Calibers for leopard

[TERMINATOR]

Shooting the cat with a 6.5CM wouldn't concern me near as much as it being the only rifle the outfitter had to offer a client. Not having more, or better, options would be a massive red flag.

Also, you can't just import ammo, you have to have a rifle that matches the chambering of the ammo you are bringing.

That fact that the outfitter would suggest it tells me all I need to know about the outfitter

And it tells me I want to be nowhere near a Leopard with that outfitter

 

[Philip Glass]

I have a couple related questions for a friend. And it really is for a friend. He has the opportunity to go leopard hunting but doesn’t want to take a rifle. The outfitter has a 6.5 needmore. My friend asked me what I thought. It sounds a bit light to me but I don’t know much. After all the credmore is like a death ray. The related question is if he does use the 6.5 can he take ammo into JBurg if he doesn’t have a rifle with him. I also think that is a no, but we already discussed what I know. Lol! Thanks for any info you can help me with.

NO! Do not use a 6.5CM for leopard. And why would anyone consider going on a DG hunt with a borrowed gun? Take your own .300 or similar.
This May turnout badly.

 

[270Guy]

There is a guy in kenya who shot a lion with a 22 LR from his csr window- true story - i saw scans of the newspaper reports. Also saw a vodeo where a guy couldnt wind his window up fast enough and the leopard they were just releasing did some plastic surgery through his open window. I agree with you, let someone else experiment wuth the smallest gun to kill a leopard- i will stick with something larg

Just to add to this,In the State of Jammu & Kashmir a leopard had gone sour,killing and terrorizing school kids and the other population in general,Forest Department had put 8 Cages with live Bait to capture him,no result,Cat was very elusive,more people mauled,one day local village Shikari was looking for Jungle Fowl,after a long days haul was resting with his 12 Ga loaded with No 2 Shot,locally made Gun & Ammo,suddenly there was commotion in the Village,Spots was out looking for a meal, Crowd with Sticks,Wicked Looking Swords other Agriculture implements,Dogs etc etc had the Cat on the run and it coming towards the Shikari.The guy kept his cool,waited for Spots,fired both the Barrels at 5 yards at the Cat's Head,it collapsed DRT, My point is if one knows how to control nerves and not to work oneself up,they are not very hard to put down.

 

[Rare Breed]

Shot mine with a 300WSM and a nosler ballistic tip. You will do fine with a 7REM MAG and up with a good bullet. I like the 6.5 class of rounds for the appropriate sized animals. IMHO I wouldn't use the creedmore on a leopard, serval or Caracal yes.

Just asking for opinions. Right now while I am planning to use my 375 H&H when I do hunt leopard I really want to use my John Rigby in 275 Rigby with a 154 grain bullet but welcome everyone’s thoughts please?

 

[Nhoro]

Just asking for opinions. Right now while I am planning to use my 375 H&H when I do hunt leopard I really want to use my John Rigby in 275 Rigby with a 154 grain bullet but welcome everyone’s thoughts please?

7 mm/.275 with the right bullet is very capable. Shot placement is paramount. For bullets, you want a quick expanding bullet that holds together and 150 gr bullets will do the job. This is one time that i dont like mono expanding softs, as penetration is less important. So look for a lead bonded core bullet that expands quickly. The 375 is not a bad choice but imho you will be more accurate with a .275 and will it will open up quicker resulting in similar wound size compared to a 375 ON A LEOPARD. Leopards are not big but if you dont hit them in the right place, they can do some damage to you.

Generally, you will take a broadside shot on a 150- 180 lb tom. 12 " of penetration and good expansion will do the job.

 

[Rare Breed]

7 mm/.275 with the right bullet is very capable. Shot placement is paramount. For bullets, you want a quick expanding bullet that holds together and 150 gr bullets will do the job. This is one time that i dont like mono expanding softs, as penetration is less important. So look for a lead bonded core bullet that expands quickly. The 375 is not a bad choice but imho you will be more accurate with a .275 and will it will open up quicker resulting in similar wound size compared to a 375 ON A LEOPARD. Leopards are not big but if you dont hit them in the right place, they can do some damage to you.

Generally, you will take a broadside shot on a 150- 180 lb tom. 12 " of penetration and good expansion will do the job.

Thanks. Also I have a Swaro Z6I on my 275 so I believe it will be awesome in near dark conditions

 

[tygersman1]

As long as it’s legal in the country, a 6.5 Creedmore shooting a quality 140ish grain bullet topped with a quality scope at a range of 50-85 yards in the hands of a good marksman (a hunter who practices) is absolutely fine for a baited leopard hunt. Leopards aren’t hard to kill if shot correctly.

It’s arguably just as good if not better than spinning a 180 gr 30 cal at 3000 ft per second at close range (you should be crossing your fingers your bullet doesn’t fail …).

But be comfortable and be legal.

 

[tygersman1]

A 275/7x57 with that illuminated Swaro is perfect leopard medicine. Agree with selecting the right bullet! But that’s the same regardless of caliber.

 

[godwincp]

I shot my two leopard with a 375 H&H with a 300 grain Barnes X bullet- on a buff/leopard hunt in Zambia and a 300 win mag using 180 grain Nosler partion . Both dropped straight down- thank God! The 300 WIN Mag is perfect

 

[tygersman1]

It’s not an issue with the caliber. 300 and 375 are both legendary and super worthy.

The issue is the risk (that most folks aren’t aware of) taken by shooting a fragmentable projectile at approximately 3000 ft per second into even light skinned creatures like leopards. I’ve seen it first hand with a 180 gr Accubond. Bullet deflection is a reality and reliability can be compromised greatly at high speed and close range. That same bullet may work absolutely perfectly at 75-80 yds, when it fails totally at 50 or less.

