have had good luck with the MRC actions.

it so happens I have converted a local gunmaker/smith to putting together nice Africa hunting rigs. He previously did only long range precision rifles and tactical rifles, providing most or all the the surrounding police agencies with their SWAT sniper rifles.

he has recently entered into a deal with Cabelas to supply LH Africa set ups, and you can also contact him directly. He also makes his own stocks.

He makes the Africa models with all the bells and whistles, if you like, eg ebony fore end, schnabel, barrel band swivel mount, upgraded checkering etc.

he has made 4 for me and I was happy. With this type of custom rig, be sure to consider shorter barrel eg 23 inches, a lighter barrel, or an octagon, half round half octagon, engraved initials, and with this gunsmith, have him send it out to his speciality checkering guy, it comes out very nice.

Current turn around is about 3 months- I think he told me he has LH MRC actions in magnum calibers IN STOCK

you can look on MRC's site and see one of the rifles he made for me in 458 Lott, with its twin in 404J
my rifle on MRC site


HIS SITE

precision rifle & tool

I've also had very good luck with MRC actions. Randy Hengl of Territorial Gunsmiths in Hopkins, MN has designed a very reasonably priced line of DGR rifles around this action of which I have three. Randy takes the time to make sure that everything is put together the way it should be and stands behind his work 100%. He has a website, http://www.gunsmith.net that has details on his rifles.

Pete

You left out Serengeti actions. Although, they're actually MRC actions that get finished by Serengeti. The last time I looked, they were asking about $800 for them. Probably not a bad deal, considering they do some "refining" to the action and jewel the bolt. They deal with enough MRC actions that they should know what problems to look for and "cull" out the inferior actions before they put their name on it.

Charles Daly imported some left handed zastava mausers for a while.