Dear Sirs:

I'm planning to hunt next year a leopard, and I want to use a 9.3X62 with speer 270 gr bullets at a MV of 2500 ft/s. Another option is a .375 H&H with speer 235 gr bullets with MV of 2750 ft/s. What is between these options, the best or are both valid or none of them?

Thank you in advance for your advices.

Ignacio: I´ve never hunted a leopard. Anyway, it´s only a cat, an animal of frail bones and should die easily with any of these recipes. I´ve hunted many hogs, bigger and tougher than any leopard that ever existed, using a 375 H&H and the 270 grainers and the wounds are terrific. Take into account that none less than Tony Dyer considers that combinacion ideal medicine for lions.
Buena caza!.

Ignacio: I saw my uncle handily take a leopard with his 270 Winchester and 130gr Silvertips years ago. I've never taken leopard, but plan to do so in 2008. I'll be using a 338 Win Mag with 210 Nosler Partitions. Either caliber is perfectly fine, although cats are more succeptible (in my opinion) to higher velocities. On paper, the faster bullet sounds better, but what kind of Speer bullet are you using? Like nainital says, the 270gr in the 375 is fantastic. I'm just not a fan of standard Speer bullets. Buena suerte. jorge ignacio.

Jorge:

Where are you planning on hunting your spots in '08? I too may be looking for a leopard in 2008 or a combo buff/spots hunt. Thanks.

Gary

Use anyone you wish.

It is not going to make any difference to the leopard.

Have shot 2 Leopards, one with 375 and Nosler 260gr Partitions. Ran about 40 ft. Second with 3" 12ga double ought buckshot out of tree, dead when he hit ground. Second was a young leopard that was killing Ostrich breeders on an Ostrich farm.

Garby: I'm going back with John Sharp Safaris to the Malangani Conservancy in SE Zimbabwe. jorge

The one thing you might think about,if you'll be hunting over bait, you'll be close! Before useing these loads ,remember, the faster, and softer the bullet, the more skin damages you'll get!

I made the mistake of shooting a Couger at about 40 yds through the chest with a 130 gr. .308 bullet @ about 2700 fps, out of a little 20" barreled 30-06, and there was an exit wound of 9" on the off side. A 180 gr Nosler partition @ 2400 fps would have been a better choice in this case. A couger and a Leopard are about the same thing in body size, and toughness!

I'd use the 286 gr Nosler partition in that 9.3X62, and keep the speed down to about 2400fps. The NP will open quickly, but hold together better, and punch a 1" hole out the off side, and everything inside the chest will be mush!

One of the best Leopard men in Africa today, PH Andrew Dawson, reccomends a 30-06 with factory Winchester 180 gr silvertip, for leopard. That ammo developes around 2500 fps out of most hunting rifle barrels, but the bullet isn't explosive!


Just a thought..............,

Thanks, Jorge....I may want to chat with you a bit. I'll PM later. Any chance you're going to Reno?

Gary

Going to Dallas this year. Looking forward to your PM and we can chat on the phone anytime. jorge

I shot a medium sized leopard with a 9.3x62. I used a factory loaded Norma 232gr Vulcan bullet from a 20†barrel. I don’t know what the velocity was. The animal was on the ground, broadside, at 40yds. I hit him solid in the heart/lung area. The light was poor, and because of the muzzle blast we didn't get a good view of the animal's reaction to the shot. When we went over to look for him I was fully expecting to find a dead leopard with a big hole blown thru him. What we found was no leopard and no blood. We tracked him and found a drop of blood here and there. We eventually found him dead about 35yds away. There was about a half ounce of blood at the scene. Most of the blood stayed in the chest cavity. The bullet had entered the chest on the left side. It didn’t hit any bone. It disintegrated and blew a large hole in the heart and shredded part of the lungs. There was even a piece in the upper part of the neck. There was, of course, no exit hole. Although everything worked out okay I don’t think I’d use that particular bullet for leopard again.

Ignacio,

I've killed 3 leopards myself and I can tell you I would not load any special soft bullet for them. Whether you use your 9.3 or 375 a good controlled expansion bullet will work fine and be just right for any other game you may want to pursue. Leopards die very easily with a well placed shot. I've shot them with a 375 and a 300gr.Trophy Bonded bullet, 330 Dakota and a 250gr. Nosler Partition and a 338 and a 250gr. Trophy Bonded. All are tough bullets designed for heavy game. In all 3 cases the leopard died immediately with one staying in the tree and none had a significantly large exit wound. Keep to one load per rifle for your safari and there will be no chance of an unfortunate mix up.

