Going to the Save' again to hunt buffalo and leopard. Will take the Lott for buffalo but my PH suggested that I bring a 338 Mag. for leopard. Is a 338 Mag better suited to shoot leopard with as opposed to a 375 H&H? I will shoot Northfork bullets and I run 225gr. in the 338 and 300gr. in the 375.
Would like some opinions from those that have hunted leopard. Thanks.

I would go with a lighter bullet in the 375 such as a 260 grain Nosler Accubond or Partition. Velocity counts on such a lightly constructed animal. This is one case where a faster opening bullet than the NF has a definate place.

465H&H

Peg - Shot my Leopard in Moz this Sept. with my 9.3 X 62, 286gr Nosler Partition. DRT, not even a twitch. This was the only rifle I had with me, shot everything else with the 286gr TSX.

MOST important to me was the 3 X 9 Trijicon scope. Amber post reticle was absolutely the cats meow in the artificial light. Looked supurb in the "last light" of day also.

You didn't say if you were taking the .375 along with the Lott. If so I would just shoot the cat with the .375, leave the .338 at home unless you plan on using it for something else.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

The .338 should be ample for leopard, but the .375 may be a better choice to take a long as it could be a standby for the Lott on buffalo if Murphy goes along on Safari.

Murphy travels on all hunting trips. I would concur that the 375 with light(er) bullets would be great. Take a box of 300gr SP?Solids along and you are set if the Lott has issues.

Have fun, & good hunting!

Rich

my recommendation is simply your favourite deer rifle ... leopards are not heavy boned or thick skinned .

Bullet & scope choice are a lot more important than calibre choice with Mr spots.

As long as you have a fast opening bullet and a good light gathering scope, you can use anything over about .243, although a bit bigger would be recommended.

Leopard are thin skinned and light boned and assuming decent bullet placement, die relatively easily.

do yourself a favour and buy a Surefire Kroma before you go. They're helluva price but if that unpleasant moment arrives, when you have to step out in the dark to look for a wounded cat, you'll suddenly realise it was worth every penny!

Thanks for the replies.
465H&H and ISS- I have established loads for each of my rifles and so won't vary from that. I shoot 225 gr. Northforks in my 338 and 300gr. Northforks in my 375. That's just how I do it.
Larry- My PH will have a backup Model 70 in 375 if I need. I also plan on going after that monster waterbuck we saw on the last trip and shots at him could be on the long side so I'm thinking the 338 might be better.
umshiniwam- The 375 and the Lott made the last trip and complemented each other quite nicely. I'm picking up what you're laying down! I'm just uncertain what I want to take.

Ivan- You know the area and I appreciate your expert advice but my favorite deer rifle is a 6.5 X 55.

shakari- I run Zeiss scopes and can see through them quite well. Got the Surefire! Thank you, Sir.

Shouldn't be stepping out into the dark looking for a wounded Leopard. One should worry more about putting the piil on the spot than the size of the pill.

quote:

One should worry more about putting the piil on the spot than the size of the pill

A leopard probably has a thinner, softer chest cross section, and is smaller, than a late fall northern Whitetail buck that has dense hair and a thick layer of fat....

I have not shot a leopard and they are as dangerous as hell but I would not hesitate to use a 6.5 Swede. Seeing as the .375 compliments the .458 for the buff, take it. I doubt anything from a 235gr Speer and up would not kill a 170 lbs leopard with ease.

The Leopard shot is usually the easiest shot of any safari. The client is comfortable, has a steady rest, and the rifle is dead on for the exact range which is relatively close....... however, it's a high tension shot and although the easiest shot of the trip, it's the one that's most commonly stuffed up.

I'd suggest rehearsing the exact shot and the 9th para below the 1st set of pics here: http://www.shakariconnection.c...unting-mr-spots.html might be of interest to some.

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
my recommendation is simply your favourite deer rifle ... leopards are not heavy boned or thick skinned .

Ditto's

I'd take my 30-06 with some 165g to 180grain bullets.

Good info above from Ivan and Shakiri.

You don't need a .375 for Leopard; any decent deer rifle will do the job. The key to the DRT shot is to know the physiology - the heart location is further back in the cats than in PG - and to not allow the "spots" to disorient your sight picture. I always recommend you pick a single rosette and hold solid on it as you squeeze off your shot. Do that and Chui will be DRT at the bottom of the tree.

Best of luck, and remember the average hunter takes 3 safaris to collect a Leopard. Your mileage may vary.

listen to steve and ivan - spots are not a big animal. they are thin, and light boned. actually i wouldn't be afraid to tackle one with a 223, providing i could make the right shot. most important is your nerves and having a good scope preferably with a lighted reticule. most shots are in poor poor light. and once again they are relatively close. my last leopard was 42 yds for example

Guys shoot lions with .338s, so why wouldn't it work on leopard?

