The perfect rifle

[Buckmaster7600]

It’s been my goal since I started hunting to find or build the perfect rifle. The problem is my perfect rifle changes day to day. For tracking I have it pretty well dialed in with my pumps and Bar’s, would love to shed a pound off them but they’re pretty close to perfect. What I haven’t figured out is my hiking with a gun rifle. 
 

For the majority of the NZ. Rifle season I usually don’t have tracking snow and hike with a gun. Cover lots of ground exploring. I really do very little “hunting” during this time but I cover a lot of miles and I enjoy the adventure and learning new areas. My current gun for this is a tikka t3, chambered in .358 win, 16” barrel  with a peak 44 carbon fiber stock, topped  with a  vx5 1-5 Leupold. It’s nice, pretty light at 6lbs 15oz. With 4 bullets the way I carry it. It’s plenty light but I just can’t warm up to it, it just doesn’t fit my hand right when I’m toting it. I’ve got a pile of money wrapped into it between the reboring and the stock but it’s just not it and I’ve been looking at building another “stick gun.”

 

My needs are, 

Be left handed

under 6 lbs bare

Under 38” coal

16” barrel, preferably not threaded

removable magazine or hinged floor plate

308 case length, preferably in 338 federal or 358 win. 

have a conventional butt so I can remove the recoil pad and replace with plastic. 

 

I’ve had full intentions of building myself until I stumbled into a gun shop in New Hampshire yesterday and discovered a Christensen arms ridge line FFT in 308 with a 16” barrel.  It fit me very well the stock under the hinged floor plate is much narrower than the tikka, and fit my hand like a glove! On their postage scale it weighed 5lbs .5oz and has everything I’m looking for. Quick google search and it’s made  in a left hand version although the left hand version only comes in Sitka camo stock, I’m a bit anti camo but nothing a bit of paint can’t fix. It took most of the day but I finally figured out how to order one directly from the chritensen because there are none available through the suppliers. Long story short the search is over “for now” should have it in a couple months. I’m looking forward to seeing how it shoots and building some loads for it. I really hope it shoots my 130gn ttsx load that I already have for my bar. 

 

 

 

[Stubborn1vt]

Tang safety?

[Otto]

I never caught on you were left handed. Lawdaz and myself for sure are, more I'm sure.

Do you have any right handed guns you shoot left handed?

[Buckmaster7600]

5 minutes ago, Stubborn1vt said:

Tang safety?

2 pos rocker, rem 700 style.

[Buckmaster7600]

3 minutes ago, Otto said:

I never caught on you were left handed. Lawdaz and myself for sure are, more I'm sure.

Do you have any right handed guns you shoot left handed?

That’s the reason I got into pumps, I’m actually right handed but am severely left eye dominant and have shot left handed since I was a kid. I shoot compound left handed but trad bows right handed.

[Otto]

I am strongly left eye dominate too, I'm surprised you can shoot the trad right handed. When I shoot trap or skeet I have right eye closed,  my buddy is always telling me to open both eyes. You'll see twice as much. 

[Buckmaster7600]

2 minutes ago, Otto said:

I am strongly left eye dominate too, I'm surprised you can shoot the trad right handed. When I shoot trap or skeet I have right eye closed,  my buddy is always telling me to open both eyes. You'll see twice as much. 

When I first started shooting trad I bought left handed bows and struggled a lot. Shot a buddies right handed long bow and everything felt “right” never looked back.

[Otto]

3 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

When I first started shooting trad I bought left handed bows and struggled a lot. Shot a buddies right handed long bow and everything felt “right” never looked back.

Let me know when you are planning your yard sale! 

[dbHunterNY]

it'd be even better if it had a short throw bolt. i don't think the ridgelines do, but seems like it fits the purpose. you won't shoot the thing out but wonder why they don't make it in like 338 Federal or bigger bore? contour of the barrel thin already?

[G-man]

Left handed and shoot almost all right handed guns.  Have a left hand modified browning  a 5   i inherited made custom  for friend by browning.  And a left handed savage  in 30 06.. 

[Mike103]

23 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

That’s the reason I got into pumps, I’m actually right handed but am severely left eye dominant and have shot left handed since I was a kid. I shoot compound left handed but trad bows right handed.

I am exactly the same except I’m not good with a bow left handed. 
 

As you know shooting pumps left hande Is great because you are using your strong hand to pump. 
 

I would love a semi auto rifle as light as Benelli 28 gauge shotgun lol . 
 

I love my 7600’s but they are made of steel. I put O/U scope mounts on so that I can carry it in my right hand with my thumb under the scope grasping the receiver. I especially like carrying my 35 rem carbine that way. 
 

I have an extra 35 rem that I always expected to rechamber in 358 Win but never got around to it. 

[Buckmaster7600]

On 2/7/2025 at 12:34 PM, dbHunterNY said:

it'd be even better if it had a short throw bolt. i don't think the ridgelines do, but seems like it fits the purpose. you won't shoot the thing out but wonder why they don't make it in like 338 Federal or bigger bore? contour of the barrel thin already?

If there’s enough meat on the barrel and I end up liking it it’s most likely headed west to get rebored to one of those. I think it’s a pretty specialized rifle and they just make it in a popular chambering.

[Buckmaster7600]

On 2/7/2025 at 3:36 PM, Mike103 said:

I am exactly the same except I’m not good with a bow left handed. 
 

As you know shooting pumps left hande Is great because you are using your strong hand to pump. 
 

I would love a semi auto rifle as light as Benelli 28 gauge shotgun lol . 
 

I love my 7600’s but they are made of steel. I put O/U scope mounts on so that I can carry it in my right hand with my thumb under the scope grasping the receiver. I especially like carrying my 35 rem carbine that way. 
 

I have an extra 35 rem that I always expected to rechamber in 358 Win but never got around to it. 

My bar, is 6lbs 7 oz. Not terrible but another lb shaved off would be nice! All the pumps that I hunt with have peeps, there just no good way to scope them. I’d rather hunt without sights than put an over under scope mount on a gun. I have a couple 358’s that I’ve made from 308’s and 243’s, my favorite being a 7600P. 

[Phantom]

https://www.instagram.com/donaldjtrumpjr/reel/DFlIq6aSoTa/?hl=en

 

 

It be this if not for thw price 

Edited February 20 by Phantom

[Bond,James Bond]

On 2/6/2025 at 4:16 PM, Otto said:

I am strongly left eye dominate too, I'm surprised you can shoot the trad right handed. When I shoot trap or skeet I have right eye closed,  my buddy is always telling me to open both eyes. You'll see twice as much. 

 I have shot Skeet since,I was 11 years old. My Father taught me to keep both Eyes open.

   I was taught to train both sides in Boxing ,Martial Arts, and Standing Jujitsu.  Another words- both Orthodox as well as Southpaw. I started out Batting Lefty in Little League before my Father switched me to Righty.