Mark

I shot my Tom this year with my .375 using a 285 grain Speer Grand Slam. Cat died instantly. Bullet went through the middle of his onside shoulder blade and exited just behind the offside shoulder. No hide damage done. As long as the bullet is placed well, it's a dead kitty!

John

What should I load for my wife to hunt leopard.
She has indicated that she would like to accompany me to Africa in the next few years and at the top of her list is a leopard. She shoots a custom stocked ruger #1 20" barrel in 7x57. There are a few factory loads such as the 150g nosler from federal and the 139 IB from Hornady. There are plenty of good bonded core and mono metal bulets if I reload for her rifle. A few years ago a saw a test of many of those bullets and they all were good but the Norma Oryx opened the widest while retaining most of it's weight. It was one of the lowest BC's but that is not that important in Africa as one is usually very close. This would seem like a great bullet for a mixed bag of plains game and leopard but I have never seen any reports on this site. Can one use too much bullet for leopard hunting? Last month their was a report on this site about a leopard hunt with dogs. The leopard was shot with a large caliber (375 or 416) with a heavy bullet. It fell out of the tree then attack the dogs, then the hunters, who then shot it again and finally shot it again (I think the final shot was with a pistol). Seams like the heavy bullet(stout) just penciled through the leopard.

AA,

Your wife's 7x57 would work well. I would just suggest she shoot a 150 Nosler or larger premium bullet to cover all the bases on your hunt.

Mark

Having taken a leopard last year with my 9.3x62, I'd recommend a 250BT or a 286 Woodleigh RNSP. The 250BT is a tough bullet and it will not over expand and blow up. I took a 120pound whitetail doe w/ the Woodleigh and was impressed with its expansion on a light target w/o blowing up. I load the 250 up and the 286 about 2400fps.

You'll be close, so the 286 Woodleigh would be a great choice if its zeroed with your solid for about 50 yards. Kudude

I used 300gr round nose Hornady's..Gave it to chui at 40yds...Hanging on bait at 9 feet...Chest shot and " DRT " out back just off spine and recovered bullet in tree...

Really the only thing one has to worry about is not hitting correctly...
Talked at length with PVT and he told me, " put the bullet thru the chest and it will be over!"

Mike

I shot mine at 95 yards broadside, with a 7mmRemMag using 160gr Nosler Accubonds. Bullet broke humerus bone, both lungs, and exited through muscle on opposite upper leg area. Exit was barely larger than enterence hole, but cat fell over dead at shot.
Next time, I will use a ballistic tip, since after skinning and butchering (we ate him too!)you will realize just how lightly boned they are. A bonded bullet is not required, something that will open-up quick....and by the way, when you see that cat in the tree for the first time, the last thing on your mind will be skin damage!! You will want him down ASAP, and when you see his teeth and claws, you will understand what I mean!
By the way, my cat was 140lbs, but I still think the ballistic tip is bset, even for a 200lb cat.

I can't think of a better bullet for leopard than a Nosler Partition in any caliber that is suitable for Leopard. It will open quickly and penetrate well if bone is hit.

465H&H

I used a 285 Hawk .035 in my 9.3 x 74 R on a 170 # cat this year. I wanted a bullet that would open very quickly. I used partitions and North Fork Flat Points for the balance of the hunt.

The Hawk entered the right shoulder and should have exited the left. Right shoulder broke and the bullet then deflected and exited a point low in the chest just ahead of the left front leg. We had to track and kill the wounded animal. Another bullet may have done the same, but I would not use the Hawk on anything of size again. I thought it would work well for leopard. Following him up I had partitions in the barrels.

I was planning on using a 285 Hawk .035jkt on my leopard out of my 9,3x74R double.

However seeing what a lion can do to a 450/400 400gr Woodleigh soft, I may just use a 286gr Woodleigh Soft from the 9,3 on leopard. Hopefully I will have a report at the end of my current hunt.

The 286 Woodleigh has performed excellently for me on BIG and smaller game.

I would like to hear more of these accounts from eveyone who had taken a Leopard...keep them coming.