Guns For Hunting Leopards
We now come to the largest and the heaviest member of the family of leopards found in the Indian subcontinent; the Hunting Leopard . The fact that a large , fully grown male specimen is often capable of achieving a snout to tail measurement in excess of eight feet and a live weight in excess of 94 kilograms is an extremely clear indication that these fiends mean business. And indeed , they do. While we , Shikaris hailing from West Bengal refer to these creatures as “ Hunting Leopard “ , the Shikaris hailing from Central and South India ( such as Major Poton Khan) refer to them , as “ Forest Panther “ . Unlike Spotted Leopards , Hunting Leopards typically lurk deep inside the forests of India and feed on Chital Deer , Hog Deer , Swamp Deer , Barking Deer and wild boar . Also unlike Spotted Leopards , they are typically shy to be in the presence of human beings . That is , except for the Hunting Leopard which has turned man eater . Unlike a man eating Clouded Leopard ( which only targets children ) or a man eating Spotted Leopard ( which targets children , elderly people or frail people ) , a man eating Hunting Leopard has a complete absence of fear for any human beings whatsoever. They will not hesitate to attack even a six feet tall , fully grown , healthy human male . Therefore , it is quite evident that these particular fiends deserve extra special consideration, when the Shikari is selecting a firearm for putting these fiends down .
What firearms accomplish the most satisfactory results on Indian Hunting Leopards ?
Based on my personal experience, I would highly recommend any of the “ medium heavy “ calibers , ie any of the calibers on the upper end of the .300 caliber range .
These include the .338 Winchester Magnum ( employing a 250 grain bullet ) , the 9.3 x 62 millimeter Mauser (employing a 286 grain bullet ) , the 9.3 x 74 millimeter Rimmed ( employing a 286 grain bullet ) and the .375 Holland & Holland magnum (employing a 300 grain bullet ) .
Major Poton Khan considers the 9.3 x 74 millimeter Rimmed to be the quintessential caliber for destroying any Hunting Leopard that ever walked the forests of India , based on his scores of successful continental clients who used to bring rifles chambered in such calibers to India , for the Shikar of Hunting Leopards. And I am certain that it makes for an excellent choice against Indian Hunting Leopards .
My personal favorite would have to be the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.
In my life , I have been fortunate enough to put down 16 Hunting Leopards ; 15 of which were put down with a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum , employing 300 grain Winchester Silvertip soft nose cartridges . I have taken one Hunting Leopard with my 7 millimeter Remington Magnum , employing a 175 grain Remington Core Lokt soft nose factory loaded bullet . While fortune smiled upon me that day ( in that I was able to put the fiend down with a single shot behind the shoulder , which fortunately penetrated right into it’s heart ) , it is certainly not a feat which I would feel comfortable attempting ever again. The unsuspecting animal had offered me a shot from a perfect broadside position in open terrain , which allowed me to pick my shot and select the fiend’s heart as a target .
A 12 Bore shotgun also makes for an exceptionally fine weapon for use against Hunting Leopards , provided that only rifled slugs are used . The best among these , is Brenekke’s new Black Magic slug , which has a bone crushing weight of 602 grains .
Major Poton Khan who has singlehandedly put down no less that 21 unwounded man eating Hunting Leopards in his life ( till now. You never know when he might end up making it 22 ) , using a Belgian 12 Bore side by side shotgun and one ounce spherical lead balls. What the Major used to do , was :
* Remove the one ounce spherical lead ball projectiles from 12 Bore Eley Grand Prix 2 1/2 inch cartridges ( which did not hold a sufficiently large charge of powder in the 10 millimeter brass part of the cartridge to drive the spherical lead balls at adequate velocities reliably , through the muscles and skulls of large Hunting Leopards ) .
* Remove the BB shot from Eley Alphamax Magnum 3 inch cartridges .
* Load the spherical lead balls into the Eley Alphamax Magnum 3 inch cartridges and treat the cartridges with beeswax.
The large charges of powder in the 16 millimeter brass part of the Eley Alphamax Magnum 3 inch cartridges were more than capable of driving those one ounce spherical lead balls clean through the heads of the largest Hunting Leopards .
While a 12 Bore double barrel shotgun , loaded with homemade spherical ball cartridges is neither the most refined , nor the most modern weapon for hunting dangerous game , it is an absolutely devastating weapon in Major Poton Khan’s hands . The Major has taken all of these 21 Hunting Leopards with that old shotgun at ranges which were so close that it would make the skins of most ordinary Shikaris crawl , even imagining taking a Hunting Leopard at such ranges ( Often as less as 12 feet ) . If this is not remarkable in , and of itself... Then let this sink in . The Major took all 21 of these man eating Hunting Leopards at night , with the aid of a flashlight which he would attach to the fore end of his shotgun with masking tape . The Major also went after countless Hunting Leopards wounded by his clients at night by pursuing them into the thick shrub of the Nagpur forests . In the end , the Major and his old shotgun has always emerged victorious against all of those wounded Hunting Leopards , as well .
Me , personally ? If I knew that I was going after Hunting Leopards once again , I would without a doubt , go for a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum. It served me extremely well , during my “ Wild Years “ in the Jolpaiguri Tea Estate between 1973 and 1975 .
95 kilogram man eating Hunting Leopard killed by the Author with a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum , employing two 300 grain Winchester Silvertip soft nose cartridges.
Man eating Hunting Leopard killed by the Author with a 7 millimeter Remington Magnum, employing a single 175 grain Remington Core Lokt soft nose factory loaded bullet .