 

[Doug3006]

I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a leopard with a 30-06 or a 303 British for that matter. Thats my personal minimum,so long as it’s legal. A leopards bones aren’t massive and a big one isn’t very broad across the vital zone. As others stated, shot placement is key. I would NOT shoot a leopard with a 6.5 anything.

 

[Andrew62]

A 6.5CM could take a leopard, but why would anyone spend the amount of money a leopard hunt is, and hunt it with such a light rifle? As well, there is no chance I would want to follow up a leopard in the dark when it was originally shot with a 6.5CM. Like others have said, take your own gun, take a .308 or larger, I suggest a .300WM or larger.

The more I think of it, on 2 of my 16 safaris I did in fact use the outfitters rifle on plains game hunts. Honestly, it was a real shit show. Outfitters reading this will chime in that they only have great quality rifles, but the 2 times I borrowed guns they were not good rifles, bad quality ammo, on one rifle the safety worked opposite of any rifle I have ever seen. I missed a giant impala one day and I was sick over that, I couldn't imagine shooting a leopard with anyone's rifle but my own.

 

[tygersman1]

Yeah, well a smart man won’t feel comfortable following up on a leopard in the dark with a rocket launcher. They are super fast and quiet, and at their best in the dark. We are none of those things. That’s why plenty of PHs follow up with shotguns with buckshot.

I doubt you’ll find too many PHs that will even let you help follow up on a wounded leopard in the dark these days. Too much potential bad press getting a client scratched, and who really trusts the guy who just blew a shot on a leopard sitting still in a tree with a light on him?

Some people shoot lighter recoiling rifles much better than large magnums. I think everyone should use the legal caliber rifle that they shoot best with a quality bullet for the application. If that’s a 6.5, 270, 275, 308, 30-06, 300, all good. Just make a great initial shot with the right bullet and everything else will be ok.

Leopards scratch people because of bad initial shots not because the hole was 6.5 vs 7mm vs 30 cal. I’d much rather have a .223 through the heart than a 30 cal through the guts or some meaningless meat.

And I’ve shot them with a 404 and a 300 in the dark and during the daylight. However you comfortably do it legally - that’s the right way.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Just asking for opinions. Right now while I am planning to use my 375 H&H when I do hunt leopard I really want to use my John Rigby in 275 Rigby with a 154 grain bullet but welcome everyone’s thoughts please?

I know dead is dead but honestly a .375 & 338s for Leopard are way over kill. I'm just saying that's a lot of punishment practicing for a 160 lb animal with thin skin. You will do fantastic with Mr. Boring himself. 30.06 168 to 190 grain bullets. 168 grain 06 bullets kill elk in the US left and right. Personally I wouldn't go lower than a 280. But the 308, 7mm, 300 win mag 300 wsm and don't forget 325 wsm will kill any leopard on the planet with the right bullet on the shoulder. Personally I wouldn't use anything over a 325 wsm. Ive been to africa with my 325 3 times. Dropped everything in the dirt on the first shot.

Putting a deposit down on Leopard in 2 weeks for a 24 hunt. I asked the PH what he liked for Leo. He said anything I could shoot with the best but he liked the 30.06, 300 win or wsm.

 

[Rare Breed]

I know dead is dead but honestly a .375 & 338s for Leopard are way over kill. I'm just saying that's a lot of punishment practicing for a 160 lb animal with thin skin. You will do fantastic with Mr. Boring himself. 30.06 168 to 190 grain bullets. 168 grain 06 bullets kill elk in the US left and right. Personally I wouldn't go lower than a 280. But the 308, 7mm, 300 win mag 300 wsm and don't forget 325 wsm will kill any leopard on the planet with the right bullet on the shoulder. Personally I wouldn't use anything over a 325 wsm. Ive been to africa with my 325 3 times. Dropped everything in the dirt on the first shot.

Putting a deposit down on Leopard in 2 weeks for a 24 hunt. I asked the PH what he liked for Leo. He said anything I could shoot with the best but he liked the 30.06, 300 win or wsm.

Thanks! I and another member are looking for a leopard hunt in 25…would you mind sharing which outfitter you have chosen with rationale please? If not too much to ask would greatly appreciate a PM on price range day rates with trophy fee please. Greatly appreciated!!!

 

[drbortone]

I used a 300 win mag and he came out the tree upside down head first so I like it a lot. But I can also say I am no fan of a 6.5 manbun. Is this hunt in South Africa? I thought they were not being issued tags currently but I could be wrong.

Min cliber is .375 in all of Africa for the big 5

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Min cliber is .375 in all of Africa for the big 5

Where did you get that idea? In most countries anything from .270 and up is legal for leopard. .375 or 9.3 (.366) is required for elephant, buffalo and hippo, although hippo are not considered to be part of the big 5. If rhino was legal it would also require the .375/9.3 minimum.

 

[thriller]

Min cliber is .375 in all of Africa for the big 5

I can say with absolute confidence that you are wrong and should review the laws surrounding this subject for Zimbabwe at your soonest convenience.

 

[drbortone]

I can say with absolute confidence that you are wrong and should review the laws surrounding this subject for Zimbabwe at your soonest convenience.

Ok thanks for the clarification.

 

[geoff rath]

Absolutely no experience on Leopard, and minimal chance to do so; but my thoughts are: what have hunters used over the last century+ of hunting "Chui"? I'd bet, apart from the ubiquitous 12gauge and buckshot, look to the 7X57/275Rigby, 30 calibers, and the classics 375H&H or 9.3X62.
I'll happily stand corrected on this by those with much greater experience that I ...