Best overall lion rifle

[IvW]

Double 375 H&H Flanged Magnum....

 

[SStomcat]

Is a 9.3X62 with 286 grains good on lions?

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Personal preference .404J or .450-.400. That said a properly placed bullet from a .375 work find.

Again personal preference Hornady softs.

Lon

 

[SStomcat]

Personal preference .404J or .450-.400. That said a properly placed bullet from a .375 work find.

Again personal preference Hornady softs.

Lon

Great, will 470 ne be a bit too heavy..

 

[Scott CWO]

Is a 9.3X62 with 286 grains good on lions?

If it’s a legal caliber where you’re going, it would work great. Some countries have a .375” minimum.

 

[IvW]

A scoped 500/416 NE double would probably be the lions whiskers....410gr soft at over 2300fps....with instant 2nd shot.....

 

[Daniel Cary]

For the first shot on a lion on bait the 375 H&H is perfect, for the PH on the hunt having to follow up I think a double in 500/416 31/4 NE or 416 Rigby No 2 would be perfect...

I know I've asked, or been down this road, the Lion being an intrigue .. Has anyone used the 500 Jeffery?

 

[SStomcat]

A scoped 500/416 NE double would probably be the lions whiskers....410gr soft at over 2300fps....with instant 2nd shot.....

I trust your opinion , however I have 470 and 9.3X62 so was wondering legal aspects aside.

 

[BeeMaa]

I trust your opinion , however I have 470 and 9.3X62 so was wondering legal aspects aside.

That's a big jump between calibers. I'm thinking you need at least a 416RIGBY, 404J and 458LOTT to fill the gaps.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Heym Model 89B in .500/416 Nitro Express loaded with 400Gr Nosler Partitions at 2330FPS. Lions have a highly developed central nervous system and are extremely susceptible to hydrostatic shock. A high velocity caliber is superior to a lower velocity one.

Rifle should have 24" barrels, automatic ejectors, wide V backsights and uncovered ivory bead foresight. And a non-automatic safety.

In my opinion, a .500/416 Nitro Express is the world's greatest caliber for hunting the great cats.

I've shot most of my lions till now with bolt actioned .375 Holland & Holland Magnum rifles over the years. It's a very sensible choice when hunting a lion over bait. Telescopic sight should have not too high magnification.

But for an on-foot stalk or a follow up job, a double rifle in .500/416 Nitro Express is hands down what I would choose 10 out of 10 times.

 

[Rare Breed]

Bob i find them a little hard if you will, and they do not create the excessive and large wound channel i have experienced with softs such as Hornady and Nosler.

On heavier boned and thicker skinned animals the Barnes would be my preference but they under perform on cats from experiences i and some others have had...
While an okay or marginal wound channel might be acceptable on A kudu or eland I would personally prefer as always a round that is best suited for the task.

The cat's also tend to go much further than what they do with these "soft" softs in my experience
My best always

Although my Barnes from my 470 Mushroomed fine…the bullet went through my lines ear then turned and went through both lungs. While the lion would have died from my first shot and it rolled him completely over he got up and charged me. My PH Justin says that’s just how it goes sometimes but I will not use a Barnes on a cat again no matter what…just my personal experience this past August

 

[IvW]

I know I've asked, or been down this road, the Lion being an intrigue .. Has anyone used the 500 Jeffery?

Devastating...

 

[SStomcat]

Deleted, did not want to digress from topic

 

[PCC600]

That's a big jump between calibers. I'm thinking you need at least a 416RIGBY, 404J and 458LOTT to fill the gaps.

And a 375 H&H and a 450/400 and a 425 WR and a 450 NE and a ……