Barnes TSX or not

[sgt_zim]

Hey guys,
I am going to Botswana for elephant and SA for lion . My question is, would a Barnes 270 or 300 gr TSX bullet be a good choice for lion. I have heard the Barnes X bullet is to hard and does not open up well on a lion, so I am wondering what you guys think about the Barnes TSX, they are a little softer than the X bullet. I think they would be perfect but I have never been to Africa.
Also, I am told that a yellow fever shot is recomended for Botswana. I hate to take vaccines, what do you guys say take it or not. Do you know what the side effects are.
Thanks guys

It has been an age since I got the yellow fever vaccine. Fair warning, it's not the most pleasant of injections - I say that as somebody who gives himself weeklies with testosterone, itself not really a basket of fruit but not as bad as the YF vax. Having said that, if I were going to an area where it's endemic, I'd absolutely take it. Mortality rate is anywhere from 20 - 60%, depending on the outbreak.

As far as bullet choices, you might also give some thought to Norma Oryx. They're bonded and soft like Woodleigh. BC is really awful on Oryx bullets, but at "lion distance," it doesn't really matter.

I've got Oryx loads for both my 9.3x62 and my 280AI, very accurate and easily developed loads for both.

 

[rookhawk]

What about the Accubond ?

This. Nosler 260gr accubond out of a 375HH would be a suitable bullet. (the OP stated the grain weight, but not the caliber so I'm guessing 375HH). I don't recall if they make .375 accubond bigger than 260gr but if they make a 300gr, I'd definitely use that.

The accubonds work well on thin skinned game and my household has used them on Eland, Giraffe, Kudu, Wildebeest, and a variety of others.

On the other hand, I used a 300gr A-Frame on a leopard and it didn't expand at all so I don't recommend that option.

 

[375er]

On the other hand, I used a 300gr A-Frame on a leopard and it didn't expand at all so I don't recommend that option.
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It must have hit like a ton of bricks though! Any follow-up needed or DRT??

 

[rookhawk]

On the other hand, I used a 300gr A-Frame on a leopard and it didn't expand at all so I don't recommend that option.
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It must have hit like a ton of bricks though! Any follow-up needed or DRT??

Had the cat in my sights at 50 yards broadside, squeezed the trigger, I was SURE it was a perfect shot.

Then the moans started. Then we heard the cat roaming all around the canyon covering lots of ground for about 30 mins. I was freaked out. The PH was freaked out. The cat kept coming back to the bait but we could never see it!

After about an hour, we brought up the vehicle and were standing on the top of the cruiser trying to find this cat that was moving all around but we could never see it.

Eventually, everybody bundled up in as much clothing as possible for protection, walked shoulder to shoulder, safeties off, prepared to face a charge head on of this cat.

What we found was a paralyzed cat sitting under the bait pile. Front shoulders blown out, mostly immobile, but able to flop around enough that it was throwing its voice off the stone walls of a canyon giving the impression the cat was moving all over the area.

What happened? I thought the cat was broadside, but it was actually turned butt-end directly away from me and shoulders/head 90 degrees. So my shot blew out the broadside shoulder and the shockwave caused paralysis, but it was not instantly lethal to the cat.

Would a softer bullet have been lethal instantly? 100%. Nonetheless, my inability to recognize that the cat wasn't broadside rests with me. (I could not see the back half of the cat but incorrectly inferred it was in line with the direction of the front half of the cat which it was not).