338. for Lion?

[ldmay375]

338 Winchester, which I am very fond of.

 

[bruce moulds]

Bruce, if you do. I would definitely look forward to reading of your results !!View attachment 402046View attachment 402047

idmay 375,
most certainly if it happens results will be shared.
just looking for something with 300 point blank +/- 3" and good delivery out there.
would probably be looking at 250 gn swift, &/or 225 or 250 barnes.
mainly in terested in the bigger end of suitability of this cartridge.
the case is as big as i wish to go.
bruce.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I think if I were to try lion with a 338 I would load 250 grain Swift A Frames. I have heard stories of lightly constructed bullets nog penetrating the rock hard muscles.

 

[ldmay375]

Speaking to non-Lion stuff:
The 225 grain monolithic types definitely penetrate and certainly have ample velocity particularly at 200 yds and under from a 338 Winchester. I would guess the 210’s of the same construction and a bit higher velocity would penetrate very close to the same. My experience and others’ that I know, the 338 and 225’s penetrate, reek havoc in life sustaining organs, and end things in pretty rapidly.

I have no doubt a 338 Winchester would work well, with a good bullet. I personally do not consider using a 338 Winchester as a “stunt-hunt” or a reckless endeavor.

If ever gifted a lion hunt, I would likely use a 416 of some flavor. I just think a 416 gives me as much advantage as my shoulder cares to regularly endure while maintaining consistent accuracy.

 

[IvW]

Lot of "experts" here who have never hunted lion seems like...

 

[One Day...]

Would you happen to know when Zambia set the minimum legal dangerous game calibre as .375 bore ? John sent me an article of a .338 Winchester Magnum being used for lion hunting in Zambia . But this was during the 1970s . I take that the law has changed since then ?

Good catch!
The .375 minimum in Zambia applies to Elephant Buffalo and Hippo. The minimum legal for Lion and Leopard is .300.
Apologies for misreading the recapitulative table I compiled a few years ago...

 

[curtism1234]

Lot of "experts" here who have never hunted lion seems like...

At some point common sense just prevails. If a 338 is universally known to be the best choice for 700 pound elk and 1500 pound bear, its not going to have a problem on a 500 pound lion.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

338 Winchester, which I am very fond of.
View attachment 402057View attachment 402058

@Idmay375
If the 338 is good enough that make the Whelen eminately suited for loin. A 225 grain @2,900fps or a 250 grain @ 2,700fps or even a 275 grain @ 2,500fps should do as well. After a lot the 350 Rigby magnum was considered ideal and the Whelen being identical and better should be the same.
Bob

 

[One Day...]

Lot of "experts" here who have never hunted lion seems like...

I do not know IvW, I have never hunted Lion...

But I draw my conclusions on the .338 caliber for Lion based on the vast number of well published genuine field experts such as Bell, Taylor, Anderson, Sutherland, Grogan, Longden, Lyell, etc. etc. who praised highly the .318 Westley Richard ... which is actually a .330 caliber.

I guess that if the .33 250 gr bullets at 2,400 ft./s of the .318 WR worked well for them with the bullets of the era, the .33 250 gr bullets at 2,600 ft./s of the .338 Win are likely to work very well indeed today with modern bullets such as the TSX, AFrame, Peregrine, etc.

An interesting advantage of analytical thinking is that it has allowed man to understand the criteria at play in given situations, conceptualize their applicability in experiences that they never had before personally, and project their application in experiences new to them. For example, I always found quite remarkable that the Apollo program was able to analyze, conceptualize and design hardware to take man to the moon, land him and walk him around, and return him safely to earth, executing flawlessly a program designed entirely based on analytical thinking and without, obviously, any prior moon exploration experience.

Of course, not everyone is a rocket scientist, or a ballistician, or a bullet designer, etc. but I reckon that members of AfricaHunting.com too are capable of analyzing and drawing valid conclusions

 

[ldmay375]

Bob, I would think the 35 Whelen would work well also.
It has knocked the snot out of many beast, and should as well work on The King Of Beasts.

Just me, but I would still pick a 416 for that fantasy “gifted trip”. Even though it would not be the famed Rigby cartridge.

