I want every butthole on the forum! By butthole i mean opinion.

[BrentD]

I'm gonna get my Dad a left handed bolt action rifle. Only stipulation is it must be wood stock and not a .270 He already has two .270's. He hunts mainly Pennsylvania big timber for deer. Unlimited budget what are you'll buying your Dad?

Friends don't let friends buy bolt guns.

How about a vintage (as in pre 1900) Marlin 1895, .45-70. Much more appropriate for a big timber gun. Alternatively, a Marlin 1893 in .30-30 or .38-55 if a lighter gun would be appreciated.

Remember you asked.

 

[Deleted member 52098]

Ha! You beat my delete button. I’m currently down the rabbit hole of looking at southpaw rifles. I’m shocked there’s not more available.

It sucks to be left handed and a hunter the availability often means a steeper price tag

 

[Ben Lamb]

Ruger #1 or an 1885 Win in any flavor. Get a stock upgrade & a vx5hd.

Ruger 77 mkii with a custom stock job.

Sako, cooper, Dakota are all in your price range. It really depends on what his style & likes are.

You could also go used double in a Merkel. Some nice examples out there in 7x65, etc.

 

[BrentD]

Ruger #1 or an 1885 Win in anm flavor. Get a stock upgrade & a vx5hd.

Ruger 77 mkii with a custom stock job.

Sako, cooper, Dakota are all in your price range. It really depends on what his style & likes are.

You could also go used double in a Merkel. Some nice examples out there in 7x65, etc.

Ben Lamb for the WIN!

I know of a Shiloh Sharps that is for sale in .45-90 (not mine).

 

[rjthehunter]

Us lefties typically have cooler looking rifles. Just ask @nhenry !

Decide on a caliber first, then work out the rifle.

With a max price of $6k, I would go custom. Find a reputable gun builder, (I'll throw a vote out for Gentry Custom in Belgrade, MT, https://gentrycustom.com). Then talk with them about what you're looking for! The beautiful one of a kind rifle would mean way more to him than an off the shelf rifle that anyone can buy!

My grandpa passed me down a rifle he had Gentry make back in the 80s, and it still shoots amazingly!

That's my butthole (.02) anyway.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Boom

Verney Carron Prestige O/U Left Hand Double Rifle 8xX57 IRS

Verney Carron Prestige O/U Left Hand Double Rifle 8xX57 IRS for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

[WildWill]

Here's one at the local bass pro I've been eyeing lately. You should get it for your dad so I don't buy it for me.

 

[OntarioHunter]

"Unlimited budget" means different things to different people. Really unlimited? I like big bullets at moderate velocities, so I would love to play with a .416 Rigby and load it down to a manageable velocity and recoil. He would instantly be the coolest guy in the woods.

QQ

Yep. I'm building a .404 Jeffery on post war commercial Mauser (large ring not magnum) stocked with nice walnut. Timney trigger, Lilja barrel, Wisener safety, Model 70 express sights, 3x Weaver, QD Warne rings. It is built for Africa but I may take it deer hunting. Maximum range is 150 yards but that's fine. I know I have shot over a hundred deer in my 70+ years and only a few have been further than that. Haven't shot one with a .404 yet but I have seen a couple shot with 45-70 and it did surprisingly little meat damage. Big hole in, big hole out, and very little if any bloodshot on either side. Compare that to the buck I shot last year in the shoulder with 30-06 165 gr Interlock. Front quarter was destroyed.

Ammunition will be expensive ... maybe. I just got set up with CH dies, 38 empty once fired brass, and 90 Barnes TSX bullets for $330 US. Not bad. This is not a gun that will spend much time at the range (I have fragile retinas) so that's probably a lifetime supply of components.

Limiting my effective range to 150 yards just means I'm limited to real hunting instead of long distant shooting. The gun will be a bitch to carry but no problem. I need the workout. For the same reason, I always park at the far end of the supermarket parking lot (+ less likely that my rig will get doored by some lazy cougar in a Subaru). I'm sure having a canon on my shoulder when deer hunting would drop a few jaws ... until I explain the virtues. Then see who laughs!

