Which bullet in 300WM for Leopard?

[Travis2282]

Maybe the 190gr accubond LR. It should open faster under short ranges.

 

[Mark Henderson]

180gr Accubond @ 75 yards…was dead before he hit the ground.

 

[Graham Hunter]

I have spoke to several Leopard PH's. They all said the same thing. A Leopards nervous system is highly suseptable to hydrostatic shock. I will be using a 7mm Weatherby with 160gr. Partition. Remember a Leopard is between 150 to 170 lbs. Thin skinned and short hair. Shot placement is the most important.

 

[DLSJR]

I have spoke to several Leopard PH's. They all said the same thing. A Leopards nervous system is highly suseptable to hydrostatic shock. I will be using a 7mm Weatherby with 160gr. Partition. Remember a Leopard is between 150 to 170 lbs. Thin skinned and short hair. Shot placement is the most important.

Actually, most leopards are 150 tops, most are a bit lighter than that. Some get a lot bigger but the truth is, 150 is a damn big leopard. They’re not hard to kill if shot properly. They don’t require the toughest best bullets; just a good bullet in the right place.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Take it for what’s it’s worth - do not shoot a high velocity 300 mag with an expanding bullet like a 180 Nosler partition or accubond at close range (60 yds or less) and expect good results. Use the Aframe 200 grain or make sure you’re 75 yds or further.

Ok, I'll bite. Why? I haven't shot a leopard, but I have killed quite a few animals that are bigger and tougher with my .300 WM using 180 and 200 grain Accubonds from about 35 (a big waterbuck) to over 200 yards. There has always been a large exit wound, the animals have always died quickly, and I have never recovered a bullet. If I ever do shoot a leopard, that is what I will use.

 

[Happy Myles]

Which is the most accurate in your rifle? Swift A Frame or Nosler Partition, 180 0r 200 grain.

 

[lockingblock]

Partition is my go to. It just plain works. It opens FASTC does a lot of damage, and exits for blood loss. You can’t go wrong with it.

 

[Surgeon1]

ALL 3 SWIFTS ARE 0.5MOA OR BETTER PARTITIONS 1.0MOA OR SLIGHTLY WORSE!
MUST CONSIDER I HAVE 5 ZEBRA AND 10 IMPALA FOR BAIT SO WAS LEANING TOWARD
A-FRAME OR SCIROOCO (A PERSONAL FAVORITE)
WALKED AWAY FROM PARTITIONS DUE TO POOR RESULTS ON MANY ELK YEARS AGO BUT MANY SAY THEY ARE IMPROVED IN RECENT YEARS....THUS THE QUESTION I'VE ASKED!

 

[dchum]

ALL 3 SWIFTS ARE 0.5MOA OR BETTER PARTITIONS 1.0MOA OR SLIGHTLY WORSE!
MUST CONSIDER I HAVE 5 ZEBRA AND 10 IMPALA FOR BAIT SO WAS LEANING TOWARD
A-FRAME OR SCIROOCO (A PERSONAL FAVORITE)
WALKED AWAY FROM PARTITIONS DUE TO POOR RESULTS ON MANY ELK YEARS AGO BUT MANY SAY THEY ARE IMPROVED IN RECENT YEARS....THUS THE QUESTION I'VE ASKED!

in your rifle?

 

[Red Leg]

180 gr A Frame would be my choice. Decisive on a cat and perfect for shooting all that bait and other PG.

 

[tygersman1]

Ok, I'll bite. Why? I haven't shot a leopard, but I have killed quite a few animals that are bigger and tougher with my .300 WM using 180 and 200 grain Accubonds from about 35 (a big waterbuck) to over 200 yards. There has always been a large exit wound, the animals have always died quickly, and I have never recovered a bullet. If I ever do shoot a leopard, that is what I will use.

Leopards aren't tough to kill. I've killed far bigger game with Accubonds too. But rarely do I have occasion to shoot any of them at less than 50 yards out of a high velocity rifle such as 300 win mag. I don't believe it's purely an Accubond or Partition issue per se - I suspect it could happen to many general purpose jacketed hunting bullets fired at high velocity at close range. I've personally witnessed the Accubond failure, including in the context of a leopard hunt (which is what this thread happened to be about), and often leopard blinds are set up at 50 yds or less. I'm no engineer nor physicist, but understand that such bullets can be pretty finicky at close ranges and high velocity, but work great when they stabilize (distance increases and velocity decreases). Also not suggesting that the failure happens all the time, or a majority of the time, or even regularly. But if you have $30k+ tied up in a leopard hunt, it may be something to consider when picking a bullet and setting up your blind.

