Which of these three bullets would you use for leopard in 30-06?

I have loaded both the 172 and 190 Speer Impact .308 Component Bullets. I used the 190 in my Sako .30-06 to harvest Deer, Kudu, Boar, Gemsbok. All were one shot DRT. The bullets also are very accurate with my loads. Highly recommend them.
 
Core-lokt
 
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My son shot his Leopard with a 8x57 180gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. I think just about any cup and core or frangible bullet like a Ballistic Tip or SST would do nicely. But the best person to ask is your PH.
 
Wyit76 said:
I know my line of questioning is not your initial topic but troubleshooting picky rifles intrigues me and the inconsistency in what your rifle prefers has me curious.

Have you done much experimenting with the lighter bullets, sub 160gr? I know it is out of the norm for the 06 but could be worth a try, lean into the Weatherby ideology with extra speed.

You also say you have not worked with the solid coppers and I am assuming you mean bullets like the hornady CX and Barnes line up and I am curious what cut them from your list of testing.
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I have not experimented much with bullets lighter than 165. I hunt with barnes 180 grain TTSX in my 300 win mag and like the Hornady 225 grain CX in 338 win mag for bear. If I have a need for speed I shoot my 7PRC at over 3000 FPS with 160 grain Barnes LRX.

I didn't consider the copper bullets because of concern about them not expanding on a leopard.

This rifle is a Christensen Arms Traverse and I struggle to get it to shoot less than 1.5 MOA. I replaced the barrel with a 22 inch Proof Precision barrel and had the gunsmith blueprint the receiver and pillar bedding the action and the best she will do is a .75 MOA with the three loads I am asking about.

I have come to realize that light hunting rifles that shoot 1 inch MOA are fairly hard to come by. I have a mental block against hunting with a rifle that doesn't shoot an inch or less ay 100 yards.
 
I have shot a leopard so have some experience and I have read a lot about leopard hunting, watched a lot of videos and spoken with several PH's about the type of bullets you want to use. The consensus is that you want high velocity and a soft bullet that will brake apart inside the cat. You want to create hydrostatic shock and shut off the cat's nervous system. You do not need a lot of sectional density, cats are thin skinned and small boned. Ideally, you also do not want to use a premium bullet like Barnes or Swift A-Frame. I used a 200 grain Nosler Accubond at 2950 fps out of my 338 Win Mag. Given your choices I would use either of the 165 grain bullets and choose the one that shoots accurately at a high velocity for that bullet weight.
 
codofish said:
I have not experimented much with bullets lighter than 165. I hunt with barnes 180 grain TTSX in my 300 win mag and like the Hornady 225 grain CX in 338 win mag for bear. If I have a need for speed I shoot my 7PRC at over 3000 FPS with 160 grain Barnes LRX.

I didn't consider the copper bullets because of concern about them not expanding on a leopard.

This rifle is a Christensen Arms Traverse and I struggle to get it to shoot less than 1.5 MOA. I replaced the barrel with a 22 inch Proof Precision barrel and had the gunsmith blueprint the receiver and pillar bedding the action and the best she will do is a .75 MOA with the three loads I am asking about.

I have come to realize that light hunting rifles that shoot 1 inch MOA are fairly hard to come by. I have a mental block against hunting with a rifle that doesn't shoot an inch or less ay 100 yards.
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Unfortunately Christiansen Arms has a reputation for inconsistent and sub par at best accuracy. A shame for the cost of their rifles. The proof barrel, blue printing, and bedding absolutely should have solved the majority of your issues though. I definitely understand the mental block with the accuracy, I am firmly in the same camp.

It may be worth your time to experiment with some of the lighter weight offering. I have seen excellent results with 150gr Nosler Balistic tips accuracy wise, they were a bit "explosive" for my normal game but grouped excellent. The 130gr Barnes TTSX is also a factory loaded option worth looking at. I can't speak specifically to cats but I have yet to have a Barnes bullet not expand even on pronghorn. If I am not mistaken there is a slow motion video put there of a Barnes bullet expanding fully in either a grape or a cherry tomato.
 
If I had to choose from those three, sierra
 
All three would clearly work just fine…. leopards are soft little Kitty’s
It’s 100% about simple bullet placement
However…
Out of these three…Core Lokt because of expansion on impact…
It’s not the little hole that kills…it’s the hydrostatic shock that creates the massive soft tissue damage (wound channel)
So, for the same reason we are NOT discussing a Solid here (because it creates the least hydrostatic shock) ….you pick the bullet that you think will create the MOST….simple choice…
But it won’t matter one damn bit as long as you hit vitals (or don’t) on any.
I hunt Leopard in two weeks… I’m using Hornady DGX in .375.. I won’t think twice about the projectile.
 
I have a good bit of experience with the Sierra 165 game king.
When shot at deer at less than 50 yards they very frequently have core jacket separation and fail to exit.

Seen a big buck lost when hit in the shoulder and apparently did not reach the vitals.

No way I would trust my leopard hunt to this bullet.
 
Excuse my ignorance, is it legal to hunt leopards with a 30-06 rifle?

Ovny
 
A friend who recently passed away was a veterinarian who carefully examined every animal he shot and saved the bullets if they failed to exit.

He had a big collection of 165 Sierra Game Kings that were in pieces because of core-jacket separation.

He lost a couple of animals that he knew were hit well and switched to Swift A Frames in his 30-06.

You don’t have to use A Frames but you shouldn’t use those Game Kings in my opinion.
 
Of those three I would use the game king as first choice Core Lokt as second


Don't have any experience with the 3rd option so cant make a recommendation one way or the other.

Shot my leopard with 165gr Nosler ballistic tip. (300 WSM)
 
oscar1975 said:
Excuse my ignorance, is it legal to hunt leopards with a 30-06 rifle?

Ovny
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Apparently it is in Zimbabwe. Silencers are not legal so I selected the 30-06 since it is the lightest recoiling rifle I have. My 7PRC and 300 win mag are both lightweight mountain rifles and are a little peppy.
 
dchamp said:
My son shot his Leopard with a 8x57 180gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. I think just about any cup and core or frangible bullet like a Ballistic Tip or SST would do nicely. But the best person to ask is your PH.
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My PH doesn’t seem to be too concerned about the leopard load. He gave me more feedback on my choice of ammo for the buffalo. Also gave good feedback about the rifle scope for the night hunt
 
codofish said:
Apparently it is in Zimbabwe. Silencers are not legal so I selected the 30-06 since it is the lightest recoiling rifle I have. My 7PRC and 300 win mag are both lightweight mountain rifles and are a little peppy.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your response. Whichever weapon you choose, have a pleasant hunt and good luck.

Ovny
 
codofish said:
165 grain Remington Core-lokt tipped, 165 grain HSM Spitzer Boat Tail Sierria Game King, or 172 grain Remington Speer Impact.

Please don't suggest other loads or weights, these are the only ones that will group well.
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I have hunted and killed two leopards. The first was taken with a 9.3x62 firing 284 grain soft points. PH’s gun and his hand loaded ammo. The second leopard was taken with my Ruger #1 in 300 win mag. I was shooting 180 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertips. Why such an old type ammo??? Because that rifle loves that particular ammo and it grouped extremely well. In your 30-06 I would go with the 172 grain Speer.
 
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