Who has spent as much on glass as their rifle?

[Gwion]

Why are you swapping the barrel out G?

Putting the short barrel on a left hand Zastava action in a wildcat chambering, swapping for a 7mm08 to use for deer (and other medium game) and a bit of club level f-class.

The right hand action isn't working for my left hand shooting in pest control but will be fine for prone f-class and the one shot type medium game hunting.

Should all be ready by July, i hope.

[Monty]

Should all be ready by July, i hope.

[bigfellascott]

Why are you swapping the barrel out G?

Putting the short barrel on a left hand Zastava action in a wildcat chambering, swapping for a 7mm08 to use for deer (and other medium game) and a bit of club level f-class.

The right hand action isn't working for my left hand shooting in pest control but will be fine for prone f-class and the one shot type medium game hunting.

Should all be ready by July, i hope.

Ah roger that, it must be hard shooting that way I would imagine.

[Farmjer]

It does look ass backwards shooting a right hand bolt action lefty.

[Gwion]

Scott and Farmjer.

Yeah, it's just annoyingly slow to cycle and there's no way to do it without losing sight picture so that makes it even slower in practical terms.

[bigfellascott]

Scott and Farmjer.

Yeah, it's just annoyingly slow to cycle and there's no way to do it without losing sight picture so that makes it even slower in practical terms.

Yes I don't reckon I'd like to shoot like that all the time, it would drive me nuts to have to do it too. I'd just buy a lefty and be done with it.

[brett1868]

I solved the left / right hand issue by buying my boy a lever action 22LR which he hasn't seen yet (will be a surprise when I take him on his first hunt). Toying with the idea of teaching him to shoot right handed from the get go so he won't know any different when he gets older.

[Gwion]

Yep. The T-bolt 22lr in left hand is very quick and quite nice to shoot. Just need the centerfire version for longer shots.

Toyed with the idea of a lever but i just like the bolt action. Simple and easy for a nonce like me to understand when it comes to maintenance.

[Gwion]

I solved the left / right hand issue by buying my boy a lever action 22LR which he hasn't seen yet (will be a surprise when I take him on his first hunt). Toying with the idea of teaching him to shoot right handed from the get go so he won't know any different when he gets older.

If his eyes are right dominant, that's probably the best way to go.

I'm a righty, but my left eye sees better and it didn't take long to learn to shoot lefty with some proficiency.

[FuzzyM]

I am cross eye dominant, I shoot right handed as I didn't realise my left eye was dominant until last year.
I am lazy so I buy right handed rifles and shoot right handed.
I can get a slightly more comfortable sight picture with my left eye, but not drastically so.

[North East]

I solved the left / right hand issue by buying my boy a lever action 22LR which he hasn't seen yet (will be a surprise when I take him on his first hunt). Toying with the idea of teaching him to shoot right handed from the get go so he won't know any different when he gets older.

If his eyes are right dominant, that's probably the best way to go.

I'm a righty, but my left eye sees better and it didn't take long to learn to shoot lefty with some proficiency.

I've always shot left handed although I am right hand dominant. I kick a football with my right foot, everything is done with my right hand except for shooting. I like it that way.

[brett1868]

I've always shot left handed although I am right hand dominant. I kick a football with my right foot, everything is done with my right hand except for shooting. I like it that way.

Interesting, when you started shooting did you start right handed then found left more comfortable? I'm hoping my left handed boy can be comfortable shooting right handed as buy rifles will be a much simpler process.

[brett1868]

I've always shot left handed although I am right hand dominant. I kick a football with my right foot, everything is done with my right hand except for shooting. I like it that way.

Interesting, when you started shooting did you start right handed then found left more comfortable? I'm hoping my left handed boy can be comfortable shooting right handed as buy rifles will be a much simpler process.

[North East]

I've always shot left handed although I am right hand dominant. I kick a football with my right foot, everything is done with my right hand except for shooting. I like it that way.

Interesting, when you started shooting did you start right handed then found left more comfortable? I'm hoping my left handed boy can be comfortable shooting right handed as buy rifles will be a much simpler process.

I started shooting when I was about 16 years old....about 40 years ago! For some unbeknown reason I also prefer shooting left hand. In the late 70's just after the Vietnam war I was in the ADF trying to shoot an SLR right hand....it simply did not work. From that time on they let me shoot the right hand action rifle left handed....just had to put up with shells ejecting across my face. Ever since then I have purchased left hand action rifles....even though I do everything else right handed.

If your son is more comfortable shooting left hand....let him. Plenty of left hand action rifles available these days.

