In Zimbabwe, a legal lion caliber must be 7mm wide and have 4.3 kilojoules of striking energy (3200 foot pounds). This makes the .300 Weatherby with 180 grain partitions legal.

What's wrong with using such a rifle and cartridge for the FIRST SHOT at unwounded lion? I have used it for many animals of that weight or more, such as elk, kudu, etc., and killed them with one shot if hit well. The bullet penetrates deeply and is seldom recovered. Sectional density is comparable to a 270 grain .375 or a 400 grain .458 and it strikes a lot faster.

Shooting my .300 Wby is instinctive, as if it were another part of my body. I sort of visualize the target and the bullet goes there. And I use my 180NP load for everything. I even killed a hippo with it after foolishly running out of ammo for my .458.

If I had to follow up a wounded lion, I'd probably take my .458. That's different.

Just because it is legal does not make it smart. Maybe under perfect conditions like a standing broadside presentation. Why risk the possibility of wounding the animal and then having to deal with a messy follow up? I would not want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt because I was under gunned, Being within the law does not make it right.

No one is twisting your arm to make a questionable shot on any animal. All your shots should feel, or atleast appear picture perfect before taking it.
Hip shooting an animal with a .458 is just as bad as hip shooting one with a 300 wby.
Use the 300 if it's what you are comfortable with.

The .300 with a 180 Partition will nearly always stop a lion faster than a lumbering .458. It would certainly be my prefered weapon under any circumstance, whether the shot was the first, the last, or somewhere in the middle.

And no, before someone questions my experience, I have none with shooting lions. My experience is from shooting dozens of other types of game with calibers identical or similar to the two you name. Physics don't change just because the genus of the mammal changes.

Introduced by the John Rigby rifle company in 1911, the .416 Rigby is a successful and well known big game cartridge. Perhaps it's best known advocate was John "Pondoro" Taylor who used a .416 Rigby for many years in the golden era of African elephant hunting. Classified by the British as a medium bore, to quote Taylor, "It's essentially an African weapon. Firing its plain soft-nose slug it crumples a charging lion as few other weapons are capable of doing." Need more be said.

The velocity of the 300 is great for lion personally I'd like a little more in frontal bullet diameter 338 or 375. IMO the premium lion medicine is a 416 caliber at 2350-2400 fps.

After some of the footage I've seen with charging lions, I'll take an M1 Abrams Tank!!!!

Someone I know shot one well with a 300 Rem Ultra mag with a 180 grain bullet. The lion fell over jumped up and came for them. It was stopped at a few paces by the PH's 416!

Roy Weatherby, Elgin Gates, Herb Klein, Frank Hibben, John Wayne, William Holden and a bunch of other guys shot lion with the 300 without a second thought.

I have shot a lot of animals with a 300 WBY and a 180 Nosler Partition...

And if I saw a lion and had a 300 Mag in my hands I would shoot it... Heck I would shoot one with a 308....

That being said I shot my lion with a 450/400 3 1/2" double rifle. First 2 shots head on at @90 yards. A finisher at 2 feet...

All with a 400 Woodleigh Soft.

NONE of the bullets went completely through, I have all of them here at the house, expanded nicely....

The lion never regained his feet after the first shot..

I would practice with your 458 till you can shoot it like a 22LR.

quote:

Originally posted by TWL:
Roy Weatherby, Elgin Gates, Herb Klein, Frank Hibben, John Wayne, William Holden and a bunch of other guys shot lion with the 300 without a second thought.

Jack O'Connor's wife used a .30-06.

I love the .416, but I think the .375 or .338 is ideal for lion.

I love the 300 Roy (have 2). I'm sure I could kill a lion dead as all get out with one. All that said, once I've spent 50k on a lion hunt I'm spending a bit more and buying a big bore to use. Just because it's part of the whole Africa/dangerous game experience. Might sound dumb or childish but it's the truth for me.

Personally I would feel comfortable using a 300 from a blind. That is until a group of Jumbo come feeding around us.

From a blind it is perfectly adequate - will penetrate sufficiently from any angle and with the soft front core gives a quick 'put down' if you place the shot into the chest. Velocity always helps with lion and the .300 has plenty of that!

i had a ph a few years back that swore a 300 mag with a barnes x bullet was the perfect lion medicine. lions aren't that hardy and die quickly, usually, - usually is why i use a 9.3 or 375

No, thanks.

For lion, I would not use less than a .375 or a .338 loaded with 270 or 225 grain, deep penetrating expanding bullets.

Not saying your .300 won't work. It's just not enough gun, meaning that it's too marginal, for my tastes.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
No, thanks.

For lion, I would not use less than a .375 or a .338 loaded with 270 or 225 grain, deep penetrating expanding bullets.

Not saying your .300 won't work. It's just not enough gun, meaning that it's too marginal, for my tastes.

Or maybe a 350 grain 416 moving at 2600 fps.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

quote:

Originally posted by TWL:
Roy Weatherby, Elgin Gates, Herb Klein, Frank Hibben, John Wayne, William Holden and a bunch of other guys shot lion with the 300 without a second thought.

Jack O'Connor's wife used a .30-06.

Col. John Patterson who killed the Maneaters of Tsavo used a .303 British. So did George Adamson, the husband of Joy Adamson of "Born Free" fame to kill a "pet" lion which turned man-killer. One shot. Through the heart. Dead.

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
No, thanks.

For lion, I would not use less than a .375 or a .338 loaded with 270 or 225 grain, deep penetrating expanding bullets.

Not saying your .300 won't work. It's just not enough gun, meaning that it's too marginal, for my tastes.

Or maybe a 350 grain 416 moving at 2600 fps.

Yes - absolutely!

I don't hunt lion at all, but will be quite happy with almost any 30 calibre 180 grain NP that I shoot well to face any lion in any situation. The quote, with my emphasis added, says it so well!

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:
I love the 300 Roy (have 2). I'm sure I could kill a lion dead as all get out with one. All that said, once I've spent 50k on a lion hunt I'm spending a bit more and buying a big bore to use. Just because it's part of the whole Africa/dangerous game experience. Might sound dumb or childish but it's the truth for me.

Sure would be the truth for me too. That is if I could afford it!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren