Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa .308 180 Accubonds for leopard

I've only shot one leopard, he was baited on the ground, so the 168 gr TTSX bullet from my .300 Weatherby expended most of it's energy in ground behind him. He was dead 19 paces from where I shot him.

The same year that I shot my leopard, I shot a mountain lion that size wise was a twin to my leopard. A 130 gr Sierra FP bullet from my .30-30 killed him instantly.

I've made one shot kills on elk, a red hartebeest, and a blue wildebeest with 160 gr Accubonds from my 7 mm Rem mag.

I would not hesitate to shoot a leopard with my .308 Win and 168 or 180 gr Accubond bullets.

I've used a 270Win,a 7mm Rem Mag,and a 300Win Mag on many caribou.The 300WM with a 180gr TSX resulted in all bang flops but not the others.
I used the 300WM with the 180gr TSX on my leopard at 80yds and he dropped from a high tree like a rock.He was crouching along the branch and the bullet passed just above the heart.

Thanks everyone for the feedback on projectiles and cartridges. The other thing I think I should do is swap over the 3-9 x 36 Swarovski which is currently on it, to a 3-9 x 42 Kahles from another rifle. The increase in objective lense might be slightly better in the dark. I can just leave it on 3 power, twist it up if necessary.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I will suggest that John Kingsley-Heath recommended the.243 because most of his clients could better put a .243 bullet in the right place than could be done with a hard-kicking magnum.

Probably a lot of truth in that!

Not sure if I’ll ever do a leopard hunt but if I do I’ve often thought about my favorite 308 ( that’s been to Africa a couple of times) and loading it with the lowly 150 hornady interlock. I would of course ask my ph his opinion but he too has killed many with a 243. I do know that despite his very strong fondness for TSX bullets for most hunting in Africa he strongly dislikes them for leopards. He and his father have been baiting leopards very successful for probably 50 years or more so I tend to listen to him on that subject. Personally I can’t imagine your 180AB not being absolutely suitable but as others have said I might consider a lighter bullet at a bit higher velocity. I’d rather have a bigger hole in the hide to contend with v a leopard I never found!good luck on your hunt and post pics of your cat!

Well what your PH says implies that the TSX might be too hard, in which case the 150 E-Tip would possibly be too hard and the 180 Accubond might be too hard. Which was my concern all along. Perhaps the Nosler Partition 180 grain might be better (spitzer or flat nose?). I'm reluctant to go less than .308 bore on the basis that if there is no expansion for some reason, at least there would be a .308 size hole.

This is my mounted leopard.



I shot him just where his elbow is-just behind it.It cost me a fortune to have him mounted but I see it as one of the successes in my life.

As you can see,I like to show it off.

You mention maybe switching scopes? I think I would go out at dawn and dusk with each, actually look through each of them in low light conditions, try to discern fine details, before I made the switch. Your eyes may not be able to tell the difference and you would be switching and re-sighting in, all for nothing.

Good luck on your hunt,

Regards,
Manny

Outstanding looking trophy swiftshot!!!

Beautiful mount there. Leopard are the one big cat I'd hunt a bunch, if I had the dollars!

Shot my leopard with 300 Win Mag shooting factory Barnes ammo...180 gr TTSX. Dead as a rock but he did go 30-40 yds. Double lung at 39 yds.

Had a bigger cat in tree earlier in the night, right at sundown. Using a camp rifle, which is a whole different story and I wouldn't normally do. Travel during COVID with time constraints on the PCR test to get in country and concern for having to adjust travel plans necessitated the use of PH's rifle. I was planning on using my 300 Win Mag with 200 gr Accubonds for this hunt. Bought a new illuminated Swaro with 50mm Obj for the hunt. I firmly believe that not bringing my set up cost me the bigger cat. My scope was far and away superior to the one on borrowed rifle. Cat came at last light, before the moon rise (full moon). It took a few minutes to decide it was the one we wanted and by then I couldn't see well enough to shoot without the light (which was legal where I was). I was starting to squeeze trigger, but really didn't want to screw up the shot...I maybe could have killed cat but he was more of a shadow and couldn't pick out a spot. I didn't want anyone to get chewed on if I messed up the shot so I backed off. Whispered to my PH that I needed the light and he says as soon as he stands he will hit the light. The cat had laid down on the branch. So cat lays there for what seemed like a long time as I am set up and ready to shoot, then he just vanished. Jumped out of tree and was gone. Not spooked...just decided he was going to leave. I am convinced with my set up the cat would have been seen well enough to kill...that's how close things can get.