 

[YancyW]

View attachment 525672

Here’s an actual frozen frame from a vid (stopped to see bullet) of leopard being struck by a 180 gr Nosler Accubond (300 win mag) at less than 50 yds. Dead at bottom of the tree? Hardly.
Again, it may or may not work at close range out of a high velocity magnum. Why chance it? Just get more distance, so the bullet can stabilize or pick the Aframe.

What do you mean by may not work? The reference to stabilize has me confused here.

 

[JimP]

I haven't shot a leopard but have killed a lot of mule deer and elk with ranges anywhere from 20 yards out and I have never had a problem using any bullet at close range. Most of the kills have been bang flop when the range is 50 yards or less.

This past June my warthog was at 30 yards, I shot him with a 340 Weatherby mag shooting 225 grain TTSX bullets at 3000 fps. He was a bang flop right in his tracks.

 

[tygersman1]

What do you mean by may not work? The reference to stabilize has me confused here.

Sorry, I wasn't intending to be technical and just meant that the bullet may not perform as may be ideal at close range and highest velocity. It's my understanding that it takes some time/distance for bullets to stabilize after leaving the barrel (perhaps mostly an accuracy issue not at play here). I also understand that two most likely windows of bullet underperformance tend to be very early after the bullet leaves the barrel (highest velocity and heat) and far downrange when a bullet may no longer have the velocity to operate properly (from a terminal standpoint). I was referring to the potential for a bullet losing part or all of its structure upon impact due to velocity/heat/etc. (potentially unstable at impact) and thus, not necessarily performing as intended.

The still frame was an example of when shot placement was not the issue on a leopard hunt under that scenario (high velocity at very close range). The leopard was wounded by the 180 grain Accubond (300 win mag), and subsequently recovered (with a 375 grain CEB raptor from a 404 Jeffrey) revealing that the 180 grain bullet had to have lost part of all of its structure upon impact (at admittedly very high velocity at very close range). I get it. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it. How likely is it? Probably fairly unlikely, but I would just use a different bullet or increase distance and take that totally out of the equation.

 

[One Day...]

Take it for what’s it’s worth - do not shoot a high velocity 300 mag with an expanding bullet like a 180 Nosler partition or accubond at close range (60 yds or less) and expect good results. Use the Aframe 200 grain or make sure you’re 75 yds or further.

Here’s an actual frozen frame from a vid (stopped to see bullet) of leopard being struck by a 180 gr Nosler Accubond (300 win mag) at less than 50 yds. Dead at bottom of the tree? Hardly.
Again, it may or may not work at close range out of a high velocity magnum. Why chance it? Just get more distance, so the bullet can stabilize or pick the Aframe.

Hello tygersman1;

Is this the bullet impact point?

The reason I ask, is that IF this is the impact point, this would explain a lot of things, including why the Leo was not found dead at bottom of the tree.

To each their own, but from my perspective - IF this is the bullet impact point - this shot is way too high: it certainly misses the heart, likely only grazes the front of the left lung, and unless it would luckily take out the spine (which it obviously did not in this case), it does not cause any structural damage (e.g. broken shoulders). It does not really matter which bullet hits there: IF this is the impact point, this is certainly NOT a dead Leo...

The way I see it, here is the bullet path:

Of course, broadside presentation is always better on Leo, but sometimes you take the only shot you have, I understand. In this case, my own shot would have been there (green spot):

As to why the Nosler Partition still reins supreme on Leopard, it is precisely the reason why it does not anymore on Buffalo: front core explosive expansion in the first inches of penetration.

In the case of the light weight, light frame Leo, immobile on bait, fragmentation of the bullet in the easily penetrated shallow vitals is a definite advantage, and deep penetration and weight retention is irrelevant (note: follow up shots on wounded charging Leos are different and require different loads from generally different guns...).

This is why a TSX or AFrame (and similar) are often considered a little too tough for Leo - although they certainly work - because they will generally punch though at near nominal caliber diameter without making a lot of damage and releasing a lot of energy, and why good old fragmenting Core-Lokt or PowerPoint are still considered adequate, while a host of bullets are just fine (e.g. Accubond, Scirocco, Sierra Game King and such), and the Partition is near ideal, combining both violent expansion of the front core and decent penetration or the rear core.

In this discussion, velocity, stability, distance, etc. are remote issues, the ONE dominant factor (as usual, and maybe even more than usual) is shot placement, and the second factor is rapid expansion in comparatively soft tissues.

