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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Big Bore Rifles
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NitroSteel
.275 member


Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 50
Loc: Georgia, USA
New Gun (lefty)
      #13096 - 06/04/04 08:20 AM

I'm looking at probably getting a Big Bore rifle pretty soon and I'm left handed. I don't have a problem shooting a right-handed rifle, but want to take into consideration the possibility of needing a fast follow-up shot on dangerous game (if I ever get the opportunity to go).

The one animal that I have in mind is a cape Buffalo, I guess I've just been reading too much Capstick, but the thought is stuck in my head. I guess it's possible that I might want to shoot an elephant one day, but I'd say (and so would my wife when she sees the price) that it's not very likely.

The two mainstream companies that I see selling bolts in big bores is Ruger and Winchester, though I'm sure there are others. I'm not stuck on these two, but am really not that familiar with the others and these two are definetly in my price range.

The Ruger comes in 375 H&H, 416 Rigby and 458 Lott. The Winchester comes in 375 H&H, 416 Rem and 458 Win. I'm definetly not an expert in the big bores department and want to get ya'll opinions on the caliber that I need. I think I want a 416 Rigby, but I can't find it offered in left-hand. Maybe this is more gun than I need, but I don't want to ever have to buy another gun for "safari" purposes. I'll probably be using this gun to shoot an American Bison also.

Please let me know your opinions. Thanks for the help.

NitroSteel


--------------------
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid."

John Wayne



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RLI
.375 member


Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13098 - 06/04/04 08:46 AM

NitroSteel,
There is not much to choose from for us Lefty's in the big calibres . I use the following-
Winchester, 70, "Classic Safari Express" .375H&H and have had no problems with it .
Winchester, 1895, .405Win. This rifle ejects straight up so suits left or right hand.
But for a .416 Rigby you might have to get a Custom magnum mauser action from Wells in USA or Dumoulin in Belgium both expensive but top quality.
RLI

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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NitroSteel
.275 member


Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 50
Loc: Georgia, USA
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13099 - 06/04/04 09:02 AM

Is the 416 Remington as good as the 416 Rigby?

Does the 458 Win recoil as bad as the nightmares I hear about the 458 Lott?

I don't want to buy a "weenie" caliber (375 H&H) if I may regret it and want something bigger soon... but don't want to have a nose bleed everytime I decide to shoot either.

Thanks,

NitroSteel

--------------------
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid."

John Wayne



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RLI
.375 member


Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13102 - 06/04/04 09:17 AM

The .416 Remington and .416 Rigby are basically identical, the Rem was made to duplicate the Rigby but I hear there are pressure problems with the Rem. The .458 Lott recoils more than the .458Win. Ruger do not make Left Hand rifles in the calibres you are after also Winchester only make a .375H&H (unless you want a Custom Shop rifle) Ruger make all of these in the No. 1 single shot.
RLI

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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475Guy
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Reged: 22/08/03
Posts: 1088
Loc: Kali, US
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13103 - 06/04/04 09:24 AM

Dude, there's nothing wimpy about the 375. I suggest that you get one anyway. With the proper loads and with the proper magazine box and throat, heavier bullets can and have been used in the 375. Regardless of what you choose to get as far as a boltgun, start slow since it may be a big jump from a 30 mag or so.

--------------------
Lo do they call to me,
They bid me take my place among
them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.

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luv2safari
.400 member


Reged: 09/11/03
Posts: 1408
Loc: United States
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13106 - 06/04/04 10:46 AM

The Remington and Rigby are both excellent calibers, and are about perfect for the average hunter. Remember that when hunting DG there is a PH with his stopper right behind you. The 416's are pretty effective in their own right, also.

I'm a big lumbering guy who handles recoil well, but I have to say that I DON'T enjoy shooting the "kick the snott Lott". I worked all my life to keep from developing a flinch, but the Lott could change all that!

The thing I prefer about the Rigby is that at the same velocities as the Remington, it is isn't even breathing hard, while the Remington is about at it's limits. In our modern guns, this doesn't mean as much as it once did, but "easy" is better than "at the limit" IMHO.

By the way...WELCOME!

--------------------
Hunt with Class and Classics

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Robgunbuilder
.275 member


Reged: 18/02/04
Posts: 64
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: luv2safari]
      #13120 - 06/04/04 02:29 PM

I've done a fair amount of African hunting with the .416 Rigby and the .375 H&H. I am also a lefty(left eye dominant) but prefer a right hand bolt. If you can shoot a .375 H&H, you can shoot a .416 Rigby or .416 Rem (basically ballistic twins). After shooting a fair number of Buffalo and about 50 plains game with the .416 Rigby, I am convinced it is far more gun period! The effect on game was much more dramatic and definative and in a pinch you can reach out to 200 yrds just as well. FWIW the Ruger safari magnum or a plain jane CZ550 in .416Rigby is a hard gun to beat. I'd really suggest you stay away from a .458 lott till you have a bit of experience with the Rigby/Rem. If you develop a flinch and become scared of the gun it can wreck your shooting for a long long time.-Rob

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470Nitro
.333 member


Reged: 17/09/03
Posts: 467
Loc: Madrid - Spain
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: RLI]
      #13138 - 06/04/04 11:51 PM

En respuesta a:

The .416 Remington and .416 Rigby are basically identical, the Rem was made to duplicate the Rigby but I hear there are pressure problems with the Rem.



