im a full blown Africa nut as anyone thats talked books with me knows, ive got around 100 volumes on hunting in Africa on the shelves.....im not one to pick and choose guys that made my point....if i look over my collection as a whole, with the exception of guys like Baker and Selous who bridged the blackpowder/smokeless eras most anyone that spent any real time hunting over there did not go from larger calibers to smaller....just about everyone that started with lighter or rounds like the 405 decided to go heavier, more often than not cause they had some critter put holes in their hide....
i have no doubt that most of the time a 45-70 with heavy loads or a 405 Win with the right bullets will do you well, especially if you throat that 405 to seat out 400 grain bullets...hell i wouldnt hesitate if offered to hunt with them but the fact is they are on the low end of adequate for critters that will kill you if given the chance.....and they would not be my choice if i was facing these critters without backup...
well other than i always thought for someone used to a lever gun a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70 stoked with warm 300 grain hollow points might make a damn effective gun for following up leopard....
I would have no qualms (well maybe, just the usual ones) about going after heavy game with a hot loaded 45-70. There are calibers that offer more foot pounds, more momentum, more diameter, and heavier bullets. Not a whole lot of them can offer the speed of handling and follow up shots though. Not to mention topping up the mag without dropping or opening anything.
You'll have to refresh my memory; did Karamojo Bell switch to a heavy gun? Of course he killed more heavy game before getting his pants on than most of us will in a lifetime.
For a leopard that's a heavy gun. If I was going to follow one up, I think I would want something I could shoot even quicker, or a buckshot load.