Ended up shooting a nice Tom later the same night without aid of light. Shot him by moonlight about 5 hours after the other cat left.

Soooo, all that to say that a good scope is essential. My PH insisted on 50mm obj and illuminated reticle. My thinking was I wanted to use a little bit harder bullet so as not to ruin any more hide than necessary. I think the Accubond is a great choice.

Haven't seen mention but in some countries there is minimum caliber or energy requirements....which disqualifies a 243. Not that I think a 243 isn't up to the task. I hunted Zim and you needed a minimum of 7mm caliber.

Bottom line is Leopard hunts are expensive. Hedge your bets and get the best scope you can afford and hunt with a good PH who is experienced with Leopard and listen to his advice.

Good luck!!

Swiftshot: That is a beautiful cat and gorgeous mount!!! Big contrats!

The rifle I used was a Sako Deluxe with a Krieger barrel and a 10X fixed Zeiss scope with a large bell objective.

Load was a hot charge of Vit 560,Lapua case and a moly coated 180TSX.

Riflehunter, I would have no qualms using that setup at all.
Swiftshot, beautiful cat! Thanks for posting.

The only cat I am interested in hunting, is a leopard. This thread got me thinking about what combination I would use from what I currently have.

1. Would be a 338-06 loaded with 200gr ballistic silvertips. Second bullet choice would be a 200gr SST.
2. Would be a 270 WCF with 150gr ballistic silvertip. Second would be 150gr Interlock.

Either gun would be mounted with a proven Leupold VX5 2-10x42 or a Mark4 HD 2.5-10x42 (not proven yet).

Swiftshot, I don't know how your taxi did those rocks but the mount is spectacular!!!

Magnificent cat Swiftshot. I'd be very happy with one like that. I do have a fixed-power 8 x 56 Kahles scope that I could put on. I have tested it as it gets dark and it is slightly better than my other scopes. But I only got an extra 5-10 minutes of shooting as it got dark. I just thought I'd be handicapped with such a high magnification on any follow up shot if needed (and if I were to get the chance). I could take .243, .270, .308 and .338 all of which I can shoot well and have done so frequently. I just think that with .308, if the bullet doesn't hit anything hard, at least I have a .308 size hole. Also, the rifle is blued with a black stock which will give great camouflage at night, and with a short-action and 22" barrel easy to handle in a blind.

Thanks Riflehunter and everyone.

Likely, but also a lesson on what is enough for the task. Don't forget that the tradition built around a 7x57 is based on being enough for the task and its shootability. Same with a .243 or .270 as recommended by Aagaard, whether its trendy on here to like one or not.

"Enough for the task" is never an interesting topic compared to the ever mythical "best for the task" after all, what else would we talk about around the campfire?

going on my 1st trip to Africa in May 2024 ,i have killed a mountain lion i called in with my bow and arrow years ago with a single arrow when i was alone in the mountains . 243 Winchester would be a good choice on a Leopard , i will never have the money for a Leopard hunt but if i did i would use my 257 Weatherby mag . another small bullet .

I shot mine with a 168 grain TSX at around 3200 fps. Never moved after the shot, but took a couple of minutes to die. When I shot my lion, he ate a 270 grain TSX at 2850 longitudinally through the heart. Took one leap, went down, and then died a couple of minutes later. He had a two inch hole through the heart and the bullet ended up in his hind leg.

What I learned from those two experiences is that cats are very susceptible to hydrostatic shock, and Barnes TSX's are probably too hard of a bullet to be ideal.

If I were to hunt leopard with a .308, would probably go with a 150 grain Ballistic Tip or SST pushed as fast as possible. That combo should help insure that your cat is laying dead at the bottom of the tree.