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I am planning on a leopard hunt and would like your opinions on bullet selection. Thinking about a 30 06 but have plenty of others to choose from. Hunting over bait if that helps. | ||
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180 grain Nosler Partition or Accubond should work perfectly. 465H&H | |||
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The big problem isnt what bullet or weight it`s to finding the cat =) . 30.06 - 375 etc Take what you can shoot best you only get one chance.. Good luck ! | |||
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Leopard is not a thick skined animal so your 30.06 will work just fine. The trick is first getting the leopard into the bait when you are there. I was not successful in that feat. Second will be bullet placement, just listen to your PH. I might be going back this year for another try at leopard myself. My PH says he will make me a deal. Of course he also says a dropped his average on leopard so I have to make it up to him.  Good Hunting,  | |||
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I'm going in March for buff and leopard. 'Taking a .30-06 and a .375; a Rem 700 and a Mauser. Not what you'd call expensive guns, but they both go "bang" when you pull the trigger and they hit where they're supposed to. I'll use whatever one the PH tells me to use. 'Got all obsessive a few years ago about what bullet to put in the .30-06 and, shooting for leopard bait, the results were a dismal failure. (Bait animals did die, but not the way they deserve; it was a bloody mess.) I'm taking 180 grain cartridges for the '06 that I know work on mule deer and I'm not going to think twice about it. Good hunting to you. | |||
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Well I will chime in as a leopard expert. Accuracy is first and foremost. I shot my first cat with a 375 and a 300gr Hornady RN the cat was hanging on a lion bait at 5:20pm Tanzanian time and I "DRTed" at 40yds. Hit him in the chest while his head was inside buf hidequarters and out his back into tree recovered bullet. Total time in blind 1hr. 20min The sun was shining. He layed on the grass behind the blind for 20 minutes Ph could see him. This past Sept. shot a monster leopard 2nd cat with Pierre van Tonder safaris. This time sat from 3pm to 7:15pm Rifle was a Kimber with an illuminated German #4 (highly recommend illuminated) This time shot TSX 300gr. hit cat standing up on a lion bait in right side of back out left side of chest "DRT" Did not recover bullet. Had 5 leopards on lion baits. Have two on trail cams. I am not an expert but luck has been with me. I do like big bullets to flatten chui. Your TSX's make sure your hollow point is not damaged. Both cats came out of the Selous R2. www.pvt.co.za They are mesmerizing...   Chui day before I shot him  Chui is bigger then Pierre  | |||
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I'm not an expert but I would use a frangible bullet. Leopards are thin skinned. I shot mine with a 375H&H using 300gr Hornady round nose. The shot was at night from the back at 80yds. It was a good lung shot considering the angle and we trailed it 150yds.  | |||
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No expert here. I shot my leopard through the shoulder with an ultra soft Sierra Game King in .338 250 grain. The SGK hits like a grenade on thin skin game. The bullet explodes within the animal after limited penetration--enough said for leopard. Calibre is anything you like to shoot, just choose a really soft bullet. | |||
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I would use a 165 grain Accubond. More than enough for leopard. LDK Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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one of us |
I don't claim to be an expert on anything. However, FWIW, Your 30.06 will be fine and use a fast opening soft point of whatever your rifle shoots best. My own favourite is a handloaded Winchester Silvertip loaded to moderate velocity..... Don't use a factory loaded one because they're too fast. The shot at the Leopard is usually the easiest of the safari but it's also usually the most important and often the one that most commonly get's stuffed up. Take you time, try to be relaxed in the blind and rehearse the shot beforehand. This might help: http://www.shakariconnection.c...unting-mr-spots.html | |||
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SHOT PLACEMENT - SHOT PLACEMENT - SHOT PLACEMENT !!!! - Your 30.06 is fine !!!! Mark  Mark DeWet Mark DeWet Safaris - Africa E-mail: marksafex@icon.co.za  ... purveyors of traditional African safaris | |||
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Thanks for the comments.I have yet to start to test bullets.Just looking for options of what to try.Getting the right bullet and load combo is half the fun. Mainly hoping winter was over so i could start. | |||
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06 is more then enuf. 150-165 gr bullets. something that expands fast. spots isn't a big animal - thing pronghorn size. most important thins about the rifle is that you have a good scope. you're probably shooting in very poor light. illuminated reticule always helped me | |||
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I'm certainly no expert, but have two leapards, One with 180 grn partition from .300 and one with 300 swift from .375. If I was taking a 30-06 I would certainly try 180 partitions in it. If they shoot good you are ready to go on anything up to eland in size with the same load. I think it is very hard to beat a partition for the lighter game like leaopard impala etc... It's been a working for 50+ yrs now | |||
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Although not an expert, but would be happy to us Woodleigh RN soft or RWS H-Mantle bullets. | |||
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I shot both of my leopards with Nosler Partitions, and had great luck with them. One was shot with a 180 out of a .300 winchester and the other was a 225 out of a .338 winchester. As most others have said, they're a light skinned animal, not that big and not that tough to kill IF you hit them in the right place with that first shot. Nosler Accubond or Partitions are great. I would not use a TSX myself, even though I like them for heavier game. I've had 2 now that didn't open shooting our blacktail deer here at home (out of my 338) so I won't use them any longer on light game, at least not from my 338. Never had a problem with them out of the 270, but I've never had a problem with a nosler out of any caliber. | |||
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Use an Accubond or a Partition. An illuminated reticle scope is the best leopard hunting advice you can get! | |||
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Anything .30 cal and upward with a high quality expanding bullet will suffice. Make sure you have a good quality scope for low light or nighttime shooting. Will J. Parks, III | |||
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For the guy's that posted pic's of their beautiful cats, could you tell us/me what they weighed?? | |||
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My first cat was 7.5 feet long and was skinny and weighed about 130. The second cat was 8 long and weighed over 200. The scale went to 200 and they supported him and let go it shot to the 200 mark like when one jumps out of a tree. Thank you, Mike www.pvt.co.za | |||
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I could be mistaken, but I'm almost certain that I read a Robert Ruark book (perhaps Horn of the Hunter?) where he said that Harry Selby favored having his clients shoot leopards with a .243 that he owned. The theory, if I remember correctly, was that he thought they would shoot that little rifle more accurately, and the .243 was plenty of gun when an accurate shot was made. Perhaps Mr. Selby could comment? If so, we'd finally have a true leopard expert respond. (No offesne intended toward the others who also have a lot of knowledge and have already commented). | |||
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Here's a couple of tips you won't often read about: Take a packet of anaesthetic throat lozenges into the blind with you in case you start to cough and if you're a smoker, just live with not smoking for a while. Don't whatever you do, use nicotine gum because it gives you the shits at the worst possible moments.  | |||
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