Hi,

I am looking into purchasing a dangerous game rifle. I was on the internet the other day and all I can find is the high end custom jobs.

Does anyone know of a rifle manufacturer who does left handed rifles in dangerous game calibers for a decent price? (IE: under $3000)

I am looking for something in the 40 cal range.

Buy a LH Winchester Model 70 in .375H&H and rebarrel it. That's how my .470 Capstick was built.
The only U.S. company currently producing a LH CRF in .40+ is Dakota Arms and they cost more than $3000 (that's American dollars).

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

Try CZ rifles they may make a left hand model in .458 or .416 and there reasonably priced and because of that there is money left over to trick them up. I have one in .416 and it is my favourite rifle.

Regards PC

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Well, I will step forward to bring you the bad news. There are few lefthanded offerings. Basically you can get a winchester model 70 claw extractor or a double. Doubles start at $6800. Model 70's start at $800, but at least you can get one in 416 remington.

If I were in your shoes, I would buy a left handed model 70 and have it rebarreled to your dream caliber and restocked. You can get that done for well under $3K.

Ruger #1 in .458 Winchester rechambered to .460 G&A. Half-way between the .458 Win and .460 Weatherby throwing 500 grain slug at 2,300 FPS. Uses .404 Jefferey brass necked up. RCBS makes dies. Total cost with caliber change about $700. Gun doesn't care which shoulder you use. Learn to reload fast.

mbogo,
Welcome to the forum. For what you are looking for you might want to try the Montana Rifleman at www.montanarifleman.com. They are coming out with their own actions. Their web site says the left handed will be coming out in mid 2002. I am going to have them do a .458 Lott for me. Their prices are reasonable and the turn around times they quoted me are great. I think they can build you a rifle for under $3,000 US.

WyoJoe

[This message has been edited by WyoJoe (edited 01-26-2002).]

It is my understanding that all the LH M70's are in .375 length action so you can just get whatever one is available and rebarrel. For a pure DGR, it is hard to beat the .416 Rem but if you are going to have a custom barrel, then either the .458 Lotts/Watts or a .404 Jeffery is just as easy. For a one gun safari, I still stand by the Queen of Calibers, Holland's .375 but if you are planning on taking two guns then one in one of the larger rounds are a better choice.

I have not heard any reports of LH CZ's. If anyone has seen one this forum would certainly appreciate a photo or something.

Mbogo,
I just looked at a pre64 M-70 375 with a real nice custom stock for $2395.00 that is one heck of a deal for this nice rifle...It is on Champlains web site rifle no. 252 in the Gun Vault section....If your seriously looking for a deal on a custom rifle then this one is the one to buy.....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Mbogo,

Champlin also has a *left hand* Champlin magnum bolt face action, new and in the white for $1,750. While you are in the Gun Room take a look. Easiest way is to search for "bolt actions rifles"...jim dodd

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"if you are to busy to
hunt, you are too busy."

LH CZ's??!!!!!
If they do make them, please let me know. Can't find any on their website.
I hope you guys are right.
Ken

weatherby used to make left handed rifles and if you look up wholesale sports in canada you can pick one up for around $2800 canadian. you will likely have to call them to find out about left handed calibres. good luck

CZ has not made LH guns, though they say they may consider doing so in the future. Weatherby isn't CRF. Win or one of the custom actions (Champlin, Dakota, etc.) are your best bets.

It does seem to me that it will be cheaper to buy a Win M70 in a non "safari grade" version, and convert it if you want something other than .375. You're paying a $500 premium for the "safari grade" stock, sights, and barrel band-- and the sights and barrel band are going in the trash anyway if you're re-barreling. Seems to me that all you're getting with the extra $500 then is a proper bolt face and magazine for the .375-size cartridges. That won't cost $500 for a smith to do. I'm having a smith convert a .30-06 to .458 Lott for me. Right now I'm waiting on an estimate. I'll post the price when I get it.

It is unfortunate that Win doesn't sell a LH .416 or .458. It would be very easy for them to do so, but I'm sure it's more profitable to make us leftys buy their $3400 "custom shop" gun. And wait a year...

Pertinax

To obtain a really powerful left-handed BGR at minimal cost, consider a Ruger #1 in 416 Rigby and boost it with handloads. A good rifle on its own merits and no fancy or expensive gunsmithing necessary at all.

