I am getting ready to purchase my 16 year old daughter her first real big game rifle. She has taken two deer so far, one with a single shot .223 and another with my brothers mountain rifle in 7mm-08.

My brother is left handed and shoots a right handed rifle. Course, he has been doing this all his life. Since my daughter is really just starting out, I figured I might as well start her out with a left handed rifle. Not too many choices out there for lefties. I think the Ruger would make a nice choice in 7mm-08, but the X-bolt is lighter and probably more accurate out of the box and probably has a better trigger too. I like the simplicity of the safey on the X-bolt as well.

I am open to other suggestions as well. Wish Remington made the mountain rifle in left handed as that is the rifle she seems to like.

What are your recomendations?

Remington 700 Youth Left Handed 7-08..........

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/51950-55.html

Plenty of other places to find them.

And when she grows up, slip it in a McMillan Edge stock and rule the world!

700 lh youth in 7mm08 is perfect.

Ditto

X-Bolt for the very reasons you stated.

There are really no bad choices for left hand bolt actions right now. It sounds like you want a wooden stock?? Both rifles you have stated are great choices. If you want wood then the Savage with the DBM Model 14 is a pretty decent rifle also. And I rarely recommend Savage rifles, but that would make a good one with the magazine.

Stay American made and you have some great choices. Are you wantingt wood?? Or synthetic??

The CDL Remington is also a very nice rifle, I just like the DBM on the Savage a bit better than the Remington design of their magazine. The box magazine is very handy. I would like to see Remington bring that option back. Tom.

I agree with the above post. I would look at the remington 700 youth model. Since she is your daughter chances are she wont grow to much more but you never know. My sister only hunted a few years, with the 700 it is easy to just buy a regular length stock for your brother to use. I wish I had these choices when I started hunted. The only left handed gun we could find for my first year was a left handed 788 in 6mm. All other left handed rifles at the time were 300 mag, or 06 that was it. By the time I was 13 I wasnt afraid to shoot anything so I switched to left hand 760 in 30-06. I mean after all I was hunting in central PA what else was I suppose to carry.

Stick the lh youth model in a b&c mountain rifle stock and make your own.

Well, I guess I should have been more specific. She does not want synthetic. She thinks they are "ugly" I think the reason she likes the LSS Mountain is because it a lightweight, sharp looking rifle. So, I do need to find something in wood.

She's right....The Model 7 Youth was available in wood.

Ruger compact youth model in 7mm-08 fits the bill then. I handled a used one at the local shop the other day. Nice little rifle.

The problem with the Ruger is, it "might" shoot, but many don't. In my experience owning 9 of them, 2 shot well, the rest were 2-4" rifles, no matter what I did to them. Many are extremely rough as well. Jump on the Remington. I haven't had any that wouldn't easily shoot under an inch. I have owned a boat load of them. Flinch

Nothing wrong with how the new ruger hawkeyes shoot. All of my rugers shoot great and the new LC6 trigger is a big improvement over the MKII. I also think it is a smart move for you to get her the proper equipment for the job and start her off in the right direction with a left handed rifle. I myself am like your brother and shoot left handed but with 99% of my rifles being right handed. Its not a huge detriment as I'm sure your brother will agree. Good move though for proper equipment right off the bat for a yound shooter. I don't think you could go wrong with either of the rifles you mention, but I just had to clarify that the Hawkeyes are pretty accurate rifles in my experience.

Where's CH when you need him. I won't bore you with picutes of groups shot with my Rugers but Flinch must be the most unlucky SOB here. Ahh the hell with it heres the pics:






[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/002-8.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/002-7.jpg[/img]
Hawkeye 223 with 55 grain coyote load .600"

[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/Image029.jpg[/img]
M77 MKII 300 win mag with factory ammo .

I also work on my rifles like flinch does and have never had a ruger M77 I couldn't get to shoot good with proper load development and bedding.

Out of the 8 Ruger's I have owned only one..........a 264 Win Mag..........wouldn't shoot an inch or better. But after a free float the same ammo, which shoot 5-6" groups was down to 1 1/4" groups. Our own little Remington poster boy............Swampy would hate to admit that a Ruger can shoot good. Too bad really as there is more to shooting than a 700 !!!

In the past four years I have owned three Rugers, the first is a Ruger laminate compact in 7-08, very fast, agile, easy to carry and would shoot sub moa with no work needed other than barrel break in and the skill of the shooter. The second was a stainless Ruger ultra lite in 204 ruger, shot sub half moa with almost every factory load out there, the third is my Hawkeye Predator in 223, shoots half to quarter inch groups with match grade ammo and sub moa with most anything else....I currently have a Ruger M77 MK II on lay away in 204 ruger, I wanted something in gloss blue with a wood stock. I anticipate this will also shoot bug holes. Rugers are a firearms made to last a lifetime, classic lines in the standards. Will someday purchase a number one....for the more traditional side of my personality. You will not regret getting her a Ruger, anyone says that the Rugers cant shoot, needs to look at their marksmanship skills first.

Rem 700 CDL in 243 lefty or Hawkeye is how I'd go for a wood stock.

That CDL is nice, just not sure she would think it's too heavy. Heck I wouldn't mind having one of those in .243

A Ruger is a gun she'll be able to pass to her kids. Not sure you can say that for the Brownings.

I already know I am unlucky. You didn't have to rub it in Flinch

Browning.

Ruger if it was my daughter.

But then I'm an unabashed, self admitted fan of Ruger bolt guns. And I don't care much for Browning's bolts.

If the rifle is truly for her, the best thing you can do is let her pick it out. Let her make the comparison and come to her on conclusion. Yes I favor Browning over Ruger and Remington, but that is the conclusion based on my experience and preference. Bottom line, if she chooses any one of the three, she will have a great rifle, period. Then you get to do it all over again with picking out a scope.

When my twelve year old daughter started hunting, every rifle I'd accumulated for that specific purpose she passed on. She reached in the safe and took out a remington 700 in 270 that I'd picked up as a project gun for myself and said this is the one I'm going to use. I'm a lefty and the bolt was right for me, not for her but she used that rifle up until she left for college and brought home deer with it every year. I guess I wasn't good at figuring out what they wanted and found it best to let them decide.

No question the Browning would get my vote. More accurate, lighter, more comfortable to shoot, considerably better recoil pad, and better trigger.

Don't really see the comparison. (I own both Rugers and X-Bolts by the way) My opinion is based on empirical evidence witnessed in my own examples.

Thanks Horseman.

There it is.

Browning, light weight, and more to the point great shooters out of the box. She'll thank you later.