I have always used my 7mm on leopard because it is what I use on plains game, but I consider the 30.06 with the 180 grain expandable bullet the PERFECT leopard set-up.
Placement is everything..

Most leopard are shot with a 375 H&H but that is because that is what the hunter brought to do double duty, to back up his big rifle.

IMO, anything from a 243 Win to a 9.3X62, or 74R will do the job caliber wise, but as Shakari says the quality, and light gathering capability, and/or illuminated scope and the proper bullet are the most critical, along with the shooters skill with his rifle. The 7mm is minimum, I think, for lion in ZIM but I dont know if there is a minimum for Leopard. I talked to Andrew Dawson about the leopard , and he says the 30-06 with a Win silver tip is about perfect. My pick would be a 9.3 with a 286 gr Nosler partition. Putting the bullet in the right place is far more important, IOM.

NOW so that everyone understands I HAVE NOT SHOT A LEOPARD with any rifle but I have shot several large American lions, with a little short barreled 30-30, and a big mountain lion is bigger than most leopards, but about the same skin, and bone wise. One shot through the breath, and pump cage and that cat is yours.

If I were going mainly for Buffalo,with a big rifle and a leopard, I would invest in a good illuminated scope for the 375H&H, and take it, so if the big boomer went south, you could finish your safari with a legal rifle. If I were going for Leopard as my maine target, then I would go with the 9.3 with a Trigicon 3-9X40 scope, because a lot of impala are going to be targets for bait, and the 9.3 is pleanty for leopeard, and accurate for the baits as well as the leopard.

I took my Lepoard with my 338, because I had taken 30+ head of African plains game with it and it is like an extension of my body and I have great confidence in my ability with this rifle. Personally I think that says it all.

Mac

Nice to hear someone talk kindly about the Win Silvertip...... I was beginning to think I'm their only fan!

Joking aside, I think the factory loads are too fast but if you load 'em to a sensible/recommended speed, I rate them as one of the finest cat bullets ever developed.

quote:

Ivan- You know the area and I appreciate your expert advice but my favorite deer rifle is a 6.5 X 55.

There have been many leopards shot with a 6.5 X 55!

Pegleg,

It doesn't matter if you use the the 338 or the 375 as far as the leoaprd is concerned and your Northforks will work fine. You do need a quality scope of a larger than 20mm tube. An illuminated reticle is also a great idea.

Personally I'd recommend the 375 because it will give you a legal back up for buffalo if in the unlikely case that the Lott were to develop a problem. The leopard I killed with a 375 just acted like someone had deflated him. No jumping, flapping or flopping he just settled in place and died in the tree.

As for the waterbuck or other plains game the reality is that over the ranges you'll encounter on the Save the 375 will work great. In the case you are given that going straight away shot on a 60" kudu you won't even need to consider if you have enough gun with the 375.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Mac

Nice to hear someone talk kindly about the Win Silvertip...... I was beginning to think I'm their only fan!

Joking aside, I think the factory loads are too fast but if you load 'em to a sensible/recommended speed, I rate them as one of the finest cat bullets ever developed.

I agree about the speed with the silver tip with the bullets of today. The older silvertips of the 1950s were a lot tougher than they are today. My father used to kill elk like they had been bombed with 150 gr silvertips in a FN Mauser 30-06, a rifle I still have. My father has been gone for some time, and he was a little tiffed when they told him he didn't have enough gun hunt Cape Buffalo!

I used 250 grn. Sierra Game King in my .338wm on leopard with great success. This is a very accurate, soft bullet. Superior can load some for you.

If you are hunting with dogs in the thick stuff, I highly recommend taking a second rifle---double if you have one. I was very glad that I took mine. Good luck.

I would use a 300grn 375 soft happily and feel reasonably comfortable walking to and from the Blind even with Save valley Elephant in the area.

7mm Remmy w/ 160 Nosler Partitions...

A scoped 450/400 double like TB - 450 #2 NE

has gets my vote. Aaaahhh the romance....

quote:

Nice to hear someone talk kindly about the Win Silvertip...... I was beginning to think I'm their only fan!

For a leopard a Silvertip might be an OK choice but for other stuff...



Here is a picture that NFMike share with me.

Mike's caption of the picture: The 2455 fps 240 gr NF .348 beside the 2246 fps Factory 250 silver tip.

FWIW, the silvertip was originally designed solely as a cat bullet and I've always felt that most problems people have had with them was with factory loads that were (IMO) always too fast.

I used silvertips that I handloaded to (from memory) 2150 fps or so and never had a failure in 20 odd years...... and I've used them on everything from duiker to (from necessity) buffalo...... although I don't recommend them for Buff.

