Looks like I have a new adventure in June, hunt and plane tickets are booked. Going for a lioness! What do you guys recommend as a good bullet for a 416?

I expect shooting distances to be 75 yards or less. I figured something soft and quick expanding..how about a 400 grain Nosler Partition, old and reliable?

Was also looking at the Hornady 400 grain DGX flat nose expanding and will probably load velocities in the 2300-2400 range.

Same old question, same old answer:

Nosler Partition.

Though a 416 is overkill for a lion. Too much chance for a pass-through if the shot is screwed up. But that never happens on AR!

What the hell, if you're against motherhood, what does it matter?

Used 500grain hornady DGX in .458win mag on lion and it worked fine.

Where will you hunt lioness?

I used 375/300 grain A Frame on lion. Nosler Partition seems a very good idea too. Not too soft and not to hard reliable PHs with lots of experience told me. Sounds like NOSP.

Will, oh heck I screw stuff up all the time. We will be hunting in South Africa close to Botswana/Namibia border.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts, 400 NP it will be.

Dave your choice will work fine. Accurate shooting is a must.

Mike

I used 416 Partitions in a Rigby and it is perfect for cats and big bears. Good choice!
Get a copy of the book showing the location of internals and aiming points. You will be surprised where the heart lung area is.

Use any bullet you like, as long as it is not a cheap expanding bullet.

I have shot several liones and lionesses with Barnes X and they all died.

I've shot lion and lioness with Barnes X with great results. I used the CEB Non-Cons this October on a Lion with great results as well. Either would be fine.

As to DGX and Partitions, I'm not shooting anything with the ability to stomp or bite me with a non-bonded bullet but that's JMO as many others have done it.

I can´t speak of experience, but I wouldn´t use a super tough 400 grs .416 bullet on a Lioness.

I would use a 350 grs SP Premium bullet.

Or the NP, as I REALLY appreciate it´s "easy" opening. Some more weight loss than an AFrame, but quicker deformation.

Of course, on other game, and with another Caliber, my choice might be the other way round.

Hermann

Trophy bonded bear claw in a 416 rigby is perfect.

I have not shot one but a 250-300gr TSX bullet going over 3000fps makes alot of sense to me.When it comes to animals weighing this much,that is my recipe.When it comes to cats,you want to plant one and not fool around.

The new North Fork PP bullets are made for cats.They open up in the first 2" (instead of 6")but still hold together and retain all their weight. Not a big deal on a side-on shot, but important on a stem to stern shot. They are very accurate in my 416 and 375. I killed a leopard with one this June. He dropped to the shot and never twitched.

North Forks are alot like TSX`s,IMO.

I am a huge fan of Nosler Partition and Accubond bullets and use then for all my hunting except buffalo and giraffe, they have in my opinion an excellent combination of expansion with controlled weight loss, lots of tissue damage and deep penetration. In 375 I think they are excellent lion medicine but in 416 I would like a bullet that expands wider. I have recovered 2 from sable and 1 from zebra (all longtitudinal shots) and the 375 expands to a wider diameter than the 416 Partition. The 416 bullet features a partition that is situated close to the front of the bullet, thus the bullets I recovered measured an average of 0.57" in diameter with a weight retention average of 86%. My .375 collection measured an average of 0.62" and 73% weight retention.

I would shoot a lion with that bullet with complete confidence in 416 but personally would choose a bonded and wider expanding bullet for a planned lion hunt.

I used a 416RM loaded with 400 grain Swift A Frames. Lion was dead 20 yards from the bait.

Go with the A Frame. I have killed a ton of dangerous game with them. Never a problem.

Or you could take a .30-06 loaded with 180 grain Corelocts if you wanted a quicker end and less chance at an exciting follow-up.

Sniper,
Lots of very good bullets out there, and the replies so far have been good. My only advice would be to be very cautious with flat-nose bullets, as they can cause feeding problems in bolt actions. Regardless of your choice, it matters little if you don't put the first shot in the right place! Please don't ask me why I know that! Good luck.
Tim

In a magazine article I read sometime back by Ganyana he showed a picture of an old lioness showing a very small exit hole made by a .416 TSX bullet and a very large exit hole by his 9.3x62 using a 286 grain Norma oryx.

Great information, thanks for all the comments.

Sniper,

One bullet that hasn't been mentioned and would be near perfect would be the Woodleigh 340 grain PP. You can drive it fast enough to get a great amount of energy transfer in a light boned animal.

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
Sniper,

One bullet that hasn't been mentioned and would be near perfect would be the Woodleigh 340 grain PP. You can drive it fast enough to get a great amount of energy transfer in a light boned animal.

465H&H

although the standard 400grn Woodleigh round nose would also be ideal.