Want To Buy WTB - Daughters first elk rifle LEFT HANDED

A good friend is looking to buy his Daughter her first elk rifle for Xmas - the problem is she's left handed. He's looking for a rifle to be her only rifle for life, something nice - not a plain factory rifle, something semi or full custom in a 27, 28, or 30 caliber cartridge with a sporter barrel. I thought I'd reach out to the looney's on this site to see if someone has something like that gathering dust in the back of the safe.

Thanks in advance.

I have a buddy with a daughter who is left handed. I talked him into buying his a used SS Tikka T3 lite in .308 Win. I'd encourage you to do the same, buy a Tikka in a suitable elk cartridge. Tikka is probably the best commercial action for lefty shooters.

Then they can customize it to fit his daughter along the way. This will let his daughter have some input into her rifle, and it'll make it hers. I don't know how old his daughter is, but I started working with my daughter and her first elk rifle when she was 11. We eventually wound up with a Howa Alpine for my daughter when she turned 15, her rifle all up with sling, scope, and full mag is around 7.25 lbs, and she can pack it all day in the mountains chasing elk and mule deer.

I'm a big fan of the .308 Win as it's versatile with a lot of different bullet weights. My daughter and my buddies have taken cow elk with 125 gr AB and 130 gr TTSX bullets when they first started elk hunting. With these light bullets it doesn't beat a young shooter up.

They'll eventually move up in bullet weight, most of the time faster than you thought possible. My daughter used 168 TTSX on her cow this year, and my buddies daughter is liking 165 gr ABs for hers. They aren't the longest range shooting rifles, but for our daughters it gets the job done.

7mm-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor would be good choices as well. .308 and 6.5 would be easier for them to find ammunition for if they don't have access to dad's reloading bench anymore. My daughter will be 22 in a month, and doesn't live at home and likes the fact she can walk into just about any store and find something to shoot.

I have a full custom Tikka 7mm-08 I'd sacrifice for the cause. Not sure what style he's looking for or budget he has but this one is a hammer.

My youngest grandson who is left-handed shoots a Savage 110 Storm in 7-08. He loves it and it is surprising accurate.

Age? Recoil tolerance? Rough budget?

I am a lefty and don't have anything that fits the bill but if I was in his shoes for 08 based I would be all over a 338 federal, or plain 308 if I didn't want to hand load
Plain 284 Win or 280 Ackley would be my next step up before magnums with brakes/suppressors to manage recoil

Had 2 kids in camp this year; 12 y/o girl & 11 y/o boy…both shot animals with a Snowy Mountain Alpine Hunter (Ultra-Lite, 6.5lbs rifle) in 300 PRC shooting hand-loads. Girl knocked a Whitetail buck down at 400 yards, 1 shot. Boy smoked a Whitetail buck at 500 yards, 1 shot. Neither of these kids had shot this rifle prior to arriving to camp. Neither of these kids weighed over 80lbs. The parents of these kids encouraged the use of the rifle & instilled confidence in the children that they could handle it.

My suggestion, if this has not happened yet…have your friend take his daughter out to the range & shoot a variety of calibers (25, 6.5, 270, 7mm, 308, 300, etc). Figure out which caliber she likes the best & purchase a rifle according to this bit of information. As parents we sometimes assume that our kids cannot handle the recoil of heavier caliber guns. Until they have the experience, they will never know what they like & dislike.

As a "Looney," I've got several custom left handed hunting rifles in the safe that would work for your friend's daughter. If being a connoisseur of guns makes me a "Looney,"…..guilty as charged!

Lowhighlander said:

I have a full custom Tikka 7mm-08 I'd sacrifice for the cause. Not sure what style he's looking for or budget he has but this one is a hammer.

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Good looking rig

Under $3k, but that would take a dream build.

Will look at nice lefties in 27, 28, or 30 caliber.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Scott Wilson at Circle W Guns has a really nice left-handed action in stock for a 7prc. Also has a gun built, ready to go.

@scottw2119

304-667-2611

Give him a call. You won't be disappointed. He's built several guns for me in that price range and they're awesome!