PHOENIX PHIL
AH ambassador
My only experience Leopard hunting has occurred at night while I was sleeping, only to wake up greatly disappointed. :lookaround:
I do however hope to someday hunt them. On my safari last year my wife and I got a close up look at the leopard they have at the Moholoholo Rehab Centre in the Limpopo. While a formidable animal for sure, they don't strike me as particularly huge and that a fast expanding bullet as some have said in this thread makes sense to me.
My favorite rifle all time for the animals I've hunted in the U.S. is my Winchester M70 in 7mm magnum. This rifle is now pretty much relegated to hunting Coues deer in Arizona. My deer hunting buddy here recommended a load that uses 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. I have to say this was a great recommendation. The deer I've killed with this round have all dropped dead in their tracks with not so much as a twitch. One of the deer I shot was at 300 yards and was a heart shot. The only thing left of the heart was a small section from the bottom.
So, I'm wondering if this bullet type (not necessarily 140 grain 7mm mag) would not be a good choice for leopard?
I've heard the ballistic tip criticized for being hard on the hide, but I've not seen the hide damage to be any worse on the deer I've killed with it versus other bullets.
I do however hope to someday hunt them. On my safari last year my wife and I got a close up look at the leopard they have at the Moholoholo Rehab Centre in the Limpopo. While a formidable animal for sure, they don't strike me as particularly huge and that a fast expanding bullet as some have said in this thread makes sense to me.
My favorite rifle all time for the animals I've hunted in the U.S. is my Winchester M70 in 7mm magnum. This rifle is now pretty much relegated to hunting Coues deer in Arizona. My deer hunting buddy here recommended a load that uses 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. I have to say this was a great recommendation. The deer I've killed with this round have all dropped dead in their tracks with not so much as a twitch. One of the deer I shot was at 300 yards and was a heart shot. The only thing left of the heart was a small section from the bottom.
So, I'm wondering if this bullet type (not necessarily 140 grain 7mm mag) would not be a good choice for leopard?
I've heard the ballistic tip criticized for being hard on the hide, but I've not seen the hide damage to be any worse on the deer I've killed with it versus other bullets.
would be the .338 with 210 gr. Noslers or 250 gr. Sierra bullets as they expand well. A good taxidermist can repair the skin damage, but in most cases its not severe.