Looking at the pic you posted, I'd say the silvertip would be a better option for Leopard because it would obviously do more damage and leave a bigger exit hole than the other bullet.

I know I'm in the minority when it comes to silvertips but I like 'em!

quote:

Looking at the pic you posted, I'd say the silvertip would be a better option for Leopard because it would obviously do more damage and leave a bigger exit hole than the other bullet.

I don't disagree that it would be an OK bullet for cats or small antelope.

But if a cat was shot with either of the above bullets it would "prabably" have the same outcome.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
...do yourself a favour and buy a Surefire Kroma before you go. They're helluva price but if that unpleasant moment arrives, when you have to step out in the dark to look for a wounded cat, you'll suddenly realise it was worth every penny!

OK, I looked at the specs for the Kroma, what makes it so special for this task? There are now much brighter 3W LED lights that use the Lithium "AA" batteries at much lower price. Here's an example: http://www.opticsplanet.net/en...hlight-ml3w2aal.html I have one and it's as bright as my Surefire but burns for hours! - is it the Blue and Red LED's that make this well suited? Just curious.

I have hunted Leopards with my 9,3x74R scoped double rifle and on my last hunt with the wifes Blaser R 93 in 308 with a very good "light gathering scope"...

I did carry the 9,3 double into the blind, for the follow up if necessary, when I hunted with the 308.
Mainly just because I like and trust double rifles, but I think a 308 is plenty gun for leopard.

I actually almost shot a leopard with my scoped 450/400 3 1/4" once.

We snuck in to a lion bait just before first light... As the area brightened up there was a pretty good leopard hanging and feeding on the lion bait. I had him in the scope....

It was an active lion bait, and the PH advised me not to shoot, as he thought the lion might be near by....

So I let him go.....

Later I did shoot that lion, but it was not on a bait...

Steve H,

The blue light reflects every pinhead of blood back at you so the blood trail is much easier to follow.

They ain't cheap but I reckon they're worth their weight in gold!

Surefire also sell filters for many of their lights. I retrofitted my incandescent 6p with LED and with a flip open blue filter. Use it either way. Like the lights, the filters are very rugged.

I think a scoped 300wm loaded with 180gr TSX bullets is instant death on animals of that size.Just hit him on the shoulder.If I ever hunt leopard, I would like to use my lott.Leopard rifles can also be high velocity rifles,therefore one needs to pay attention to bullet choice.A bullet should be capable of easily dealing with the task at hand.If you come across a monster like leopard,the bullet has a big task.A 180 TSX at around 3000fps will expand and penetrate forever.I once shot a caribou in the head staight on with this load and it crushed its skull,broke its rack,and penetrated the entire lenght before exiting,destroying everything.I've used quality bonded bullets at this speed,on caribou, but each bou would hit the ground with two or three last breaths.The TSX was the only bullet that sent them to the ground dead.My partner shot all his bou with a 30-06 and told me just yesterday,that even with the best bullets,he would never get the results that I got with my 300wm and the 180TSX.

Having shot two leopards with a 375 H&H with 300gr bullets that is the medicine I use. The first cat took a 300gr Hornady round nose in the middle of his chest and out his back, hanging on a lion bait. The second cat took a 300gr. TSX he was a monster feeding standing on a lion bait. Put a bullet in his back and diagonally traveled out the left side of chest.
Both cats were DRT dead right there under bait.
I would recommend a 30 mm tube in and around 3/9 X with a 50mm bell for light gathering, and more importantly an illuminated config, my rifle had a German # 4 with red dot.
My second cat came in at dark and a light glow really makes the difference.

silkibex - You are right on with the blue filter thing. I like my three Surefire lights but wouldn't think of spending the major bucks for the Kroma just for the blue light. And yes I do have a Surefire blue filter for the lights I have. Have used it on blood trails and it helps some, but nothing magical at all.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by silkibex:
Surefire also sell filters for many of their lights. I retrofitted my incandescent 6p with LED and with a flip open blue filter. Use it either way. Like the lights, the filters are very rugged.

I have only hunted Leopard once, in Zimbabwe in 2008. I was successful on that hunt with a beautiful tom. I used a custom .280 handloaded with 160 gr Nosler Accubonds. It performed flawlessly. I would agree with the advise to use your favorite deer rifle. Use the rifle you are most comfortable with and use the most accurate load in that rifle. I used a lighted Zeiss scope on my cat. Did not need the lighted reticle though, but I would strongly recommend taking one, in case Chui comes in at last light.

I've shot two Leopards with the .223 and the last one with my .280 using 160 gr Accubonds. It's all shot placement. I realize many hunters are not very good shots so in that case large calibers can only help when marginal hits are made. LDK