[Norton]

Yeah, it's just annoyingly slow to cycle and there's no way to do it without losing sight picture so that makes it even slower in practical terms.

Ever tried a straight pull option?

[Gwion]

Yeah, it's just annoyingly slow to cycle and there's no way to do it without losing sight picture so that makes it even slower in practical terms.

Ever tried a straight pull option?

Yep. I've got a Browning T-bolt left hand straight pull. I like it and it shoots pretty good. Quick to cycle.

[Xerox]

How does a right hand straight-pull go for a leftie?

Workable or would you be hitting your face all the time?

[Gwion]

Like anything, you could make it work.

Many lefties shoot cack handed and reach all the way over the scope to cycle the bolt. Too annoying for me and slow and you lose sight picture which means you can't get rapid, reliable shots at multiple targets when pest shooting. Besides, i'm not left handed but shoot left for eyesight reasons, so coordinating all that with my "off" hand is extra annoying!

[RoginaJack]

It's mission skinned knuckles with a 'scoped R.H., B.A. rifle! Very hard to keep the stock into the shoulder while you roll the rifle onto its side to operate the bolt; bang the knuckles on the upstroke and skin 'em on the scope clambering a fresh round.

Semi auto;s are worse, get hot brass down the shirt front. Not a good look getting the gear of to get the spent shells out. Puts the other shooters right off their game when you ask for cold water to cool the burn on the boobs!

[brett1868]

It's mission skinned knuckles with a 'scoped R.H., B.A. rifle! Very hard to keep the stock into the shoulder while you roll the rifle onto its side to operate the bolt; bang the knuckles on the upstroke and skin 'em on the scope clambering a fresh round.

Semi auto;s are worse, get hot brass down the shirt front. Not a good look getting the gear of to get the spent shells out. Puts the other shooters right off their game when you ask for cold water to cool the burn on the boobs!

You could always switch to "Gangsta" style, should keep the brass from flying up

[headspace]

I was a dyed in the wool Leopold man, and before that I loved my Bausch and Lomb 2.5-8. But I've recently gone over to Vortex. You don't need to spend a fortune and the glass is top quality, and I haven't even go to the Razor yet. I have three 4-12 scopes in Vortex, 2 CrossfireII's and one Diamondback. MY sole Leopold is a 3-9x50 on my 308. SO unless you are into super long range target or benchrest, using the premise of matching cost of rifle to cost of scope is crazy. Optics have improved out of sight (no pun) in recent times and will continue to. The fact that more scope company's are offering lifetime warranties should bear this out.
JD

[Chickenhawk]

You could always switch to "Gangsta" style, should keep the brass from flying up

Sending a hot case down the side of your shoe could make for an interesting dance

[Lorgar]

Semi auto;s are worse, get hot brass down the shirt front. Not a good look getting the gear of to get the spent shells out.

When I was in Vegas we did some pistol shooting at a range with dividing walls between each shooter. I was standing behind my partner who was shooting and had 2 cases in a row bounce off the divider, copped one in the face and one down the shirt

RO couldn't work out WTF I was doing dancing around as I wasn't shooting and wasn't even on the firing line

[Gwion]

Well... my new $1200 scope arrived toay. Excitement turns to frustration when the side focus doesn't seem to work!

It wound out to infinity ok, then i tried winding it back past half way to close focus...... felt sticky, thought, hmm... just a bit tight and kept winding to zero.... now it wont wind back out to infinity and just keeps turning around and around, no stop to it.

[Usurper]

Get onto that ASAP for a replacement.

[Gwion]

Yeah. It's in the post to the supplier right now.

Disappointing to get a faulty scope but they have been excellent to deal with in sorting it out.

[Herdsman]

Finding a place with good service is hard these days.

At least you found somewhere as a result of this

[Walt68]

got a Savage 116 Bear Hunter in .338WM for 1$1600, scope is Burris Eliminator III 4x-16x 50 for $1760.

[pajamatime]

maybe one day I might splurge on expensive glass but till then the cheaper glass works perfectly great!

[sandgroperbill]

It depends on the intended use.

I use mid range optics, redfield revolution and revenge).
These have nice clear pictures, good light, simple 4plex reticle and 3-9 zoom. They also have lifetime warranty (they're leuopolds, after all) and sit in the $300-$400 price range.
What they don't habe is built in range finders, tactical turrets, or any other bells or whistles. And you know what? They suit me just fine, as i don't target shoot but hunt in bushy padfocks and wide open paddocks.

I'm not saying that people don't need more or shouldn't buy more, simply that you don't neccessarily need to spend a fortune. I wouldn't want to spend much less, though