Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum Who makes these decisions?

I would be thrilled if manufacturers offered left-handed guns with only a receiver & stock but no barrel attached. Then let us a la carte the barrel of our choice and have our favorite gunsmith assemble it for us. Or offer us a semi-finished factory barrel that hasn't been completely bored & chambered yet. It seems more cost effective than buying a complete rifle you don't need, disassembling it and replacing or reboring the barrel to get what you actually want. I'm sure a lot of shooters would love this idea and that a corporate lawyer would hate it just as much for some liability reason.

So, the top contenders, if I'm reading the room right, Are Tikka and Ruger.

I'd put in on a Tikka roughtech in 6.5PRC. If it is already cataloged, then there isn't much point unless this is the way we get them actually imported.

Also be in on a Ruger African in, as stated before, something available that kills deer. I'm pretty easy here as long as I can feed it.

As an aside, I know that both Winchester and Kimber have produced LH actions in the past but don't think they have any plans to do that again.

I know an lot of folks wish for newly released cartridges or the newest thing like the rage of PRC'S. I'm more inclined to be in for already well established things like 6.5creed, 270win, 308win and would be happy with such.

If this industry wanted to be innovative they'd simply offer 270win with a choice of twist rates but hey what do I know?

Tikka has plenty of LH models that never see the USA. They go to Canada, but not here. That's all the fault of the importing, or lack thereof. A few years back there was this magical site announced where you could order any variation of Tikka rifle, and it would come in. Guess that fell through.

Davidson's did the LH stainless run of the Ruger American rifles. Many of the Ruger customer service people at the time didn't even know they existed.

All it takes is a distributor or major market dealer to put an order in, and they will make it. There is a shop in Michigan that started Ruger on the 450 Bushmaster guns. He ordered several versions in left hand, including M77 versions. He orders direct, but has a big enough order, that Ruger listens.

I'd love to see some of the Tikka cataloged models actually available here. LH varmint, LH CTR, etc.

This would be my #1 pick!!

Euro Optic lists several models of the LH CTR in 223. Various barrel lengths, twist rates, and SS or blued. Who knows if they are expecting to ever get any or not.

I've done a limited run with Lipseys and Ruger. At its most simple level, someone has to commit to buying the entire run. I said I'd buy 350 10mm 1911 pistols from the Custom Shop. Then, it took a LONG time to put it into the works. Covid screwed it up for two years.

I'd love a custom M77 left handed version, but that would be hard to get through the process, unless someone commits the $ for the whole run.

But, you never know.

I don't have the "scratch" to commit to a whole run but Lypsey's does.

Perhaps we need to convince them that A. We would purchase a certain percentage and B. The rest would sell if lefties knew about them.

This would probably mean that it be made in a broadly liked rifle and a cartridge with broad interest.

We aren't going to revive the Sako Vixen in 222 but could potentially do a Tikka in 7PRC.

As a life-long lefty that has watched the rifle industry and its unimaginative offerings over a life-time, I finally got into the Blazer R93. An outstanding engineering feet — the modular concept, a straight-pull bolt action, both right and left hand action possible with the same rifle. It was light; very, very accurate — the best overall rifle I’ve ever had. Not to mention exchangeable bolt heads and barrels for different cartridges. Versatility! From Germany!

Quick to pick up on a good idea some thirty years later! Savage comes out with a straight-pull rifle, but right-handed only, and weighing 8.8 lbs. Jeepers Savage, over eight and a half pounds? Really? Before a scope and mounts? For a straight-pull deer or elk rifle. You couldn’t have gone a little further, really stepped out and made it modular, lighter, and ambidextrous for a few chamberings to start, and then spent the rest of your company life expanding the concept. Maybe a Home run for accounting? I mean, you didn’t have to even design it. It’s right there in front of you — the R93, now the R8.

Why does Germany, and the continent generally produce more brand-recognized, smooth operating, high quality rifles, while in America, one has to build their own or rely on smaller shops that are insolvent in a year or three, but which rarely build lefties anyway. And for which QA and CS are unknown concepts.

Hi everybody. My name is George and I’m left-handed. 😉. That’s all.

I'm with you on the Blaser. Out of my price range though. Then again, one rifle with a couple or three barrels could replace most of my inventory.......

Pretty sure Savage (and Remington) could F up a wet dream.

I think most European hunters own a rifle or two. So they buy high quality stuff that will last a lifetime. So there's a market for high quality stuff.

By the time you spend the money to work the trigger, bed the stock, true the bolt, add a custom barrel and whatever else you have to do, you've paid for a blaser. No additional work required. Add a barrel for $1K, bolt head (if needed) for $350 or so and you have a battery that you can go anywhere and take anything.

The Savage Impulse comes in four different models & the Mountain Hunter is the lightest at 7.34 lbs. Savage also has a YouTube video on how to switch the handle from the right to the left side so you can shoot it left handed. It isn't perfectly left-handed since the ejection is always to the right.

I saw my first Beretta BRX1 on GunBroker today at a hefty premium but it's nice to know that a less expensive alternative to a Blaser R8 / R93 is starting to finally show up over here. It's an interesting rifle but I won't consider it until more barrels start to appear. The three initial calibers aren't expansive enough to qualify as a "system" for my taste since they're all .30 caliber. But it has potential depending on how they grow the selection.

Thanks for the reply, and correction which I’m glad for if they actually considered lefties. However, your description of going lefty with it, begs the question of Savage — why the seemingly half-_ _ _ _ _ approach?

It’s not that I am planning on getting one, but will be interested enough to check it out.

ETA: checked it out more carefully and will give them credit for innovation, but still, $2400+ for lefty with the port in front of your face. One advantage I can see for a lefty wanting to sell it — it’s really a right hand action.

But, credit where it’s due for some real innovation.

The Beretta BRX1 looks pretty reminiscent of the Blaser R93, R8. Couldn’t find a price point.

It is short sighted in my opinion that they don’t emphasize the left-handed capabilities of that rifle more since the right-handed ejection doesn’t make that obvious. While I appreciate the accommodation, the overall design is lacking. The Blasers, Springfield Hellion, Beretta BRX1, etc. are much more to my liking with switchable ejection, charging handles & bolts.

Being a right-handed person who prefers to shoot left, the majority of my rifles are an 1885 or a Ruger #1. I like falling blocks & their simple ambidextrous design.

Reviews from last year projected something south of $2k. The one I saw earlier today was higher but I assumed that was based on rarity & not MSRP.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/968425214

Found one for you.

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/left-hand-tikka-ctr-223.296414/

Thanks! I guess the price does reflect the scarcity.

Euro optic has had a few on Gunbroker the past year.
All blued as I recall. Not sure what twist and length.

The seller is trying to get a new gun price out of a 700 round fired gun.

I’m all in.