 

[Scott CWO]

View attachment 525672

Here’s an actual frozen frame from a vid (stopped to see bullet) of leopard being struck by a 180 gr Nosler Accubond (300 win mag) at less than 50 yds. Dead at bottom of the tree? Hardly.
Again, it may or may not work at close range out of a high velocity magnum. Why chance it? Just get more distance, so the bullet can stabilize or pick the Aframe.

This is the wrong angle to shoot a leopard or any dangerous cat. It’s too high and not broadside. Might only get one lung. It will die at this angle but often not immediately. That’s likely the biggest problem with this leopard, not the Accubond. I would rather shoot the 180 grain A-Frame or Accubond than the Partition. As stated earlier, a Remington Cor-lokt would also work on leopard but from a broadside presentation.

 

[Scott CWO]

Here’s mine. Fell into a pool of water and never moved. Shot broadside with an A-Frame. Contrary to popular opinion, A-Frame will open up just fine on a leopard or mountain lion. I’ve seen it happen many times and never had to search for a wounded cat. If you want something softer, use an Accubond.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Steve White mentions a bullet, the Remington CoreLokt, that wasn’t among the choices offered to vote on. He’s spot on with this observation as a CoreLokt would definitely be a great leopard bullet. The Sierra Game King would be another but also wasn’t on the original list. Even though I voted for Nosler Partition, I wouldn’t hesitate to use either of these bullets for a leopard.

Leopards, if shot well, are not difficult to kill. My personal view is that a Partition, Accubond or these two bullets are probably the best choices. I’ve only shot 2 but will be trying for my 3rd leopard this August in the Selous. I’ll be shooting my 338 Winchester with 225 grain TTSX bullet. This is way more than needed for a leopard, but it’s my favorite rifle and groups those bullets tightly. That combo works for nearly anything.

If I was doing a dedicated leopard only hunt, I’d probably just shoot my 30-06 and a 180 Partition or CoreLokt. It’d be plenty good for even the biggest leopard.

Yes

You don't need...or even WANT a super tough bullet on cats.

The Partition is kind of the best of both worlds when it comes to killing things in that it has a soft front transmitting shock but still the core drives deep.

But cats are not Cape Buffalo or Eland or even a zebra.

Shot placement is far and away the most important thing but I really don't want a hard bullet that pencils through a leopard or lion. I want to deliver as much shock as possible

 

[YancyW]

This sounds like an occasion for a 210gr Berger....

 

[tygersman1]

Hello tygersman1;

Is this the bullet impact point?

View attachment 525883

The reason I ask, is that IF this is the impact point, this would explain a lot of things, including why the Leo was not found dead at bottom of the tree.

To each their own, but from my perspective - IF this is the bullet impact point - this shot is way too high: it certainly misses the heart, likely only grazes the front of the left lung, and unless it would luckily take out the spine (which it obviously did not in this case), it does not cause any structural damage (e.g. broken shoulders). It does not really matter which bullet hits there: IF this is the impact point, this is certainly NOT a dead Leo...

The way I see it, here is the bullet path:

View attachment 525885

Of course, broadside presentation is always better on Leo, but sometimes you take the only shot you have, I understand. In this case, my own shot would have been there (green spot):

View attachment 525888

As to why the Nosler Partition still reins supreme on Leopard, it is precisely the reason why it does not anymore on Buffalo: front core explosive expansion in the first inches of penetration.

In the case of the light weight, light frame Leo, immobile on bait, fragmentation of the bullet in the easily penetrated shallow vitals is a definite advantage, and deep penetration and weight retention is irrelevant (note: follow up shots on wounded charging Leos are different and require different loads from generally different guns...).

This is why a TSX or AFrame (and similar) are often considered a little too tough for Leo - although they certainly work - because they will generally punch though at near nominal caliber diameter without making a lot of damage and releasing a lot of energy, and why good old fragmenting Core-Lokt or PowerPoint are still considered adequate, while a host of bullets are just fine (e.g. Accubond, Scirocco, Sierra Game King and such), and the Partition is near ideal, combining both violent expansion of the front core and decent penetration or the rear core.

In this discussion, velocity, stability, distance, etc. are remote issues, the ONE dominant factor (as usual, and maybe even more than usual) is shot placement, and the second factor is rapid expansion in comparatively soft tissues.

Yes, that was the entry point. But because of geography this cat was shot from elevated machan position (shooter was well above the cat) not from below or on the same plane. The camera angle is not the same as the shot angle. It was just the camera used to monitor the bait.

The bullet didn’t just miss the vitals, it never made it there because it came apart upon impact effectively shrapnelizing and creating somewhat disabling but non-fatal and mostly shallow wounding.