I agree, as a lefthander, I consider the ruger #1 an untapped treasure. Get one in at least 458 win., and pratice reloading.
Good luck and good shooting

fla3006, eterry,

Have you guys used a #1 on dangerous game?

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

I have never hunted Africa but I have built several budget rifles based on the 98 Mauser action. A very servicable rifle can be built on a budget that meets your criteria. As I understand it you want a cheap, rugged, iron sighted, rifle chambered for .458 mag. Your criteria makes building from a military mauser action very easy. The bolt does not have to be altered and the original 3 position military safety may be retained and drilling and tapping for scope mounts is not necessary. The best and most economical mauser varient in my opinion is the VZ-24 czech mauser. The VZ-24 is considered by many to be the highest quality mauser ever made. They can be had for about $90.00 they are avaliable in Shotgun News. An Adams and Bennet barrel short chambered for .458 Win can be purchased from Midway for $96.00 a Shilen Barrel can be purchased from Brownells for about $200.00. I am not sure it is necessary to spend the extra bucks to buy the shilen barrel for an open sighted stopping rifle. Many people find the stock military trigger to be servicable but a drop in replacement trigger from Timney or Bold can be purchased from Brownells or Midway for about 35 or 40 dollars. I have a Timney on one of my mausers it is crisp as a new dollar bill and I think it is worth the money. My favorite iron sight is the Ashley Outdoors Ghost ring. It is fast and rugged and offers plenty of precision for shooting at stopping rifle distances. I have this sight as a backup to the scope on my mauser scout rifle. I find them to be fast, almost indestructable and plenty precise to ring the 200 yard gong all day long. The Ashley Sight set sells for $90.00 and can be purchased from Brownells or directly from http://www.ashleyoutdoors.com/. For a stock I would probably go with a synthetic they range in price from about $90.00 for a ramline which I have on both of my rifles to about $250.00 for HS precision. That brings the cost to between $400.00 and $665.00 for parts. Because this is an open sighted rifle It will need a minimum of gunsmithing to put it together. You will have to have the gun rebarreled and the bolt face opnened to accept the magnum case head. The action will need to be glass bedded into the stock. A parkerized finish is probably sufficient and costs about $75.00. As this is a stopping rifle and not a match rifle so I would probably confine action work to polishing and smoothing. I probably would not bother with lapping lugs and blueprinting the action. In addition some work will probably be necessary on the feedrails and magazine box/follower to get the big 458 cases to feed reliably. The VZ-24 action has a straight bolt which need not be altered for an iron sighted rifle. Many shooters especially left handers find the straight bolt faster to operate than a curved bolt. I am left handed and can operate the straight bolt as fast or faster than I can operate a left handed bolt. Without a conventionally mounted scope in the way I can reach my left hand across the top of the reciever and grasp the bolt with my left index finger open it up to eject the spent round and slam it closed. I find this to be just as fast as a left handed action. Right handed shooters like using the straight bolt on my rifle as well. Gunsmithing should run in the $350.00 to $450.00 range. This is probably more information than you wanted but the bottom line is a tough and reliable working gun that can be used by left or right handed shooters for some where between $750.00 and $1000.00 parts and labor.
Good luck and good shooting,
Jeff Collins

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The true measure of a hunters skill is not the size of the trophy but rather the length of the shot with the greater measure of skill being the shorter shot...and the greatest measure of skill being the shorter hike back to camp---Jeff Cooper

I can feel my butt pucker as the reamer gets close, but I'm going to mention this anyway.

First, while you CAN convert a "short magnum" action Model 70 to .375 H&H or .416 RM or a long magnum round, it requires changing out several parts and grinding on the rear receiver bridge. Once this is done you will need scope mounts with the .330" hole spacing. There are enough of those around to not be a problem, but your options are limited a bit. This changeover can certainly be done by a GOOD gunsmith, and I know of several. I also know of several whom I would not even think of allowing to do something like this. Plus

I have one of those LH Winchester custom Shop rifles, a stainless M70 in .375 H&H. It shoots absolutely great, honest 1/2 inch groups on occasion and almost never straying larger than the .8's or .9's, this with Hornady or Swift 270 grain bullets. BUT, it has this annoying habit of binding the bolt when I work it from the shoulder. I know, it is user error, but one tends to push upwards on the bolt as well as forward when you close it. Doing so jams it tight. I mean it won't budge. All you have to do is release it a bit and push it straight in and it slides in just fine. Again, BUT - the only time I would need to work the bolt quickly is when some nasty beast is closing down on me. A time when an excited operator is MOST likely to work that bolt in a hurry.
I'm going to take it to JBelk, who posts over on huntamerica, next month to see if this fatal flaw can be remedied.