 

[lwaters]

A lot of Eskimos use the 223 on polar bear. They are quite a bit bigger than a lion. Can you imagine hunting polar bear and your quite has a 223 for a stopper.

 

[ldmay375]

Bob, I would think the 35 Whelen would work well also.
It has knocked the snot out of many beast, and should as well work on The King Of Beasts.

Just me, but I would still pick a 416 for that fantasy “gifted trip”. Even though it would not be the famed Rigby cartridge.
Edited To Add:

I not an “expert”, nor have I implied or inferred such. Nor did I or do I advocate or recommend any cartridge. Purely discussion.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I not an “expert”, nor have I implied or inferred such. Nor did I or do I advocate or recommend any cartridge. Purely discussion.

@Idmay375
Mate If'n I was gifted a loin hunt and the use of a nice 416 Rigby I can assure you the Whelen would be staying home.
Unfortunately like most married men I can't even win an argument with my wife let alone be lucky enough to be gifted a trip like that.
Bob

 

[bruce moulds]

bob, i hope you don't treat your wife like the whelen.
just because something fancier comes along does not mean it is better.
loyalty is important.
bruce.

 

[ldmay375]

A lot of Eskimos use the 223 on polar bear. They are quite a bit bigger than a lion. Can you imagine hunting polar bear and your quite has a 223 for a stopper.

I don’t know know how many that do, but bet it has been used. I would guess the 223 has been used on about everything here.
There is / use to be a DVD called “No Land For The Timid”. This can give a different perspective on a lot of hunting / Harvesting methods. This is a documentary that was many years in the making.
It does have a native Polar hunt, using a .222 if I recall correctly. But, the dogs were the real key performers in this hunt. One shot dead bear.
It also has another hunt, fly/land/shoot back when legal. This was a bit of a Polar bear rodeo with 2 or 3 Bigger bore cartridges involved when things did not go as planned.

Edit to add: The Walrus harvest was another goat-rope.

another Edit:
I said DVD, but meant VHS.
but, I see now the original has made it to DVD also

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

bob, i hope you don't treat your wife like the whelen.
just because something fancier comes along does not mean it is better.
loyalty is important.
bruce.

@bruce moulds
I treat my wife the same as the Whelen. WITH LOVE and tenderness. My wife is the same as the Whelen if you don't respect them the will both slap you unmercifully and give you a hard time.
Bob

 

[BeeMaa]

Will absolutely get the job done with the right bullet and shooter, however I would not have one in my hands when following up a wounded lion or when hunting one on foot.....

I understand your point coming at it from the perspective of a PH and having to possibly sort out a bad situation with a very mad cat. However as a client hunting Lion, as long as .338 is legal and the hunter is confident with the rifle and cartridge, go for it.

On another note...how else are Lion hunted if not on foot? From the bakkie?

 

[PerH]

Woodleigh 300 grain in .338 ,a late fb friend Jay T used a 340 with 300 grains for much game of various types and sizes

And 310 soft,solid in .35 for Whelen,Norma Mag ,Rigbys . Jens Perto ,Danish hunter have taken many game of all sizes with 310 Woodies soft,solids in his Norma Mag. ( incidentally Norma had data for it,but never factory loaded above 250 grain,a shame indeed. And it need a better factory load than the Oryx since its a hunters soul crashing bullet quality )

 

[IvW]

I understand your point coming at it from the perspective of a PH and having to possibly sort out a bad situation with a very mad cat. However as a client hunting Lion, as long as .338 is legal and the hunter is confident with the rifle and cartridge, go for it.

On another note...how else are Lion hunted if not on foot? From the bakkie?

Only two ways to hunt lion, over bait(provided or their own kill), using a proper blind such as for leopard hunting or a less elaborate one that is more of a screen than a blind and can be approached in daytime, terrain permitting and the other way is tracking them on foot....Personally I dont hunt from a bakkie, except when culling or varmint hunting and sometimes when hunting night critters.

Shooting a lion from a bakkie would be a very dissapointing experience.....

 

[Philip Glass]

To me it’s the whole thing of overthinking calibers and options. The more I hunt Africa the more I realize the versatility of the .375. It is a true one gun battery.
The answer to the question posed is, of course, yes it will kill lion easily.