I will be hunting leopard in Zambia in July and was wondering what bullet design in a 338 win mag you guys recommend. I've read in "The Perfect Shot" that it is not a good idea to use one of the premium soft point bullets like a trophy bonded bear claw or swift A frame because they my not expand sufficiently in thin-skinned light-boned game like leopard. I was thinking of using the 225gr nosler accubond. I know it's all about bullet placement but given a properly placed bullet, which design do you think would be a more effective leopard killer?
Thanks.

I used a Barnes X 225 gr. He was dead when he hit the ground, but bullet placement is still #1.

My recommendation for this cartridge would be 210 Nosler Partitions. At 2950fps this bullet will provide rapid initial expansion and adequate penetration from any angle you may encounter.

I think either the 210 or 225 grain Nosler partition would be great. I use the 225 grain version exclusively in my .338 win mag with great results. If I was loading strickly for Leopard, I'd go with the 210, but then I've never shot a leopard, so this is just my opinion formed from many years of hunting other game. Probably the best choice would be to pick the one that shoots best from your gun, but Leopards are normally shot at fairly close range over bait.

I plan to take a .338 this year for leopard and use 225 gr Accubond. If you punch a hole in both lungs with a .270, he is dead...like you said, shot placement is the key...I know as I didn't make the perfect shot last year! That 225 gr Accubond is a great bullet, and for this application, I don't know that it can be beat. I also plan to use it for sable and other big PG. I may well use the same setup for AK Penn Brown Bear. Pretty darn good caliber and bullet combo for a lot of game animals...

Any soft bullet will right choice. I took my Tom by KS from RWS. It did't any step. Accubond is great choice too.

My 338 mag happens to adore 200 gr Horandys, so I guess one of those in the lungs will work just fine.

Terry Blauwkamp shooting something other than a Barnes????

My .338 Win. Mag. loves the 210gr. Partition. The 210gr. Swift A-Frame would be my other choice.

George

My .338 Lapua and .340 Wby likes the 225 and 240 grain North Forks above all else and their integrity is beyond anything on the market. The bonded core front section and solid rear always perform. Good shooting.

If you're hunting Zambia, I assume that you'll be using the 338 for plainsgame as well.

In no way is the 338 "marginal" for leopard and no special bullet is necessary.

Any good soft point that you use for zebra or eland will flatten a leopard.

Taking multiple types of bullets causes more confusion than any benefit it might give.

My second leopard succombed to a 250 gr Nosler Partition. It worked fine.

This year, the 338 will go again, but I'll be trying lighter bullets (225 or 210) in hopes of getting a little tighter groups.

338 with a good expanding bullet is fine leopard medicine.

quote:

My second leopard succombed to a 250 gr Nosler Partition.

For a leopard bullet...I would reckon you would have to look long and hard to find one "better" than a Nosler Partition.

I like the 250 gr NP as that is the load I shoot ohter stuff with.

For a leopard...you want some explosive rapid expansion but also a good time tested bullet as well. I reckon the NP is the perfect mix of these.

Any bullet that will kill a deer quickly will also work on leopard. In 338 the 210 Nosler would be my choice. But the light Accubond will work as equally well.

465H&H

bgomez,

I don't recommend multiple bullets for any gun you take on safari other than softs and solids. There's too much room in the excitment of the moment to have the wrong bullet loaded for the purposes intended. I'd recommend you take your 338 loaded with a bullet adeguate for the toughest game you'll use it for. This is where the old Nosler Partition comes in. The 250 NP will knock the poop out of the biggest zebra, wildebeest, eland etc and give you loads of penetration but the front portion will come unglued in your leopard causing DRT if you place the shot correctly.

Having said the above I think a well placed shot with almost any premium bullet will do the trick. I've killed three leopards. The first was with a 338 and a 250 TBBC when Carter made the bullets. Leopard was dead before it hit the ground. Found it at the base of the tree like it was sleeping. The second was shot lengthwise with a 250 NP from a 330 Dakota. Cat somersaulted from the tree and rolled down hill about 50 feet. Stone dead. The third was shot with a 375 using the Federal 300 gr TBBC load. The cat was on a lion bait at the top and I shot it lengthwise. It stayed in the tree just settling in position in the crotch of the the tree. Shooting well is far more important than bullet selection.

Mark

Mark,

Well stated.

Andrew

I've used lots of bullets over the years. TSX are fantastic and very accurate. But nothing kills quicker in my experience than the partition. Animals just don't travel at all when shot right with a partition. It would definitely be my choice for leopard.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Terry Blauwkamp shooting something other than a Barnes????

Yep... seldom, but I stray sometimes.

