Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum First Lefty Rifle - Input Wanted

Hey fellow southpaws. First time posting but long time browser of the forum. Im 30 and located in NC, have always shot right handed rifles, and want to purchase my first Lefty bolt gun. I come from a .270 family and primary target whitetail. A lot of my spots I travel to by boat and typically have to walk in a couple miles through the thick so I tend to use my equipment decently hard. I got a budget of ~$1200 for just the rifle.

Im currently evaluating the following rifles and could use some input from folks who have them or have shot them.

--tikka tx3 lite
--tikka tx3 roughtech
--christensen arms messa
--bergara b14 timber

I'm leaning towards a tikka as it seems to check all the boxes but the others listed have a few options I also like. Can someone tell me if the Tikka roughtech stock is actually any different from the regular tx3 besides the roughtech coating? The bergara seems like a nice option but man would it hurt my feelings dinging that wood up in the boat and scratches from briars and what not. I have the urge to hunt/target shoot suppressed in the future but that's not a huge deal at this point. I see mixed reviews on Christensen arms so unsure on them but a suppressed 20", 7mm-08 has caught my eye.

Any input is appreciated

I'd get the Tikka T3x lite, or the roughtech. The lite is way more economical than the Roughtech. The Roughtech stock is exactly the same as the T3x stock, but with a coating on it. If you wanted a coating on the T3X stock, you could paint it yourself. I bought a Roughtech stock on ebay for $79.99 with free shipping, but good luck getting one for that price now, and a left hand roughtech stock may be nonexistent.

For what you are describing, though, I'd just buy the T3x. The Bergara is going to be much heavier, and probably not even as accurate/precise. I wouldn't buy a CA Messa either, they are hit and miss. I'd buy a Ridgeline over a Messa, but that may just be me. I'd also probably buy a Left hand Ruger 77, or Winchester model 70, before any of your choices, besides the Tikka... Good luck with your decision. Also, good luck switching over to the left hand bolt. I much prefer a right handed rifle, shooting off the bench, or in the prone, and even hunting. Have just used the right handed bolts for too long..

I have a LH Tikka for sale, $800 shipped. Blued steel and walnut, 30-06, T3x Hunter.
Ok, Shameless plug over. Unless you want to buy my LH Christensen Mesa in 6.5 Creedmoor for $1250 shipped.
Of the two I think the Tikka is the better value. The Mesa feels better in my hands and looks much nicer. But the Tikkas just flat work and usually shoot superb.

That's a good deal on the Tikka. If he bought it, he could always try to find a factory tupperware stock for it. There's one on ebay right now for a little over $110.00 after shipping.

My rifle acquisitions have tapered off as I really have just about everything I need. But it's always nice when new left-handed models become available since the options are limited for southpaws. So I was glad to see that the Bergara B-14 Timberline was being released in LH models. I even exchanged some emails with Bergara customer service about them while I was trying to determine if one of them would be a good fit for my small collection. A quality 700 clone could be a nice rifle to own. That's why I was glad to see that Bergara recently added their Sierra model to the LH lineup. A note on the page says that they'll start being available in Q2 of this year:

https://www.bergara.online/us/rifles/b14wilderness/Sierra/

I think each of the models you're currently looking at would be a good choice. But I would add this one to the consideration list as well if waiting a little longer for it to appear is not problematic. EuroOptic.com has placeholders for the 6.5CM & the .308 but none in stock yet.

I have a T3 lite ss 3006 LH that I put in a B&C medalist stock. Rifle has always shot sub MOA....

I hunted with so many right hand rifles for so long that when I finally purchased a LH bolt gun, it felt awkward.


What part of NC are you from.....I grew up in robeson county.

The tikka lite stainless is the easy answer. I have a couple and they are drama free.

Many thanks odonata for Bergara link. I'll be checking out the Sierra. That said, the Tikka is the easy button here. It will do everything you ask of it without issues.

I have never heard anyone say anything bad about a Tikka yet. My friend has one and accuracy-wise, it is top notch. I think it is good value for the money & always a solid choice. Having said that, I shoot a left-handed Cooper 22, Sako 85, Ruger Mkii, Winchester 70 & a couple of Brownings instead so my personal Tikka experience is limited. The majority of my rifles are ambidextrous Ruger No. 1's & Winchester 1885's since I'm a goofy right-hander who shoots left.

Go find a good M77. There is an 06 M77 LH with a Leupold scope for $1200 on Gunbroker right now. Budget. Boom. Go hunt. Next thread.

Originally from New Bern area but now reside in Wilmington. Safe to say I have to travel a bit to hunt

Thanks for all of the replies thus far. I had a feeling the replies would be Tikka heavy and agree the tx3 lite stainless is an overall better option over the roughtech, especially being stainless steel vs blued.

That bergara b14 Sierra definitely peaks my interest but no 270 in the left hand model. I'm not a caliber snob but figured if I was going to make a change, I'd likely go with a short action - unless it was a Tikka because it was my understanding that the action lengths are the same for all calibers

For the tikka,

Check europtics.

They did have a rebate going on and the roifhtec on sale.

Woulda put in about ~$925 or so..

May have expired.

Also, I’ve gotten better deals than listed by calling in and ordering VS the website.

You could go old school cool. I never had issues getting these older ones to shoot well.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1041487479

I have a Tikka 270, stainless with the black upper ware stock. I would sell it for $725 shipped in the lower 48. Rifle is in excellent shape, would pass as new.

