Scheduling first hunt! + question regarding rifle

[Mark R]

Welcome Aiden, my nephew is a lefty and has used rh rifles. So much now that a lh rifle feels foreign to him. Use what you are familiar with.
Enjoy your trip with your dad.

 

[Nkawu]

I am a natural lefty, but I was forced to use my right hand at school. Growing up shooting on my uncles farm in Limpopo I always used a right-handed bolt action or a Ruger No.1. When I had money to buy my own rifle I found a left handed bolt action, the first I had ever seen, and I can honestly say it just felt so much more natural, and I have never looked back.

 

[Sika98k]

I’m a lefty also. Both eye and handed. I own a couple of Mauser actioned rifles and am very fond of them.
However when I caught the African bug I started thinking about dangerous game and a buffalo came on appearing on my mental horizon. With this in mind I searched for a left handed 375. I found one fairly quickly, a Browning A-Bolt. Shortly afterwards I found a Tikka T3 in 22/250 which I would describe as my “ working rifle”.
Follow up shots are, IMHO, achieved much faster. There is also a valid point made previously that if you have a case separation or similar the hot gases and detritus will be directed away from your face and eyes. Don’t ask how I know.

 

[odonata]

My dad bought a 375 Ruger (Left hand) when I was a kid...My question is with regards to whether I should get a gun with a left or right handed bolt.

Sourcing a left handed suitable for Dangerous game is proving slightly difficult. My best bet is honestly probably to import one from the US. Even then my only consistent option is 375 Ruger.

Let me know whatcha think, thanks for reading!

As a southpaw shooter I have thoughts & opinions but I also haven't been DG hunting yet. Still the question the OP posed is one that I pondered about for a while. As someone who is fond of classic chamberings, there are several of them that were never available in LH factory offerings (e.g. 257 Roberts, 7x57mm, 300 H&H, 35 Whelen, etc.) that I would have liked to have had in my gun safe. So I really really wanted to be able to shoot right-handed rifles. It would have made my life so much easier if I did. To make this situation even more annoying, I'm naturally a right-handed person. I just have this defective right eye I have to contend with.

In the end, I decided that shooting right-handed rifles didn't work well for me. I much prefer left-handed bolts so all eight of mine are configured that way. The other eight rifles are ambidextrous falling blocks. My suggestion to the OP is that if you can borrow your dad's LH 375 Ruger, then you should shoot with it at the range for a while & see if it is a configuration you prefer while firing multiple rounds at a faster rate. If it is, then try to acquire a LH rifle for yourself. At your young age, I would buy what works best especially if you get addicted to hunting dangerous animals since I hear that's a common malady around here. While I understand that through training some lefties have gotten very proficient at cycling right-handed bolts, personally I would prefer shooting one of my single-shot falling-blocks before I did that. Acquiring a straight-pull Blaser R8 would also be a preferred option.

In the hopes that one day I might actually make it back to Africa (having only gone on photo safaris with my daughter so far), my solution was to get an affordable Ruger MkII in 7mm Rem Mag & then put a 458 Win Mag McGowen barrel on it. I installed pillars, crossbolts and a stainless rod in the grip for reinforcement using basic hand tools so it was an affordable way for me to acquire a larger bore rifle. I seriously considered getting a LH 375 Ruger but I was lucky enough to stumble onto a good deal for a LH Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in 375 H&H instead which is a great rifle to shoot.

The original 7mm Rem Mag on top. A slightly more powerful 458 Win Mag on the bottom.

 

[coreydb]

Welcome Aiden. I'm a lefty as well and own both right and left hand bolt action rifles. Practice different techniques off shooting sticks, operating the bolt with both hands. you'll develop your own way of sending multiple shots down range quickly with either hand.

 

[Velo Dog]

Greetings Aiden204,

Khomas Highland Hunting and Fishing Safaris of Namibia, welcomes you to the greatest forum on earth.

Being ambidextrous, I sometimes shoot left handed.
My favorite rifle for shooting as a lefty is the Ruger Model #1 Single Shot.
They do have one great failing.
The “Safety” tab interferes with empty brass as it’s being ejected from the chamber.
Fortunately it is easily fixed.

I’m not sure if that rifle would suit you or not.
But if I were strictly left handed, I’d want several of them, from .22 Hornet through .450-400 3” NE.
I used one in .375 H&H, first time I shot a caribou, about 35 or 40 years ago.

Anyway, glad you joined.

Best Regards,
Velo Dog.