Going to Zim in July to hunt Lion, Buffalo, Leopard if time allows, etc. Will take my 500 Heym and my 375 as a light rifle and most likely use the 375 (scoped) on the lion. I normally use Barnes TSX 300 gr in it but am concerned they will expand and do the job on a lion. any advice on these bullets and whay might be more suitable.

Best .375 bullet for lion? The one that passed through the lion's heart!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

I used the 260gr Accubond and one shot and the lion did not move again. Shot into the frontal chest.

I used the .300 grain trophy bonded bear claw. Worked real well.

I have used the Barnes X bullets on lion and they did the job as well as I could have wished. I would not hesitate to use them again.

I would consider the Nosler Partition in either 260 or 300 grain weights as near ideal.

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by Andrew McLaren:
Best .375 bullet for lion? The one that passed through the lion's heart!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Ya beat me to it... I was going to say the same thing.

I have used A frames in 375 and Barnes X in 458. I could not tell any difference in either the bullet or the caliber.

The cat jumps up and whirls around while you keep shooting.

You will be close and the bullet will likely pass through.

If going again I would take a 375 with the A-Frame 300 grain mainly because it is so useful in shooting lion bait like kongoni, zebra or buffalo.

I used the 300 grain Barnes X in the .375 with excellent results. The lion made it all of 30 feet before piling up. Most important is to feel confident with your rifle and load. Nothing beats a well placed first shot.

Good luck!

BB spoke to a Barnes tech expert and he told me and I quote how about a 300gr TSX for lion and will it open up...
With testing the TSX opens up in the first inch of penetration...

Mike

I've used Nosler Partitions on lion and leopard. There softer than most bullets and open very wide. I've had great results on both types of cats.
I shot right through a 3 inch tree (didn't know this till the next day) about 2 to 3 feet in front of a lion once. The Nosler opened an entry hole about an inch wide and lodged on the far side of the lion. The bullet deflected back upon hitting the tree and took out the lions liver. He was dead 150 yards later. Always be careful in low light that you don't focus too much on the animal and miss the other visuals in your scope. This happened right at dark and going into the thick brush, in pitch dark, with flashlights after a wounded lion is something I only want to do once. He was traveling with 3 other males who wouldn't leave him, this made for a very tense situation.

the barnes tsx is excellent , and also if by chance you hit the main joint of the legbone it will cut right through ...

For those who have hunted lion, I'm contemplating the same question. Would the higher velocity of the 235tsx perform better on lion than the 300tsx. I doubt any lions are shot at long range and I would think that if all else is equal (such as shot placement) the much faster 235 barnes would possibly have a greater instantaneous effect and still give adequate penetration. What do the experts think? I know dead is dead, but sometimes velocity seems to short-circuit animals quickly.

filmit,

Maybe but the fact is that having multiple loads for a given rifle can be a problem. In our example here if we load the fast 235 TSX for lion will we use it as back up for the 500 if the buffalo shot is long? Probably not! I think the 300 TSX may not be ideal for lion but will work fines as well as for any other game encountered except maybe elephant.

This does not make it perfect but I'm taking my 375 Weatherby to Mozambique and Botswana this year. I'll use one load the 300 TSX for buffalo, hippo ,croc and a load of plains game medium to small.

Mark

Mark,
Point well taken. I was thinking along the lines of a two gun safari with the 375 and lighter bullets exclusively for lion. I plan on taking my 375 weatherby to British Columbia this fall for a Grizz/Moose combo hunt. I plan on shooting the 270tsx as Jessica and the folks at Barnes seem to prefer that over their 235tsx for longer range shooting (claim it drops off to fast with low b.c.).

The only problem with my 375 wthby is it has a big heavy bull barrel and wouldn't be ideal for long hikes so I plan on taking a lighter 338 as well and just using the weatherby for hunting grizz along the river.

Woodleigh soft is a good one.

TSX in the right place is as good as you can get

I used Swift A-Frames and they worked beautiful on Leo. Through the heart and lungs.


Dutch

I asked a similar question on the forum last year when I was going to Zim for a Buff and a Leopard. I had previously been a Barnes X fan in my 375. The general consensus was that the best bullet for both animals was the A Frame.
Having seen how they performed on both the Buff and the Leopard my advice would be to take the 300grn Swifty A Frame ( or the Swift A Frame , or the Swift A Frame etc - end of story !! )

Just curious, does nobody likes the A-square lion load?

filmit,

I've used the 270 gr. TSX in 375 H&H on several big animals and the found them excellent. Good luck on your hunt. You'll be well armed.

CARLOS

I think for most hunters and PH's particularly they will tell you the Lion Load is just too frangible. Explosions on bones with failure to penetrate further are often the rule with these bullets. Just stick with a controlled expansion bullet for eveything.

Mark

Mark brings up the the most important part of African hunting, multiple bullet selection for one rifle.
375 H&H caliber is known for being very agreeable when it comes to varied bullet configuration. My M70 will shoot Barnes X, NP's, Trophy Bond Bearclaws and Sledgehammer Solids all within an inch of each other at 100 yards as long as they are the same weight and velocity. In Africa you need at least 2 bullets and sometimes 3 for the same gun. I wouldn't vary weights or configurations (boat tails. You'll eventually be in a situation where you have the wrong bullet sighted in at the absolute wrong time. KEEP it simple.

I might add that love the 375 H&H. I've been carrying it as my light rifle now for years and never feel under or over gunned. It will be my light rifle for Tazania next year when I go after plains game and Sitatunga, plus Cats and it will be slung over a packers back when I carry my double for big nasties.
I've just ordered a new one from Brown Precision and should have it in about 9 months. All new baby's take that long and the birth dates are sooo exciting.

Any bonded core bullet is fine - Woodleigh PP, Norma Oryx, Nosler etc on the "soft end of the scale - through Swift A frame onto TSX on the hard side.

I would advise you choose which of the above shoots best in your rifle - accuracy is a great confidence builder.

If you have Buffalo on the menue for your .375 then stick to Swift or TSX and use the same for the lion.

Hit properly they may spin around and kick up a lot of dust but they are not going to charge - or go far

Since you stated you are using the 500 for a heavy then I would go with the 270 TSX if it shot well in your gun. I used that bullet on my lion and it did great. Actually I am starting to become a fan of the 270 TSX in the 375.
But I am also a fan of the 300 AFrame if I think I may have it in hand when a bufallo comes along as i am always hunting buf.