Having said that, I would not advise a .416 Rigby. The recoil is quite severe even in a heavy gun. Think 375 H&H. They can reach out further with gassed up pointed bullets (but at a cost to meat damage). Throttled down with quality bullets, the meat damage shouldn't be too bad. Also components or ammo are easier to find. The .404 Jeff has manageable recoil but more expensive to shoot and less range. Also .375 rifle will be easier to find than .416 Rigby. A few years ago I saw a sweet nearly new Sako Forester at Sportsman's in Kalispell for $900 and the clerk said the owner would deal (on commission).

Have fun shopping. Find something with character (= not necessarily new).

 

[BackofBeyond]

Here’s my butthole, I mean opinion - go full Teddy R. Win model 1895 in .405 Win.

If your going to be a bear, be a grizzly.

 

[Scott85]

Have @p_ham make one.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Here’s my butthole, I mean opinion - go full Teddy R. Win model 1895 in .405 Win.

If your going to be a bear, be a grizzly.

.405 is least desirable of "big bore" guns. I wouldn't go after dangerous game with one. It's unpopular on the Dark Continent, hence ammo or components are among the hardest to find.

I second hunting for single shot to accommodate left hand.

 

[Sytes]

You're going to spend $6k on a boomstick for your pops?
WTF were you growing up? Tasmanian Devil on PCP?

I have a Savage .06, wood stock, lefty, and bolt for $5,800. You can use the other $200 to cover shipping and FFL fees.

It's a steal of a deal!

That butthole enough?

 

[nhenry]

Here’s my butthole, I mean opinion - go full Teddy R. Win model 1895 in .405 Win.

If your going to be a bear, be a grizzly.

FOTIS over on the nosler forum just got one and is struggling to find brass to feed it.

---

I think what I'd do if it were my dad (who is not a lefty but we'll just pretend he is for this) is just buy a Tikka Hunter in 7mm-08 or 6.5x55 and put nice glass on it.
Coming from a lefty.

If the budget is TRULY unlimited I'd get:
- Gunwerks GRB action
- Timney hunter trigger
- Hawkins Oberndorf BDL
- A stock from this dude named Decker on Rokslide: Monte-Carlo rear, thin Schnabel forend (ebony tip and grip cap)
- Bartlein 2b
- Irons
- Chambered in 6.5-06 A-Square
- Send it all to @p_ham

Probably all in around the 6k figure

 

[warmer]

My left handed shooting daughter(the ONLY thing she does left handed) has a Browning X-bolt in 7mm-08. Watched her kill her only elk with it in 2017. Two shots thru the lungs and a third shot high and clipped the spine. The elk was dead after the first shot, just didn't know it.

 

[hank4elk]

The local shop has had a Weatherby 30-06 in maple I often look at. Beautiful burl maple.
Too bad it's for oddballs or I would have bought it years ago.
What a waste...lol or maybe I should switch hit?

 

[BackofBeyond]

.405 is least desirable of "big bore" guns. I wouldn't go after dangerous game with one. It's unpopular on the Dark Continent, hence ammo or components are among the hardest to find.

I second hunting for single shot to accommodate left hand.

Who the hell said anything about his dad going to Africa? He's looking for a cool gift for his dad.

 

[WildWill]

Here’s my butthole, I mean opinion - go full Teddy R. Win model 1895 in .405 Win.

If your going to be a bear, be a grizzly.

Two of these "Texas ranger" model 1895 at cabelas in Ft worth but they're 30-06. A 405. would be pretty cool. Obviously @BrentD has been influencing my gun searches.

 

[longtail55]

caliber wise either 308 or 30-06........ if you want to find ammo

 

[howl]

My condolences to your father on the disappointment of having sired a backward son. Were I backward like yourself, and possessed a truly unlimited budget, I would purchase a Blaser. You will be able convert it for wrong-handed use with the purchase of a suitable bolt after his long suffering has ceased and he is no longer around to witness your shame.

Otherwise, https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/left-hand-rifles.c312_p1_o6.cfm

Ain't hard. That Sako 6.5x55 is pretty sweet, but choose cartridge based upon availability. Shooting it in for accuracy and delivering with a case of that lot number would be a nice touch.

 

[88man]

Have the gunsmith of your choice build him a 308 or 7mm 08 in a LH on rem action 6.5 lb rifle with a 20 in barrel that will be a great Pa mountain deer rifle.