bullets for lion in 375 Rum

I am working up a load for lion in my 375 Rum. I have only hunted with TSX in this cal.

I know that a TSX would work but from my experience penetration is fantastic and it is a sure killer. My issue is that it is not a fast killer it leaves a small hole. It is a great bullet for big animals that slow the bullet down, and non-dangerous PG you may have to follow a few yards but it will be dead.

I was thinking I should use something that will transfer energy better for a quicker kill on lion (more likely to keep my hide). I was thinking of 300 grain Nosler Par. or Accubond. the Rum will throw these at around 3000 fps. I want to kill quickly, but don't want to much damage to a very expensive hide. What do you boys think?

Nosler Partitions should meet your criterion a little better.

My nightmare:
Brush being hit on the way to the target by the softer nosed bullets.
Expansion starting before it hits the animal and thus reduced penetration.

Maybe your lion is going to be in the open, maybe not.

The hide can be sewn up. Get it on the ground and keep everyone safe.

Being this is lion and will decide to eat you if wounded, I'd think this is a question for your PH. I would have to imagine he has specific bullets he prefers out of his own self-preservation interests.

From the voice of no experience whatsoever, I'd go with the Partitions too. I don't think any bullet that would be good for DG is not going to pass through on a broadside or nearly so shot. The Partition MAY shed it's frontal half as it's known to do before passing through and thus leave a smaller exit hole. The AB being bonded I would tend to believe will stay together and leave a larger hole due to the mushroom staying intact.

Again I'd be much more comfortable with you showing up in lion camp with something the PH gives the thumbs up to.

accubonds hold up to high velocity,have high wieght retention. But defer to your ph's suggestions if you can get them and they shoot well and hold together at the higer velocity. Most 375 cal bullets are desined to function2700 and less fps. I know that tsx's will hold up to the velocity of a 375 rum.

If you could find Swift A frame or Trophy bonded Bearclaw,.... On lion I always feel that having a good wound channel is of very high importance,.. this matched with Hydrostatic shock kills a cat relativly quickly, they are soft skinned and extremely highly strung, all contributing to relativly quick death if hit reasonably well.

From what I have experienced the Barnes might not receive sufficient resistance to perform to its full potential therby not creating a large enough wound channel, I am a major league Barnes fan though...I have to mention. (might be splitting hairs here but just a thought)

They are not to be triffled with though...He He.

Bullet placement is of course of the highest importance if you hit it in the vitals they die!!!!!

My best always

Yeah,
Agree here with Jaco. Barnes are excellent bullets and right up there with the best, if not the best. But you dont want to leave anything for chance, especially on Lion. That TSX might zip through that Lion so quick, without getting a chance to open up.
My vote also goes to something like Swift A frame or the Trophy bonded Bearclaw.
Cats usually don't like getting poked around too much.

Best Regards
Marius Goosen

I also think the 300 grain Norma Oryx bullet would be a good choice.
It is a rather soft bonded bullet that opens up well, makes a large wound channel(larger than A-frame and Bearclaw), the bullet stays together and lose very little of its weight. Even if you hit bones. And you should not get a huge exit hole in the skin.

On my last African hunt, I used my .375 RUM with 270 gr Barnes TSX bullets loaded to 3040 fps for everything that I hunted from Steenbok to Eland.

These bullets had no problem opening up and left fist to double fist size exit holes in the smaller animals like the Jackal, 2 Steenboks, a Vaal Rhebok, and a Black springbok. Shoulder shots on the larger animals from Cape Bushbuck up to Eland resulted in the animals dropping within 30 or so yards of where they were shot.

I will probably never be able to hunt an African Lion, but if I could, I wouldn't hesitate to use this caliber and bullet.

I successfully hunted a large male lion in Matetsi last year and used a .416 Rigby with Norma factory loaded 400 grain Swift A-Frames. While outstandingly accurate in my Dakota African (>1" @ 100 yards, consistently), I think the A-Frame, in retrospect, is too "tough" a bullet for cats. While it turned out to be a one shot kill, the lion did not drop at the shot and we had to follow it up in the dark. In retrospect, a more frangible bullet would have likely performed better. Reserve the A-Frame or TSX for Buff, Zebra, Eland and such.

My suggestion for lion would be a Nosler Partition or a Woodleigh Weldcore at<2,600 fps. I'm going leopard hunting this coming October (again), and am taking a .338 Winchester with 225 grain Partitions as loaded by Superior. The Partition was recommended by both my PH and General Boddington for that purpose. However, if you run them up to eleventeen thousand fps, they are more likely to disintegrate or turn themselves inside out before they get deep enough to cause real damage. High velocity is not your friend when hunting DG. I was told by multiple sources NOT to use TSX's for cat hunting. YMMV.

Believe me, following up a wounded cat at night, while exciting, is a lot less fun than sitting around the campfire drinking G&T's.

Seems to me like the accubond would be a good call here, but perhaps even the faster-expanding BT would be a good call. I'd ask your PH what he prefers though- after all, you are paying for his experience, you should take advantage.