I heared about it too, but nobody knows why. Anyway I'm hunting with a Remington 10 years and nothing strange happened to me

--------------------
-----
down by the river on a friday night
pyramid of cans in the pale moonlight
talkin' 'bout guns and dreamin 'bout women
never had a plan just a livin' for the minute

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GeorgeS
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Reged: 30/01/03
Posts: 51
Loc: Metro NYC
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13140 - 07/04/04 12:37 AM

First, I don't consider the .375 a big bore; it is a medium bore. However, for the purposes of this discussion, we'll let that slide.

Second, the .375 is adequate for thick-skinned DG hunting, but it is not considered a good stopper.

Third, forget Ruger. They don't offer any LH rifles in calibers above .30.

Fourth, what is your budget? $700? $1500? $2000? $5000? $10000?

For $10000, you can have Butch Searcy build you a left-hand double rifle in one of the Nitro Express rounds (e.g., .450/.400, .450, .470).

For $5000-6000, you can buy a LH Dakota 76 Safari, or have a truly fine custom rifle built by some of the top gunbuilders.

For $2000, you can buy a NIB LH Winchester Model 70, and have it re-barreled and re-worked into a bigger, better gun (e.g., .416Rem., .458 Lott, .470 Capstick).

For $1500, you can buy a Model 70 .375, and have it 'gone over' by a 'smith who knows how a DGR is supposed to feed and extract.

For $700, you can buy a used rifle, and shoot it while waiting for funds to re-barrel.

George


--------------------

"Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!"

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NitroSteel
.275 member


Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 50
Loc: Georgia, USA
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: GeorgeS]
      #13141 - 07/04/04 12:43 AM

Do ya'll feel that a single shot rifle is adequate? (eg: Ruger number one). I think I want the 416 Rigby, my budget is around $1500. Should I consider the Ruger single shot or do ya'll have a better suggestion?

Thanks,

NitroSteel

--------------------
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid."

John Wayne



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JoeR
.224 member


Reged: 19/01/04
Posts: 41
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13158 - 07/04/04 08:14 AM

NitroSteel, I too am a southpaw who has both left and right boltguns and, like Robgunbuilder, I prefer a right hand bolt for DG. On the heavier recoiling rifles, I do not think the slight increase in time to work the bolt is bothersome as the recoil of these rifles makes immediate f/u shots unlikely anyway. I do not like the single shots for buff. As to recoil, the 416 Rigby, in a rifle of similar weight, has significantly more recoil than the 458 Win Mag, which in turn, has significantly more recoil than the 375 H&H. I have extensive experience with all three and I chose the 416 Rigby for my last buff hunt in Zim. Some problems with the pressure increase on the 416 Rem keep surfacing (see the African-Hunting forum) and thus, for Africa, I would put the 416 Rem actually behind the 458 Win(girven good loads) for DG suitability. Also agree that the CZ 550 in 416 Rigby is very hard to beat for the money, bed the stock and bolt it or you will split the stock, if you decide to go with a RH gun. Good luck.

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Rusty
.333 member


Reged: 08/02/03
Posts: 464
Loc: Missouri City, Texas
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13196 - 08/04/04 01:50 AM

The Montana Rifle Co. will soon have it's left hand long actions ready. I think they should be ready in May. At $350.00 it's a deal. Order the bolt face of your choice, a barrel Lothar-Walther for about $201.00 that with shipping.

Send those to John Ricks or your favorite Gunsmith and you've got a custom rifle.



--------------------
Rusty
We band of brothers!
DRSS

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NitroSteel
.275 member


Reged: 06/04/04
Posts: 50
Loc: Georgia, USA
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: Rusty]
      #13199 - 08/04/04 02:15 AM

I don't know much of anything about having a custom rifle built, but it don't sound like a bad idea if it's done right. I don't think there's a gunsmith near me that is worthy of putting much faith in.

Where do you get a stock for it? What type of action would it be from Montana Rifle Co? What would the total cost be? What gunsmith would ya'll recommend?

Thanks,

NitroSteel

--------------------
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid."

John Wayne



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shakari
.400 member


Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13255 - 10/04/04 12:06 AM

Dakota make a good left hand action and you might also like to consider the Blaser which allows you to change barrels & bolt faces as you like. I think the largest they can cope with is 416 Rigby........but I don't know how much they are in the States.

I'd also say don't worry about recoil too much. If you get the rifle set up properly it won't be a problem. I shoot a .500 Jeffrey and have had a mercury recoil arrestor fitted into the stock and it's almost a pussycat now. If you're looking for a 'client rifle' all you really need to look at are the .375 HH & any of the .416s...... they'll allow you to shoot everything from a duiker to an Elephant (assuming the right bullet choice.

As someone else posted, 'you don't need a charge stopper'. You just need a calibre that will kill big animals and a .375 or .416 will do that.

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com



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docEE
.224 member


Reged: 06/11/03
Posts: 28
Loc: Minnesota, USA
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: shakari]
      #13288 - 10/04/04 10:16 AM

The Montana Rifle Company lists their barreled stainless magnum actions at $875 for righties. I expect the left-hand version to be higher when they finally get their actions! (I've been waiting for a year). I don't see them list services for installing open sights for DGR, etc. Nor do I see them offer a stock. Their rifle is supposed to use the same stock as the Winchester model 70, and there are certainly companies that have produced lefty stocks for that rifle in full-length action size, as you are looking at. (My actions will be short, so no readily-available stocks out there!)

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Rusty
.333 member


Reged: 08/02/03
Posts: 464
Loc: Missouri City, Texas
Re: New Gun (lefty) [Re: NitroSteel]
      #13314 - 11/04/04 09:20 AM

NItrosteel,

Here is a link to another thread about costs of the rifle I am having built.
web page

--------------------
Rusty
We band of brothers!
DRSS

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