Get a big bullet and a bigger cartridge to put it in.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Get a big bullet and a bigger cartridge to put it in.

Will,

That should be 'get a big bullet and a smaller cartridge to put it in'

And besides what do you old jumbo hunters know anyway?

I have never shot a leopard and as such should probably stayed out of this thread.
But as an avid user of the 338 Winmag for more than 25 years, from the tiny steenbok, via zebra, waterbuck to our native red deer and moose, I take the chance to chime in

In my rifle I ended up with the 250 grn Woodleigh RN.
Exellent accuracy, and very efficent on game.

Why the blunt RN?...
As I said it is very accurate, and so far only two has been dug out from game.
This one is from a frontal shot on waterbuck, the bullet found in the liver.
A devastating propeller digging its way trough bone and tissue.

It should work wonders on any cat as well.

I'm hunting Sango this year right after Safari-Lawyer. I'll be using a 338 WinMag with 225 gr Northforks. PS. thanks for all the pre-baiting Safari-Lawyer! I'll be looking for that toad Popeye. Good luck to you.

Will the leopard know any difference????????

Probably not! By the way, I killed my first leopard with a 300 grain TBBC from my .375, and the second one with a 300 grain Nosler Partition from the same gun. The only reason that I didn't kill the second one with a TBBC was because my ammo had been delayed and I had to use the PH's Noslers. Both did the trick however. One shot kills.

On average, a leopard will likely give up and be quiet faster if shot with a .270 Win and a 130 grain Power Point. But a Partition from your .338 will do him in just fine if you put it in the appropriate part of his anatomy.

Like I have always said...if it was all I had...I would be happy to shoot a leopard out of a tree with my .22-.250 with 55 gr Sierra Game Kings.

quote:

Originally posted by Pegleg:
I'm hunting Sango this year right after Safari-Lawyer. I'll be using a 338 WinMag with 225 gr Northforks. PS. thanks for all the pre-baiting Safari-Lawyer! I'll be looking for that toad Popeye. Good luck to you.

Dave: I'll have Zebra quarters hung from every bait tree in expectation of your arrival. With 40 days of consecutive hunting, I hope Popeye hits a bait and that one of us (with Thierry's assistance, of course) gets him.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
I used a Barnes X 225 gr. He was dead when he hit the ground, but bullet placement is still #1.

Well, having read thru this whole thread the best answer IMO was the second post.

Serously, what .338 bullet wouldn't kill a leopard???

quote:

Originally posted by bgomez:
I ... was wondering what bullet design in a 338 win mag you guys recommend. ... in thin-skinned light-boned game like leopard ...
Thanks.

If you really want to use a 338 win MAG!!! on thin-skinned light-boned game. Then you should try the Barnes 338 CAL 160 GR TTSX.

I belive somthing in between .243 win and .270 win would do a much better job, unless you get some kind of Freudian gradification from big rifles

Well I have never shot a leopard, but have downed plenty of pigs and a few deer with the 338, not to mention the odd dingo, rabbit roo, wallaby etc. All basically thin skinned light boned game, except for the larger pigs and Sambar deer. I really think that any reasonable soft point bullet will work well. Some I have tried with success are 225gn Hornady spire point and SST, 225 gn Nosler Accubond, 225gn Speer BTSP, 180gn Nosler Accubond, and 160gn Barnes TTSX. If it were me I would be choosing either the 180gn Nosler or the 160gn Barnes. Both hold together well enough to penetrate deeply, and both open up quickly and give devastating drop dead results in my experience. The 180gn can be driven at about 3150 fps, and the 160gn at about 3390 fps. No leopard properly hit will walk away from either of those. However if you are combining with a plains game hunt then stick with a good 250gn bullet like the Woodleigh PPSN, Switf A-Frame or Nosler Accubond, and get used to one trajectory and one point of impact. I don't think it would be worth messing around with multiple loads and different sight settings etc on an African hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
I used a Barnes X 225 gr. He was dead when he hit the ground, but bullet placement is still #1.

Well, having read thru this whole thread the best answer IMO was the second post.

Serously, what .338 bullet wouldn't kill a leopard???

Amen to that.

Full disclosure; I've never killed a leopard despite sitting countless nights in blinds.

But if the 210 grain Nosler Partitions I used on Zebra, Hartebeest, Gemsbok, etc., didn't completely fall on their swords I'd say by the results they'd be adequate for leopard.

They both opened up well and held together sufficiently to kill everything I hit with it.

That's what I would have used on leopard, had one had the decency to show up. I can't imagine why it wouldn't have worked out.

I can't imagine what wouldn't be adequate in .338.

