Im just curious as to how many of you out there have killed a lion, with what rifle and in what country. Ill start by saying I killed one in 1998 with a 375 in zimbabwe. It was a large male with an excellent mane and I had to shoot it five times.

Mamba: Zambia, this year. One lion, one shot. M-70, .416 Taylor, 400gr sp. JLS

Glad to see Zambia is back in action. I did see lions there while on a buffalo hunt. They must have known that I couldnt afford them because they didnt even run.

mamba,

I killed one lion in Zambia and am still trying to better that one. Mr. Big Wig is avoiding me.

As for rifles I used the completely inadequate 300 Win. with 180gr. Swift A-Frame. Lion took a through and through lung shot, jumped left, jumped right, died. Actually I would not have chosen the 300 but it had the better scope for low light and the PH was very comfortable with me using it. In fact he suggested I use the 300 since his personal 300 had easily killed 6 lions.

mamba,

2 lions and 3 lionesses.

One lion - 416 Rigby Improved, 400 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw - 1 shot

One lioness - same as above 2 shots - for for insurance

One lion - 375/404, 300 grain Barnes X - one shot
One lioness - 375/404 - 300 grain Barnes X - 3 shots - just kept shooting as she was jumping around.

One lioness - 375/404, 300 grain Barnes X - 2 shots - one for insurance.

Hi,
Is it legal to shoot lions with a .300? I am sure it would do the job on an undisturbed cat no problem...still I'll take your word for it.
BTW what do you think of the big cats being "easily shocked" with a fast caliber? I think it is wiser to use a Barnes X rather than a "fast opening softpoint" to try and induce shock.

Shot my lion early in the morning in less than perfect light in the Selous-Tanzania, 1999. One shot kill with a .375 H&H using 300 gr trophy bonded. No stories or hair raising events except I shot it with a custom Rem 700 with a bull barrel that I bought used two years previous. These days everything is now CRF, but I must be fair, the custom Rem is the most accurate rifle in a big caliber that I own

Hope someday to improve on that lion, but the market has not been kind.

pmm

Here are some photos of my husband's lion that he shot while we were hunting during August 2000, in HHK's Chirisa Concession, Zimbabwe.
Rifle was a Remington 416 using 400 Grain Swift A Frame, two shots.
Three days after he killed this Lion we saw a bigger one walking down the middle of the dry Sengwa riverbed that I videotaped.





[IMG]http://www.hunt101.com/img/068043.jpg [/IMG]

Kathi,
What a beautiful lion!! Is he exceptional for that area?

SBT,
No he is not.The day before my husband shot this one, he was with another lion that could have been this one's twin (only a little lighter colored mane). The one I videotaped after my husband shot his was bigger. I know Graham gets a lot of interest in this concession as only 3 males a year are shot. This area borders Chizarira
National Park and an area they just call "the research area".

Boghossian

In most of Africa any cartridge from 7mm rem mag up is legal for lion. An un wounded lion who does not know you are arround is a very soft target. Started out using a 7x57 and my father has shot well over 100 with his 8x57 with narry a problem. When they charge, they are a totally different animal. I have see A square .458 lion loads blow to pieces completely on the chest muscles, and foster or Brenneke 12g slugs just stop without reaching the lungs even on a lioness.

Suddenly a powerful, large, deep penetrating bullet landing at a good speed becomes a real necessity. Don't caryy a particularly heavy rifle myself but on one occasion a lioness absorbed three .375 rounds and 2 .458 rounds and kept comming. True we both had solids in our rifles and had used the softs already on the rest of the pride but it was very disconcerting. Had a desperate urge to buy a .500 Jeffery's

Kathi,

Wonderful lion. That or one like that is what I'm looking for. Congratulation to you and your husband on a beautiful trophy.

That was the lion written up in African Hunter a year or two ago. Some lion, but, damn, they are expensive.

Male lion in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia in 1997.

Win 70 in 416 Rem Mag, one shot, bullet was Hornady 400 gr RNSP.

Antonio

Unless poaching has taken a large toll, the Luangwa Valley, especailly in the Upper Lupandi concession, near the south Luangwa Ntl park, is a sleeper for good lion! They are everywhere, because of the large herds of Buffalo, and Cooksons wildebeest. Leopard are, or were plentiful enough, because of the thousands of Impala, that you see them regularly in broad day light, while driveing around in the bakki! Though a lot of these animals come in, and out of the park, they are very wild, because there aren't many visiters to the park it's self, unlike the parks in Kenya, and RSA so the animals are unaccustomed to people, and bakkis.

The lion pictures posted by Kathi, is a very good lion, and a beautiful dark mane! Congrats to her and her husband!

Male lion in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia in 1997.

Win 70 in 416 Rem Mag, one shot, bullet was Hornady 400 gr RNSP.

Antonio

Kathi, Wow what a lion, looks more like a massi lion than one from Zim. Glad to hear so many of you collected your lions.

I took mine in Tanzania (Selous) in 1999 with a .416 Remington Mag. and just one 400 grains Federal soft bullet.

Hi,
Have any of you hunted lions in Western Africa? I believe they locate them by roaring in the mornings...I also read about this tactic in Elgin T. Gates' book "African Hunter", why is it not used anymore in Southern Africa!
BTW I have hear lots of guesses on how much a lion weighs, but the average seems to be 350-450lbs, anyone ever checked?

Lion weight is indeed tough to estimate . It took five of us to load mine in the back of the land cruiser. Every one just assumes a big male weighs in at about 500 pounds. When the scull from my only lion was officially measured it tied with #26 in the sci record book. I really dont know if that means anything I just had it measured for our local chapter get together.

I have shot 6 lions. 3 lions and 3 lioness. All with my 375 H&H using 300gr X bullets. Five were rather uneventful one shot kills, just the way my PH likes them. One lioness was mortally wounded but still wasnt dead and wasnt safe to approach. After I shot her she pilled up behind a thorn bush and we could just see her breathing(only movement not her body), while we were still in the blind. I fired at her several more times at the movement but didnt hit her because the brush was way to thick. After 3 or 4 shots rattleing the bush she was behind she rolled out from the disterbance obviousally very wounded and I fired the finifhing shot.

Shooting lions for me is bitter sweet. I love lions and dont like the idea of killing them. They are #1 out there in the bush and it seems to me that shooting them might throw the balance of nature off a little. But the pressure of having to make that shot perfect or face a dangerous situation after weeks of baiting is a rush like no other. After all the years of practicing with a BB gun as a kid up to that moment come into play. Some guys fall apart from the pressure and thankfully I dont. Thats what makes it the rush that it is. Elephant hunting is more fun but nothing has the rush of shooting a lion.

HHK had a scale at the skinning shed in Chirisa. The scale went to 440 lbs. When they tried to weigh my husband's lion, it bottomed out the scale, the head and shoulders were still on the ground.

Kathi

A lion like that probably does weigh over 500 pounds. Hard to imagine keeping a mane like that in the thornbush. He must have seen his stylist on a regular basis.

Have to ask who did the taxidermy on that bad boy. We had Mike Boyce do ours in a walking sneak and it turned out wonderful.

Kathi, who did the taxidermy on that bad boy?? We had Mike Boyce do ours in a walking sneak that turned out super.

Mamba, since this was a once in a lifetime hunt,we also used Mike Boyce. My husband did not want to take a chance on the local taxidermist. We had Mike use the skull of the buffalo my husband shot on the lion's base. We had Mike bleach it out. We were extremely happy with his work.

[ 11-08-2003, 19:41: Message edited by: Kathi ]