It look like I am going leopard hunting in Namibia next year. It appears that the minimum caliber is .270? So my 6.5 is out. The next rifle I would take is a 7mm Rem mag. I do have a 4.5-14x50mm VXL red dot I can take off my Varmint rifle and put on the 7 mag. Thoughts? Also I reload so what grain and what bullet? I should add I would take 1 or 2 Mountain Zebra also.Thanks

7 mag is fine, I would use a 150 gr WW Power Point or REm Corelokt..Leopards are light bodied and you need a faster expanding bullet, bit holes can occur with hits of shoulder bones, but keep shots behind the shoulder or use a tougher bullet such as a Nosler 140 gr. holes are easy to patch by a good taxidermist..

Any decent deer caliber makes a good Leopard rifle from a 7x57 to a .375..or anything in between.

I am no expert having only shot one leopard. I used a .30-'06 with a 180 grain Federal Trophy Bonded Tip. Killed him right now; he only made it 20 feet. A 7mm Rem Mag ought to work just fine.

I will admit that both of the leopard I shot were "overgunned" in that I shot them both with a .375 H&H and 300 grain TSX. Both died on the spot they were shot, and other than collapsing, didn't move.

To be honest, I would think a 6.5 would work fine, if the law allowed it. Caliber is kind of a non issue, hitting it right where you want is a big issue. Any hunting bullet will work on a leopard, so find what shoots best.

The second issue is how are you hunting the cat? If you are hunting with dogs or tracking, it is a lot different than blind hunting.

If you are out of a blind, a large objective, good light gathering scope is good, but make sure you have enough field of view, as they do not always go where you expect them to, so a really high maginification varmint scope is not always best, and in my experience anything over say 10 x is more than you need.

Dogs or tracking, use a dangerous game scope or irons. It will be close, and a lot of PHs use shotguns on follow ups.

For the most part, whatever you are using on plains game will do just fine. Don't over-obsess on it, unless you are looking for a reason to buy a new rifle or scope.

It would be from a blind and I would turn the scope down to 4 power.

Slider,

To expand a bit on what Dr.Butler wrote. I think about anything will work for leopard. Since you also are hunting Mountain Zebra which can be tough I'd use a premium bullet of heavier weight in your 7 mag. Your Red Dot 4x14 should be fine. Personally I like to have the power on my scope set so that the leopard nearly fills my view. Power will depend on how far away the bait is. I've never shot a leopard over 37 yards away and had the scope set on 6x each time.

Mark

I added the scope is a 4.5-14 50mm.

The 7 mag will work fine. I would use a 150-160 grain bullet and I prefer the Partition for leopard.

I am not a fan of Leupold anything, but whatever you choose, don't scrimp on the glass! The scope is probably more important than the rifle, cartridge and bullet combined! I like Leica or Swarovski. Illuminated of course.

Who are you hunting with?

Agree that the glass is a critical component, or at least it could be, and you'll want to be prepared for what could be. My wife used a 338 that she likes, and I bought a Leica illuminated reticle for that leopard hunt. Her blinds were 142 yards and 67 yards from the bait, in mountain zebra country in Namibia. Admittedly, the 142 yarder had me worried, but then later on the different bait and blind at 67 yards apart worked well. Not a ton of trees and brush together where we hunted.

I'm told the partition is a great choice, but she used the Barnes TTSX since we couldn't get the Nosler partition to shoot as well as we wanted. Leopard traveled 30 yards. 7MM should be plenty for the leopard, although a bit stretchy for the zebra at longer distances. Go heavy for caliber and it should be fine. I've used a 270 (won't again), a 308 and a 338 on mountain zebra, and have no doubt the 7 mag will work.

I could always take a scoped 375 H&H for Zebra if need be? I will take 2 rifles anyway. I don't plan on buying a rifle and scope just for one Leopard Hunt.I will use something I already have as long as it will work. I have a 308 but it is an AR10. I have numerous guns 375-500.My 6.5 is out because of a .270 cal minimum for Leopard.

quote:

It appears that the minimum caliber is .270?

That is the common misinformation that is available on the internet. Namibia law does not use a caliber minimum, but rather an energy minimum (2,700 joules for game such as leopard).

The minimum caliber of 7mm is the recommendation of NAPHA (guides association) and not actual law.

I have spoken with Namibian guides who believed that the law was 7mm minimum until shown. 7mm does make good common sense but if your outfitter and guide allow it a smaller bullet could legally be used.

2700 Joules is 2000ft pounds? Is that correct and is Joules taken at the muzzle?

quote:

Originally posted by Slider:
2700 Joules is 2000ft pounds? Is that correct and is Joules taken at the muzzle?

Energy is taken at the muzzle and 2,700 Joules works out to about 2,000 foot pounds of energy.

I do think it makes sense to use a rifle that hits harder, perhaps much harder, than the minimum. I only posted initially to clarify the difference between the actual law and the information that is reproduced in error endlessly on many sites, including this fine site.

Your PH may well have personal rules that they will require you to follow in addition to the actual law.

