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What long gun for a lefty daughter?

3K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Lokidude 
#1 ·
Ladies,

I'm in need of a little advice. My daughter is turning 17 shortly. I'd like to give her her own rifle or shotgun as a birthday present, as she's shown some interest and is one heck of a naturally gifted shooter. Plus she'll be on her own soon; I want to make sure she can protect herself! I'm leaning toward a lever rifle or pump shotgun since she is left-handed and seems to dislike the right-side ejection ports of semi-automatics and the right-handed bolt actions are a little annoying for lefties. She's also very short and unlikely to grow any time soon, so I feel as if a small, manageable rifle may be a good choice.

Any advice for a dad on what to give his left-handed, second-most-favorite girl in the world (the first being her mother!) for a long gun?

Regards,
Matt B.
 
#2 ·
I'm not a lady, but I shoot long guns left-handed, and I've bought rifles for my son who is left handed and my daughters. We lefties love the the .22lr Henry, but that may not be the best caliber for defensive use.

I would still say get a lever action. I swore I would never buy another Rossi, but the .357 M92 is only 4.8 lb. I'm not sure what the length of pull is, but you could always trim the stock, especially if she's finished growing. The Marlin 1894C is heavier at 6 lb. but probably a higher quality rifle.
 
#3 ·
I would get her something that she would enjoy shooting. More shooting means that she will be better prepared if the time came to use it defensively. People are made differently, both physically and mentally. What one may love the other will find to be a disappointment.

A shotgun is a great choice for home defense but a 12 gauge pump is typically despised by smaller framed people due to the recoil and a light 20 gauge is not much better.

A pistol caliber lever action in .357 mag is a good choice due to the lighter weight and low recoil. 357 out of a 16" barrel is effective as a defense round and cost for practice ammo is reasonable.

When the AR15 gets passed around in the ladies shooting workshops many express how easy it is to shoot. Initial cost and ammo are not budget sensitive.
 
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