Things that go boom
We left handers are a wee under-represented in the industry. A lot of other southpaws learn on right handed turnbolts when they are kids, and never bother with lefty rifles. Luckily there are alternatives.
Single Shots
My current passion is a Ruger No. 1 in .45-70, a caliber that seems to be becoming more popular among hunters than water bottles at a creatine research conference. The Ruger single shots are based on the Farquharson action, strong as hell and powerful comfy. Lacking the bolt and magazine of a turnbolt rifle, they are shorter, lighter and carry well. Best of all for us, no one went and put the durn controls on the wrong side of the thing.
Savage Arms
Savage rifles have a reputation for exceptional accuracy out of the box. Best of all they make just about everything they manufacture for lefties, even .22 rimfires. The Savage left handed bolts are also available in more calibers than any other manufacturer I've found. I've owned a 7mm Remington and my current .300 WinMag both of which I liked.
However there were 2 things I have to say about the Savages….
Other Alternatives
Relaxation with a .45 - that's what it's all about, isn't it? Once again the southpaw thing can be a pain in the tuckus when gunning. One simple and strait-forward answer is K.I.S.S - just like rifles, the older stuff is better adapted. Revolvers are great - no safeties to mess with - however depending on the hogleg, different brands are easier to open the cylinders on than others. For me, the Ruger's "push straight in" style is easiest, although all three - Colt, S&W, and Ruger work well enough. Another consideration is strength and "tinkerability." For hot-rodding a .44 magnum, the Ruger revolvers are ungodly strong. Try to load a Colt or S&W with your pet Blackhawk or Redhawk load and you're at the same risk as if you worked up a load for your Ruger No. 1 and fired it through an old Marlin. The S&W revolvers are amenable to much trigger and action work - take that as you will. For cheap stuff, the Taurus revolvers aren't bad IMHO. Some of the Colts are purty, but their hunting revolvers don't compare to the Rugers. Of course if you're financially independent, the Freedom Arms casull and the Dan Wesson revolvers are even better than the others.
When it comes to autos, some have ambi- safeties out of the box, like Ruger, and some are flexible - like the H&K USP pistols. When it comes to the venerable 1911 type pistols, you have to go aftermarket and install an ambidextrous safety. Not entirely a bad thing - buying more stuff for our gun habit is half of the fun. If you like putting aftermarket goodies on your guns, the 1911 is king. If there's a part for the 1911, there are a bunch of folks who think they have a better (or purtier…) way of doing it. My winter carry gun is a P90 Ruger (see a pattern here? That sits in a S.O.B holster I had made for it. Once again, lefties get it in the shorts - holsters are a bastard to find. Mine was ordered from Judy's in Seattle and took about 4 weeks to show up. The Ruger autos are starting to get aftermarket stuff for them - sights, grips (love my hogue rubbers grips), recoil kits, 8 and 10 shot magazines (for the .45), and barrels are starting to show up.