Thanks I did find 2700 Joules in my original search. The 270 minimum was taken from a Safari Co. in Namibia? That's why I had a question mark on it.

I have never seen anything kill a lion more convincingly than a 270 RUM
The lions died in their tracks with shoulder shots.
Literally just dropped them straight to the ground.

that was a 4000fps 120gr Barnes if I remember correctly

That said, I have seen them die very convincingly with a 375 too.

I tend to tell people to bring the rifle they can shoot most accurately under pressure, and that includes low light conditions.
Good luck

Hmmm, maybe my 264 Win Mag will get the nod.

As I said in my first post any deer rifle caliber will work, but I should have added the .375 is an excellent rifle for Leopard or anything else in Africa. The .375 with a 300 gr. bullet will kill a leopard real quick as a rule, and that applies to all the calibers listed, but the .375 will not damage the hide hardly at all, so its an excellent option, and more versatile for a Safari than any other caliber I can think off..That's the rest of the story!

Ray, those are some wise words.I am sure it will knock the $hit out of a Mountain Zebra also. Thanks

Because of the zebra do use a fairly heavy bullet for the 7mm mag like 160 to 175 grains. Nosler partitions are great. Four power is fine for the shot from the blind but not for a follow-up in the bush. Your PH will not let you participate on a follow-up, that will be his job.

quote:

Originally posted by Slider:
It look like I am going leopard hunting in Namibia next year. It appears that the minimum caliber is .270? So my 6.5 is out. The next rifle I would take is a 7mm Rem mag. I do have a 4.5-14x50mm VXL red dot I can take off my Varmint rifle and put on the 7 mag. Thoughts? Also I reload so what grain and what bullet? I should add I would take 1 or 2 Mountain Zebra also.Thanks

Reload it with the 174gr H-Mantle.....they are like bombs....

Leopard can be pretty awkward when it comes to caliber and ballistics. If you don't have the correct combination they can play hard to get.

Harry Shelby preferred his clients to use his 243 win on leopards. Shot placement is key. I shot mine with 375 H&H 260 grain accubond. He fell out of the tree dead. Distance was about 100 yds

I would suggest 160 grain, Swift A-Frame. Great for both leopard and zebra

quote:

Originally posted by Slider:
It look like I am going leopard hunting in Namibia next year. It appears that the minimum caliber is .270? So my 6.5 is out. The next rifle I would take is a 7mm Rem mag. I do have a 4.5-14x50mm VXL red dot I can take off my Varmint rifle and put on the 7 mag. Thoughts? Also I reload so what grain and what bullet? I should add I would take 1 or 2 Mountain Zebra also.Thanks

You don't need a big gun for leopard. Your 7mm is fine. I used a .30-06, 180 gn A-Frames. More important is your choice of scope. I used a Trijicon 2.5-10 with a 56mm objective. The lighted post was really helpful.

quote:

I don't plan on buying a rifle and scope just for one Leopard Hunt.I will use something I already have as long as it will work.

That goes against pretty much 99% of everyone here's justification for a new rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:

quote:

I don't plan on buying a rifle and scope just for one Leopard Hunt.I will use something I already have as long as it will work.

That goes against pretty much 99% of everyone here's justification for a new rifle.

I understand that. But I am at the point that I will need to start thinning the herd. I already need another safe.

quote:

Originally posted by Slider:

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:

quote:

I don't plan on buying a rifle and scope just for one Leopard Hunt.I will use something I already have as long as it will work.

That goes against pretty much 99% of everyone here's justification for a new rifle.

I understand that. But I am at the point that I will need to start thinning the herd. I already need another safe.

ksjzj-5978658540%40pers.craigslist.org&subj
My plan is to reduce volume and increase quality.

Only two leopards, so no real experience, but they both died rather convincingly on the ground, in the morning, from a 400 grain pill from a .416.

Well I got bumped up to 2017!!! I leave April 15th!!! I put the 4.5x14 VXL lighted cross hairs on my 264 Win Mag today. I am also taking a 7 mm Rem Mag. I handload 120 TTSX in my 264 and 150 TTXS in my 7 mag.I am not positive if I will use those bullets as I just found out today I am going.

Who are you hunting with?

quote:

Originally posted by Slider:
Well I got bumped up to 2017!!! I leave April 15th!!! I put the 4.5x14 VXL lighted cross hairs on my 264 Win Mag today. I am also taking a 7 mm Rem Mag. I handload 120 TTSX in my 264 and 150 TTXS in my 7 mag.I am not positive if I will use those bullets as I just found out today I am going.

I would consider 140 gr Nosler Partition for leopard with the .264 WM.

I just ordered 3 boxes of Nosler Custom Ammo in 264 Win Mag 140 grain Partitions. I don't want to work up handloads. My back up is My 7 Mag with 150 TTSX handloads. Thanks

Enjoy the trip. Leopard seem to die fairly easily when hit proper in our limited household experience of two.

7 x 57 with 173gr. Sellier & Bellot flat shouldered ammo. 17 & 19 yards. Dead 20-25 feet from the trees.

Hartmann Zebra can be tough buggers and really a challenging hunt.

Cheers
Jim