Need recommendations as to best bullet for Leopard out of my Rem 416. Realize that the 416 may be a bit much for the cat but will be using for C Buff and am trying to avoid taking additional rifles. Soooo-- have received recommendations as to utilizing bullets by Woodleigh (SN), Nosler (Partition) and or Hornaday (SN). Will be using the tried and true Swift bullets on the Cape Buff but feel that these buggers have the potential of sailing right through without much effect. Thanks
G

A bullet as relatively hard as the A-Frame is not needed on leopard, but it should expand to some extent and do the job, I think. Especially in the .416.

I used a hard bullet in my .375 to good effect on my leopard. A Hirtenberger ABC bullet low through the shoulders killed him before he hit the ground.

So, if I were you, since you'll be using the Swift on buff anyway, I would stick with it for the leopard and keep things simple.

I second to what MT said. No need to complicate your life with different bullets. jorge

A .370gr NorthFork worked well for me on a one-gun-one-load leopard/buffalo hunt - but frankly, most anything from a .416 is just going to zip through the leopard on a side shot. Shot placement + the shock is key, use whatever shoots well and you believe in. As MR & Jorge said, keep it simple, and use the AFrame for all.

I used Nosler Partitions in my 416 Rigby for cats and it works fine. I was fortunate that the point of impact was the same as the Swifts. They are probably going to make you zero your gun for the range from your leopard blind so what's the big deal carrying hand full of leopard loads. I think they would work fine for buffalo as well. If you're herd hunting, they may just be better than the Swifts.

I found that the 350 grn Swift A Frame in my 416 did an adequate job on Impala. While it did pass through, it did make an good exit wound.

HAVE NO FEAR I'AM HERE! I recommend you get the TSX bullet and move on.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodmnctry:
Need recommendations as to best bullet for Leopard out of my Rem 416. Realize that the 416 may be a bit much for the cat but will be using for C Buff and am trying to avoid taking additional rifles. Soooo-- have received recommendations as to utilizing bullets by Woodleigh (SN), Nosler (Partition) and or Hornaday (SN). Will be using the tried and true Swift bullets on the Cape Buff but feel that these buggers have the potential of sailing right through without much effect. Thanks
G

Use whatever bullet you like for buffalo, as long as it is a premium type.

This will do very nicely for leoprad as well.

I have used Barnes X and our own Walterhogs, which do sail right through leoprads - but they leave the leopard stone dead in his tracks as well.

I'm not sure whether a Swift from a 416 will kill a leopard or not.

My opinion is that you are taking a gun which guarantees you good results no matter what the bullet, so long as shot placement is in a vital area.

One thing I like to do is to use the 350 grain bullets in my .416 Rem. That way I can reach out for long range plains game and still be assured of major destructive power for dangerous game. I also like to take a bullet which will expand fast, and yet I also like to take other bullets for maximum penetration. To do this and keep the same point-of-aim for both I might select the Barnes Triple Shock X bullet (engineered for accuracy and fast expansion) for the leopard and plains game. I might also take along the 350 grain Barnes banded solid. That way I can depend on same-point-of-impact in an indestructable, solid, deep penetrating bullet for buffalo, etc.

By the way, my opinion is that the Triple shock bullet expands much faster than the regular Barnes-X. There may even be some sacrifice in bullet toughness in the trade-off. For that reason you may find that at high bullet speeds and close-in shots occasionally you lose a little more bullet weight on impact with the TSX, but I do not think that will alter the final results.

Basically you are trying to make two guns out of one. With the .416 I believe you can certainly do that. It is extremely versitile. In my opinion it completely eclipses the .375.

In general, I recommend banded bullets, especially in barrels which are old or slightly over-bore. The improvement in accuracy is remarkable.