Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Large Cat Caliber

well with one exception, both lions and tigers are very capable of killing with the first bite.....numerous cases of hunters that failed to stop a lion in a charge only to have the lion kill the hunter and then expire shortly there after.....John Kingsley-Heath has a list in his book 'Hunting the Dangerous Game of Africa" of European and American hunters killed by the lions they were hunting....and what applies to lions applies to tigers....

being susceptible to shock far more than say a cape buffalo, lighter faster rounds into the chest cavity do tend to dump even large cat quite fast so things like the fast 30 and 338 rounds do work quite well when you hit them in the heart lungs.....but the fact if they get to you and that first time they clamp down puncture the skull or put 4 very large holes into the chest cavity is why some African countries have the 375 minimum.....due to the very low forehead frontal shots also have a very nasty habit of ricocheting off the skull and doing no serious damage other than make the cat madder.....

Cats may be a little quicker than a bear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNYwusa8xUY

Right.
It is the interwebs, so odd, obscure, irrelevant sometimes stupid post's are the norm of course. Those have been in the minority here, and a lot of useful information has been posted addressing the "real" question I asked, to my benefit.
The kooks who have reading comprehension problems only get what they get.

I should add to avoid confusion, when I say .308 I'm talking about the Grand Old 30-06, not the (mystical) .308W. I have no grudge against the .308 but my personal battery contains many '06's and no .308's. Were I born a few years later, that equasion might be skewed to the latter.

Very, very unlikely as I've (repeatedly) said (3 or 6 in a million or so : ) can't really be less paranoid than that), but being a curious and interested handloader I've got the urge to work up at least three reasonably accurate, go to rounds (one light for caliber, one conventional and one heavy for caliber) for a mid bore caliber. Everybody has to have a hobby, right?
I've got good sound data on every caliber I own, and many that I don't own. It's all good clean fun too me. Having a range on my property and 3 generations of reloading data/components/equipment, we're always looking for something new and interesting.
And the mid bores are a void in my inventory I'm looking to fill.

If it's also large cat medicine, then good for me.

John

Drama queen no doubt? You are welcome to send me a PM, I might invite you to out to our modest but fun and functional little private range. You can see first hand wether I bring any drama, in person.
Maybe bring the Blaser's, I've never shot one myself. I might have some off breed rifle you've never been exposed too as well.

You first (and second too) posted that I should read the Lacey Act (?), that shows either a reading comprehension problem or a lack of reading of the pertinent post's.

You're third post laid out several viable options that exceed my current entertainment budget (I have four nice rugrats that are taking up a significant portion of my firearm budget, they are all well armed) but were helpful nonetheless.

Now you brand me a "Drama Queen. No Doubt". Meet me, in person not via the webs and you'll soon learn I'm nothing of the sort but feel free to develope your own opinion.
Just an enthusiastic handloader looking to get all "up close and personal" aquainted with a new caliber that's interesting to me and might on the off chance be usable.

As an aside, my first post (this thread) WAS my first post on this forum, so no, no Trex sightings around here, tho that would abruptly up the caliber choices we currently have.

The current Tiger's enclosed close to me are a variety, but no saber toothed in view of the general public.

My offer stands, contact me.

John

Fail, that's a cute little putdown used by internet teenage girls.
You, 4ager, are welcome to contact me by any means you prefer. Then you can post, if you still want, my large fail with real life real world experience. Then it might actually amount to something.

But, that would take some real world balls. So, go for it if you have the balls. I'm available 24 hours per day.

Otherwise, the interweb insults are just that, small wimpy people hiding behind their little keyboard.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

John

Perfection...

I still think he oughta get a 45-70 lever gun...

And I might end up doing that, maybe, sorta ... it could happen. I sure have enough 45-70 components on hand, just hate to load them down to lever gun pressures after decades in Ruger No 1 land.

I read where an African PH said that under duress he'd seen a few hunters carrying a Blaser, reach up and try to run a conventional bolt. Like Gomer Pyle said, surprise, surprise, surprise.
Based off my long term bolt gun use it would be somewhat awkward and fairly likely to have a lever gun in hand, and yet reach for that well known to me bolt knob : )

A .375 would make a pretty stylish elk rifle as well.

No disrespect to the lever 45-70's, they look pretty handy to me.

John

Sorry, John, I don't have time or patience for paranoid drama queens that think some mean kitty is going to escape. You come across as paranoid and delusional, exactly what you hoped to avoid and then you get all butthurt when someone states exactly that.

A temper tantrum and veiled threats doesn't get you very far in recovery, either.

I know quite a few here and they me. I don't need to prove myself to you, and I don't trouble myself with concerns about a zoo escape, either.

YMMV, of course.

That's what I expected, thank goodness algore invented the interwebs for you.

John

Whine much, John? It certainly seems like it.

Well 4ager, I'll guess that you would probably enjoy a day at my range, maybe not based on your posts.

They kind of reek of a poor beaten down little man working in a cubicle, berated by your wife, assuming you have one. Living your life behind a cool internet username, is not living your life. I could be wrong here but it sure doesn't look like it.

But your ability to judge me so completely based on a forum topic you appeared to not have read, at least with comprehension, is a poor sign.

So rave on man, it's your right. You are old to me so you get the coveted internet "last word", make it good : )
Insult me to your little hearts content, I've already offered an up close and personal (and probably fun) experience that your "internet persona" isn't interested in. So be it. You would not talk to me in person like you do hiding behind your keyboard.

Thanks to all who've provided real world constructive info. I'm looking forward to working up loads for whichever caliber runs into me : )

John

John,

You couldn't be any further wrong if you tried. I needn't insult you, and have no desire to do so.

Have fun.

Thanks to those unnamed that sent detailed PM's, many experienced people shared their real world knowledge and it's all helpful and will be considered.

John

I've never been to Africa or Asia.

Legal standards aside, why do the standard tiger and lion rifles start with a .375 and go up?

But if I showed up in Alaska with a .338 to hunt coastal brown bears, I'd be ok.

I'd say that's a pretty darn good back-up.

Well hopefuly so, it's all I've got : ) 'cept a 12 or a 9 year old with her .22.
As many balloons that those girls have killed with .22's, blowing in the breeze, I don't doubt their young abilities but I do have doubts about the caliber : )