Sportsman's has a LH Tikka T3x .270 online right now for $930. Add scope of your choice and go hunt. Last new rifle I purchased was a Left Hand T3x Super Light, 6.5CM. Not crazy about the Tikka T3/T3x stock ergonomics. Just dropped it into a LH McMillan Hunter Edge I picked up here on 24HCF. 7 lbs 2 oz with a Leupold 1.5x5x20 on top and two god-a-grip cheek risers.

That is a great deal. I always laugh at why everyone thinks they need to buy new. Others are quoting prices of over $900.00 for the same rifle you have.

That Bergara Sierra looks great, but I assure you you won't be disappointed with a Tikka. Snowwolfe's .270 (shudder) (grin) looks to be a deal.

BTW, if you end up with an earlier T3 rather than one of the current T3X's, you'll likely want a Limbsaver recoil pad; one made a world of difference on my .308.

Like everyone said Tikka is the easy answer.

Personally I prefer an lefty Mauser, Ruger 77, or maybe the Winchester M70 and have all these models and am covered. I'm not a big Remington 700 or clone fan but do have one in 270win that's good.

If I were starting out all over today I would puck me up a Ruger 77 and Tikka T3 Lite in the chambers I desired and then an lefty Ruger scout rifle. Thankfully already did this and I'm covered for everything I need.

Theoldpinecricker, do you have a Ruger 338 RCM left hand m77? I always wanted to get one of those. Would make a hell of an elk rifle, or so I was thinking.

Yes I do have the lefty 338RCM and it is outstanding on backyard elk. I've got an cool little lefty Alaskan 338win that's nifty too.

Can you message me some info/pics on the Tikka you have for sale?

Mountain Tactical did a recent video series on every component of the Tikka T3. Very informative. Videos on their site.

Unfortunately, Beretta does not import every LH Tikka made, but still lots to choose from.

Can't send photos via PM. I'll need an email address or a phone number to text them to.

Truth... My "ideal" Tikka would be a Left Hand 6.5x55 T3/T3x Super Light. Which was cataloged on the tikka.fi website a few years ago. That was the rifle I offered to pay for up front and wait for it to come across on a slow boat. No response. "Settled" for the LH 6.5CM SL that I picked up from SW last year.

I put two deer in the freezer this past season with a 6.5x55 shooting 140gr Partitions. For hunting whitetails in the southeast, it is a pretty good combination based on the excellent results I've seen. Unfortunately, the global Tikka website has 27 different LH models to choose from in that caliber while the USA website only has one T3x model with a wooden stock. But when it comes to hunting deer, I have serious doubts whether any of them could tell the difference between getting hit by a 6.5x55 vs a 6.5CM so all is not lost. I do like a classic cartridge but 6.5CM ammo is more readily available if you don't handload. I don't need another 6.5x55 SE but if Sako ever releases a LH Bavarian 90 in that model, I might be really tempted to continue my habit of making dubious purchasing decisions.

Can you PM me please so I can give you contact info, I guess I don't have enough post to send you one

I tried, it said:
Enels57 is over their Private Topic limit.

Can you email me at ericnelson.nch+24hrgmail.com

I’ve had almost all of them and I have a mesa 7mm 08 now.

It shoots one ragged hole. The tikkas are good hubs as well.

Someone else committed to buying the .270

I still have the MESA and the Tikka 30-06. Both are new in box and I am selling for less than you could find them for anywhere else. Plus no sales tax.

For the Ruger m77 fans, what's the differences between a m77 and a m77 Hawkeye? Is the Hawkeye just the newer version or are their significant differences?

I appreciate you getting back to me. I have to ask, how do you accumulate rifles that you never shoot? I get so excited about gun purchases that I have to immediately clean them then head to the range lol.

Have a Mesa like Snowwolfe's. I'd suggest taking a good look at them. I like mine and it shoots very good.

Pretty easy actually. I have more guns than I need. The last five years I been more of a collector than a shooter. It doesn't help that we walk out the back door to deer hunt and our average shot is roughly 30-40 yards. Most of the deer I shot in the last 7 years have been killed with a MZ or a 30-30.
Since I am moving I am taking serious steps to sell of about half of my collection.

Hawkeye is the current iteration of the M77. Some early M77 MK II rifles were push feed but soon were dumped for controlled feed operation same as the current Hawkeye.

The Hawkeye has better LC6 trigger and some of mine are quite good. The MKII triggers are genuinely horrible, at least the ones ove owned. The fit and finish on the older rifles are far superior to the Hawkeye 77 but the Hawkeye proportions of the wood stocks are more trim and favorable IMO. All of them can use a good bedding job. Just my opinion.

I ended up winning a gun broker auction on a m77 Hawkeye 270 that looks basically brand new for $625. Still has original box and contents so we will see when it comes in.

Now to search for rings and an optic 👌

Appreciate everyone's input here

I like the leupold made "ruger" rings.

I was looking at those and the warne rings. The warne rings look more robust but a pain if you swap scopes, which I don't do frequently.

Nice score. I think you'll be pleased.

The Hawkeye has a more svelte stock than the MKII's. I think that's an improvement. As oldpinecrick stated, it will have the LC6 trigger. While the MKII trigger is not great out of the box, it can be worked to an excellent trigger and is reliable. There were some late MKII's that shipped with the LC6. Hawkeyes early on had a matte finish on the metal that was a little delicate/easy to mar which Ruger then changed to a more durable satin finish. Hopefully, you got the satin finish. MKIIs were polished metal. Other difference is the Hawkeye bottom metal/floorplate is steel with the Ruger bird engraved. MKII's had aluminum floorplates without any engraving, except on the stainless steel MKIIs, which have stainless floorplates sans engraving.

Look forward to you posting a report on your acquisistion and welcome to the campfire.