A Leopard will succumb to any reasonable caliber 6mm upwards provided shot placement is correct.
However, and bearing in mind that the minimum legal requirement for DG in most African countries is set at 375 H&H Mag (for the benefit of my friend Ozhunter: 9.3 x 62 also acceptable)a .338 will most definitely do the job, Lacey Act notwithstanding.

IMO I would concentrate on shooting the rifle of choice consistently placing tight groups into a 3" target at 40/60yds at an upward angle, preferably in poor light conditions rather than being over concerned on bullet weight which still results in a wounded Leopard if the shot lands in the gut.

Expanding bullets are naturally the prime choice for thin skinned game, my preference being Nosler Partition, TSX or Bear Claw for cats.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
A Leopard will succumb to any reasonable caliber 6mm upwards provided shot placement is correct.
However, and bearing in mind that the minimum legal requirement for DG in most African countries is set at 375 H&H Mag (for the benefit of my friend Ozhunter: 9.3 x 62 also acceptable)a .338 will most definitely do the job, Lacey Act notwithstanding.

IMO I would concentrate on shooting the rifle of choice consistently placing tight groups into a 3" target at 40/60yds at an upward angle, preferably in poor light conditions rather than being over concerned on bullet weight which still results in a wounded Leopard if the shot lands in the gut.

Expanding bullets are naturally the prime choice for thin skinned game, my preference being Nosler Partition, TSX or Bear Claw for cats.

Fujo:

I think knowing EXACTLY where your bullet strikes at that range is important as well. Most calibers, when zeroed at 200, are pretty dead on at leopard blind range, but it is nice to know.

I will be hunting leopard in late April. The PH's recommendation was Nosler Partition in a 300 Win Mag. I would have used just about anything, this gives me a reason to bring another rifle to Africa.

BTW Zim requirements for leopard are:

• Class C Game
3000 Joule = 2212 ft. lbs.
Minimum caliber 7.0mm .284 in diameter
(Leopard, Crocodile, Kudu, Oryx / Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Wildebeest, Zebra, Nyala, Sable Antelope, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, etc.)

Speaking with experience a Barnes TSX in 225 or a 250 in the 338 and in a 375 a 270 or 300gr. An X bullet opens up in the first 1.5 inches of penetration. Flattened two leopards DRT.
MAKE SURE YOUR TIPS ARE NOT DEFORMED AND THE tsx WORKS AS IT SHOULD.
You can see DRT directly under the bait.


Mike

I also like to use only one make and weight of expanding bullet per caliber per safari.

Too complicated otherwise.

In the .338, I like the deuce and a quarter weight TSX for anything legal on four legs.

It works.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
A Leopard will succumb to any reasonable caliber 6mm upwards provided shot placement is correct.
However, and bearing in mind that the minimum legal requirement for DG in most African countries is set at 375 H&H Mag (for the benefit of my friend Ozhunter: 9.3 x 62 also acceptable)a .338 will most definitely do the job, Lacey Act notwithstanding.

IMO I would concentrate on shooting the rifle of choice consistently placing tight groups into a 3" target at 40/60yds at an upward angle, preferably in poor light conditions rather than being over concerned on bullet weight which still results in a wounded Leopard if the shot lands in the gut.

Expanding bullets are naturally the prime choice for thin skinned game, my preference being Nosler Partition, TSX or Bear Claw for cats.

Fujo:

I think knowing EXACTLY where your bullet strikes at that range is important as well. Most calibers, when zeroed at 200, are pretty dead on at leopard blind range, but it is nice to know.

AAZWriter:

People who shoot as well as you are few and far between and if all clients shot they way you do ....Happy days !

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I also like to use only one make and weight of expanding bullet per caliber per safari.

Too complicated otherwise.

In the .338, I like the deuce and a quarter weight TSX for anything legal on four legs.

It works.

For the exact same reason...I chose .250's but NP's.

If we are just shooting the $h!t...while I agree anything in the right place is fine...in argument's sake...TSX are too tough for leopard through the chest...if one is purely speaking of ideals.

I ideally think...a good accurate .308 Winchester...that the shooter has shot 1000's of times at the range and killed many whitetails, antelope, coyotes etc. etc., with a good scope that has a reticle easy to see in low light, loaded with a 165 gr NP going 2600+ fps...would be ideal for leopard...

210 grains of lead deliverd from a .338 rifle doesn't seem to do an animal much good. Just sayin'.

quote:

Originally posted by China Fleet Sailor:
210 grains of lead deliverd from a .338 rifle doesn't seem to do an animal much good. Just sayin'.

--sure has always worked for me

SSR