What bullets have the forum members liked best for leopard? Rifle is a 338 win mag.

Have used Barnes triple shock on 20+ plains game, with great results. Might want a more fragile bullet for leopard, but nervous about going to extremes. Like, Nosler ballistic tip might be too fast expanding. Whatcha think?

All opinions welcome!

I would go with the triple shock.Perhaps you can use the lightest bullet for that caliber or just push it very fast.

I used a 260 gn Nosler accubond in my 375 on my leopard worked great. Frangible enough to expand when the leopard was hit, but tough enough to shoot zebra for bait. More than enough to shoot the many impala you will go through. good all around round to take on a leopard hunt

I love the swift a frame, but for cats I would stick with Barnes TTSX for the pure shock!! I think you have the perfect caliber for leopard!! GOOD LUCK!!

If the priority animal will be Spots, and the 338 isn't going to be used on bigger, tougher stuff, I would seriously look at the 200 weight cup and core bullets. Hornady or Speer and drive them fast (2900 fps) with Reloader 15.

If tougher stuff IS on the menu, I would see how the 210 Partition or Barnes TSX or TTSX shot. They will still work on the cat.

Seriously, you have about twice as much gun as required and there aren't many bad bullets to kill a 150 pound animal with a 338.

And that comes from a guy who has shot most of his leopards with a 375!

Have fun and good luck!

At a distance between 40/60 yards you shouldn't be overly concerned on the type of expanding bullet to be used and a .338 can be considered more than adequate, if not an overkill for Leopard.

If anything, you need to concentrate on the quality of scope and to have it properly sighted. The most important factor is being able to place the bullet into a small target zone.

As with all hunting, bullet placement is more important than caliber or type of bullet.

Leopards are not hard to kill, just make sure you hit him in the right place.

I totally agree with Saeed.

I would not change your set up one bit. If you are shooting a night it's more important for you to be confident with your rifle and have no doubts to its performance. Also cats being cats they don't always do what you want them to do and can be facing the wrong way etc and now you have a super soft/ super quick expanding bullet which won't get to where it's meant to go. Just use the rifle as it is. I tell most clients when shooting a leopard to use their favorite deer hunting rifle.

As a matter of interest: are you hunting your leopard in Zimbabwe, Namibia or Tanzania?

I would be partial to Woodleigh with A-frames in a close second for leopard in your caliber. Of course only if it shoots well in your rifle.

I have shot leopards with a 270, 7mm, 338 and 375.

I have not noticed any difference whatsoever.

In my wifes' 338 Win Mag the Nosler Partition in 225gr has produced some of the most spectacular kills I have seen.
It has a combination of velocity, quick expansion with good penetration that seems to create a bullet in excellent balance.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I have shot leopards with a 270, 7mm, 338 and 375.

I have not noticed any difference whatsoever.

And did the leopards notice anything different?

quote:

As a matter of interest: are you hunting your leopard in Zimbabwe, Namibia or Tanzania?

Different countries call for different bullet type and load.

Leopard can be finicky creatures at times.

quote:

Originally posted by Pieter Kriel:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I have shot leopards with a 270, 7mm, 338 and 375.

I have not noticed any difference whatsoever.

And did the leopards notice anything different?

Funny enough they did.

Some dropped dead head first.
Some dropped dead tail first.
Some dropped dead with all four legs upright.
Some dropped dead on the stomachs.
Some had their heads towards us - probably getting ready for a charge, but we did not arrive there fast enough.
Some were facing away from us, probably trying to run away, but their legs would not carry them.

One actually hid under some dry leaves, and almost jumped up as one tracker stepped on him.

The tracker developed invisible wings and flew 10 feet in the air.

Amazing what leopards can do once they are shot - all depends on the caliber, bullet type and weight.

hornady sst

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Pieter Kriel:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Saeed:
I have shot leopards with a 270, 7mm, 338 and 375.

I have not noticed any difference whatsoever.

And did the leopards notice anything different?

Funny enough they did.

Some dropped dead head first.
Some dropped dead tail first.
Some dropped dead with all four legs upright.
Some dropped dead on the stomachs.
Some had their heads towards us - probably getting ready for a charge, but we did not arrive there fast enough.
Some were facing away from us, probably trying to run away, but their legs would not carry them.

One actually hid under some dry leaves, and almost jumped up as one tracker stepped on him.

The tracker developed invisible wings and flew 10 feet in the air.

Amazing what leopards can do once they are shot - all depends on the caliber, bullet type and weight. [/QUOTE

I used a 30-06 with 180 gr. partitions. Saved my ass. Shot him between the eyes at 5 yards. The down angle of the shot caused me to miss the brain. Pieces of the frangible front pierced the skull under the brain case, killing him instantly.

Dave

HT,

If I was gong for another leopard with a 338 I'd probably try to find a good load with the Nosler Partition or Accubond as they open quite easily but will give good penetration also for those odd angle shots or for any other PG you may be pursuing. Having said that I have to agree with the others on just using what you are confident in. I definitely would not bring a special frangible load just for the leopard. A good illuminated reticle scope is more important than the bullet.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
As with all hunting, bullet placement is more important than caliber or type of bullet.

Leopards are not hard to kill, just make sure you hit him in the right place.

Spot on! There are many good bullets to choose from, but practice and shoot straight.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. ASSUMING I can get the 210 Nosler Partitions to shoot close to MOA, that's what I'll use. Will also take some Barnes triple shocks and see where they shoot when the partitions are sighted in. Primary bait rifle is a 308 with 165 Barnes tipped triple shocks, so the 338 is primarily for the leopard.

Before switching to the Barnes bullets, the 225 and 210 partitions served well in both Africa and N. America. Barnes penetrate better and are a bit more accurate in my rifle, so that's why I switched. But for leopard, figuring on a shot of 75 yards at the outside, the partition seems a better bet.

Where you hit them is much more important than with what.

If the TSX load is more accurate, that is what I would go with.

As others have said, leopard are not very hard to kill, as long as you hit them right. A point also is that a leopard is not that big and if you use a violently expanding bullet, you can have a big hole in the offside hide.

Mark is right in that the scope is much more important than the make of bullet. Heck, your .308 will work fine on a leopard, it's all about hitting him in the heart and lungs.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by crbutler:
Where you hit them is much more important than with what.

If the TSX load is more accurate, that is what I would go with.

an emphatic +1

Stick with what works. I made an admittedly poor shot on my 180 pound leopard two years ago. I took it through the liver with a 300 gr TSX from my .375 H&H. The shot went exactly where the crosshairs were placed when I pulled the trigger after 9 hours in the blind. The leopard was dead when we found it at first light 6 hours later. Had my shooting been better he would have no doubt ween dead under the tree. The TSX is hard to beat.

I've shot them with both Nosler Partitions and with Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. No problems.

quote:

Amazing what leopards can do once they are shot - all depends on the caliber, bullet type and weight.

So what velocity did you get those projectiles to fly at?

Enjoyed your previous answer!