Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Leopard. Cartridge and bullet choice.

My 2022 Zimbabwe leopard hunt is less than one year out and is approaching fast. I expected it to drag by, but the weeks are going by surprisingly quick. I wanted to get some opinions and thoughts on the rifle and bullet combination I have decided to use for this once in a lifetime hunt.

I'm taking two rifles. A No.1 in 300h&h. The bullet is a 180g Interlock. The other rifle is a 700 in 308 with a 150g interlock.
Originally I had planned on using the No.1. It shoots very well with the above mentioned handload. However, I grew up on a 700 and no matter how much I shoot the No.1; I feel more confident in my ability with the 700 platform.. It also has a much better trigger and a better optic. That's not to say that the no. 1 isn't a fine rifle, the trigger is somewhat heavy but clean, and sports a 6x36 Leupold which I have no trouble making hits with out to 400. (Not that I'll be shooting that far on leopard). I have total confidence in the 300h&h and the 180g interlock at 2950 but should I decide to use the 308 instead, would you shy away from the 150 Interlock? A leopard is roughly the same weight and size as a whitetail, and the interlock is one of my favorite deer bullets and I think it should work just fine, but I'd like to hear what those that have been there and done that have to say about it. Thanks in advance. All opinions welcome.

I've only killed one Leopard, it was a 50 yd shot with my .300 Weatherby and a 168 grain TTSX bullet. He was basically DRT, 18 paces from where I shot him.

I would think that at 50 yds your .308 would have no problems killing Mr Spots.

.458 Nosler 300 grain Protected Point @2200 fps from 1886 45-90. One shot kill- cat never moved after shot.

That seems a bit too fast for the interlock but I am sure it will kill if placed well.I used a 300WM and the 180gr TSX to shoot a leopard.I shot it at 80yds just above the heart and he dropped off the tree like a bag of potatoes.I really pushed the TSX with a hot load.When hunting medium to large game with medium bores, TSX is my choice.

An old Rusty-assed Taurus .38 special will work if you wait till theres hair on the end of the barrel.


Don't axe me how I know.......

ooohhh let me guess, your new Langdon buiklt flintlock misfired due to salt corrosion from the ship ride to Africa?

Have heard the story lol, and don't intend on that happening.....

See post above 😂😂

Flip a coin and use the winner.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Well, the way I heard it, the gun bearer was offended by some racist remark Tom had made when the slave…er…gun bearer…complained about the chains on his ankles being too tight. Anyway, the slave….er…gun bearer, pissed in the touch hole of the Langdon. Tom was able to sort out the cat with his sidearm. In retribution to the slave…er…gun bearer, Tom began exporting slaves…er…gun bearers to the Colonies!

Interesting choice:

A more powerful single shot rifle, or a less powerful bolt action repeater...

I know you really like that 300 H&H, but... I'd be real tempted to use the rifle I was most confident with.

BTW, in .308 Win, I've never used the 150 Interlock, but have had stellar results on game with the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.

Regards, Guy

I wasn't aware Tom had expertise in Antique farm equipment

The 150 grain Interlock in the .308 should work fine. And it never hurts to have a additional shots available in the magazine.

The 150 gr Interlock from the .308 Win would be my vote. More important decision is scope. If I recall, you are in communal area? If that is the case, no lights allowed. The best brightest scope with at least 50 mm objective and illuminated reticle may give you the extra few minutes you need to make the shot.

I'm in CR's camp with medium velocity rounds on Leopard, only one so far, 400 H&H 400gr Swift A Frame at 2400 fps, filed the semi spitzer point flat, hit with a pilot center punch, ran an 1/8th" drill bit in a 1/4" deep, cat was dead on the limb from the homemade hollow point 70 yards out.

That story will remain forever young 'Gwe ; ]

Although, at the time, it was considered pretty cutting-edge…

Here I will point out, once again, that one of the most experienced leopard hunters ever, who also eventually became a well-know PH, eventually decided the .243 Winchester with 100-grain bullets was the best baited leopard round.

The guy was John Kingsley-Heath, who was obsessed with leopards, including killing black (melanistic) leopards. He killed a LOT of leopards himself in several countries (some of which haven't been open to hunting for decades) before becoming a PH.

He liked the .243 because it recoiled lightly, so hunters didn't tend to flinch, yet penetrated enough even on big leopards to drop them with a precisely placed shot. He also liked it because the light, fast bullet did a lot of damage inside, but didn't tear up the hide like larger cartridges, especially magnums.

During his hunting and guiding career JKH saw far more leopards killed than almost any of today's PHs, and FAR more than even the most experienced safari hunters. Yet many of today's hunters (and even some less-experienced PHs) are convinced he was wrong--despite never having seen a leopard shot with a .243.

Here is my opinion, and have never hunted leopard. So take it with a grain of salt.

I like the 300 H&H, but not Ruger No 1's.
I have zero experience with the 308, but prefer bolt actions, and have lots of 700 experience.

With that being said, I would use the 308. Comfort with the bolt action trumps IMO.

As far as the 150gr Interlock, I see no reason not to use it. My personal preference would be a 165gr, but I am sure I could kill a leopard with the the 150gr.

The reason why I chose the 300WM and the TSX is because of my experience with it while caribou hunting.I've shot a lot of caribou with a 270win,7mmRM and the 300WM- all tried with various bullets.I've also witnessed my hunting partners 30-06 take caribou.The only one that would drop and kill them instantly was the 300WM with the 180gr TSX.The rest did not measure up.In my hunting partners words"it looks like you found the right recipe".

But it bounces off deer so how could it possibly kill something with claws?! 😂😇

i've taken 1 leopard. I used my 375 H&H with 300 grain TSX. Leopard was 80 to 100 yards standing in a dry river bed under my bait tree when i fired. It went 40 yards n piled up.