Now, I was looking at two of my several LEFT HAND Remington Model 700's last night, an older one in .338 Win. Mag. and a new stainless one in .300 Win. Mag. On a whim, I put three loaded .375 H&H rounds in the magazine, put the rifle on safe and pointed it outside at the ground, then worked that bolt as fast as I could. First off, the magazine on "short magnum" Model 700's is perfectly long enough to handle my 3.6" long .375 rounds. Secondly, lo and behold, it fed those .375 rounds just slick as could be. Obviously they would not go all the way into the chambers, but when they were stopped that old snap extractor did it's job, and I was able to extract the loaded rounds and they were ejected well clear of the action. This was with heavy, loaded rounds. I did not have any empties around to see how far they would be thrown.

I tried putting sideways, upwards and bottomwards pressure on the bolt's as I fed the cases - nothing. They slid right in slick as could be. I tried lying on my back, holding the rifle straight up, straight down and all points in between. It fed and ejected those rounds each and every time with no binding or balkiness of any kind.

Now, I know, I know, I know. It is heresy to recommend this rifle action as a DGR. It has that two position, trigger locking safety. I believe that can be changed to a three position striker blocking one for under $200. Other than that, a 7mm, .300 or .338 WM Remington can be rebarreled and that's that - no other modifications need to be made to the bolt, magazine, feed lips or receiver metal. You can even buy a laminated stock right from the factory (grey only - ugly in my opinion, others really like it) that will handle the recoil of a heavy thumper. Might need a crossbolt, I don't know. Or McMillan makes any numer of excellent designs that they guarantee will stand up to .458 Lott levels or above with no additional reinforcing.

Mentioned this on another thread, but I was reading an old Rifle magazine and Ross Seyfreid had an article about Professional's Rifles. Stopping rifles in particular. He recommended several makes and models as excellent professional's rifles, among them a blued Remington Model 700 in .416 Rem. Mag. in a fiberglass stock. He mentioned that he had sent it to Brown Precision to "make sure it worked every time". Apparently they did just that.

Now if we lefties could find a plethora of decently priced CRF rifles I wouldn't even risk damaging my fine standing here ( )by even mentioning "M700" and "DGR" in the same breath. But we don't and this thread is testimonial to that so we have to do what we have to do. I know of many folks going back thirty years who went to Africa with M700's and lived to tell the tale. One doctor I know was rushed by a Cape Buffalo back in the early seventies and his M700 in .458 Magnum settled the issue nicely.

Again, I know the M700 is not the epitome of fine rifle building. It can't hold a candle to the workmanship of pre-war Mausers or even pre-was Remingtons. But ya gotta go with what's available. And they are widely available, and don't cost an arm and a leg to convert to a real thumper.

Now I will be regaled by tales of how the bolt handle is gonna fall off at the first shot, that is if the extractor doesn't break right off. But somehow my well worn .338 has lasted a few years under heavy recoil and managed to keep it's original handle and extractor. As have each of my other M700's.

So let me repeat, NO, it wouldn't be my first choice either. But my first choice, a real military M98 in left hand action was never, ever made except by small, independent gunsmiths for absolutely exorbitant prices. And my second choice, a LH Dakota 76 is currently made but again at absolutely exorbitant prices.

Anyway, it's a thought.

Okay, here I am thinking of .375 H&H length cartridges and have totally forgotten about big thumpers based on the short magnum length.

Right now, this very day, Winchester is again shipping LH Model 70's with magnum bolt faces. One of these could be converted to a .458 Magnum by simply rebarreling. Or a .416 Taylor or a bunch of other good thumpers.

This would make an excellent DGR. That is, if the bolt closes like it should.