Leopard Gun?

[Beck]

Hey everybody here is what Lou Hallamore who wrote Chui taught me to get ready for my leopard hunt
1. Buy a $50 pig light
2. Buy a $20 pressure treated post, cement it into the ground and hang the light
3. Buy the 5 pack of the big 5 targets to get the leopard one…it is made do that at 48 yards the cat has the same look in your scope at 100 yards
4. I put the target on a $5 piece of particle board and placed it in a tree under the pig light
My pig light has a hand held device so I can manually turn it on and off
You would not believe my shock the first time I waited for dark set up 50 yards away with a sturdy rest sitting to imitate my real world situation …when I turned on the red light…my first reaction was I was seeing a blob!!!! I had to settle down so that only then could I barely given my fire dot could pick out a rouset to aim then shoot
Lou said the #1 reason hunters miss their leopard shot is their shock seeing the leopard in the red light for the first time then not picking a spot instead shooting at the “blob”
This all for $100 is the best practice I can think of

seems like very good advice - I've never shot something with using a light before, and certainly don't want any surprises

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Scope seems to be a bit overkill? I don't hunt leopards so only asking to satisfy curiosity. I would think something lower power that mounts lower on the rifle might acquire quicker. Does 50mm objective lens gather more light or less?

 

[Beck]

Scope seems to be a bit overkill? I don't hunt leopards so only asking to satisfy curiosity. I would think something lower power that mounts lower on the rifle might acquire quicker. Does 50mm objective lens gather more light or less?

Personally I think the scope is perfect - leopard should be on bait, I don't think target acquisition trumps low light visibility - you can debate the size of the objective lens as it relates to visibility in low light, but I think having the largest exit pupil possible (for a given magnification range) is important

 

[DLSJR]

Several thoughts…

Your setup looks good, but as others have said, an illuminated reticle or Firedot are huge benefits for shooting a leopard. My last leopard was shot while using a Leupold Firedot and even though I shot him at 8:00 AM, it made a huge difference as the Tom was walking along the limb and about to jump down when I shot him. The Firedot made the shot much easier.

Is night hunting for leopard even legal in Mozambique? I could be wrong but don’t think so. In a wild area such as Niassa getting a daylight cat should be no problem.

Accubond would be an excellent bullet. If you want something different a Nosler Partition or Trophy Bonded Bearclaw are both excellent for leopards. Federal changed the name of the Bearclaw to ‘Trophy Bonded Tip’ but it’s essentially the same bullet. I’d prefer either of these bullets over a Swift A Frame as I believe they open more quickly and do massive damage. I’ve shot leopards with both bullets and had perfect results each time. The Northfork Percussion point bullet is designed specifically for lion and leopard and I believe would be excellent, but I have no personal experience with them. Even though a TTSX is an excellent bullet, any of the above are better for leopards.

A pass through (someone mentioned “over penetration”) on a leopard (or lion) is a good thing! Two holes in the chest with the bullets mentioned guarantee a quickly dead cat, not only from the damage but also complete collapse of the lungs. It also gives a much better blood trail which your PH and trackers will appreciate if they have to follow the cat.

Here is what a you want to see from a leopard bullet. This was a .338 225 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaw. This right side was the exit hole. The hole on the left side was the entrance hole.

 

[Beck]

Several thoughts…

Your setup looks good, but as others have said, an illuminated reticle or Firedot are huge benefits for shooting a leopard. My last leopard was shot while using a Leupold Firedot and even though I shot him at 8:00 AM, it made a huge difference as the Tom was walking along the limb and about to jump down when I shot him. The Firedot made the shot much easier.

Is night hunting for leopard even legal in Mozambique? I could be wrong but don’t think so. In a wild area such as Niassa getting a daylight cat should be no problem.

Accubond would be an excellent bullet. If you want something different a Nosler Partition or Trophy Bonded Bearclaw are both excellent for leopards. Federal changed the name of the Bearclaw to ‘Trophy Bonded Tip’ but it’s essentially the same bullet. I’d prefer either of these bullets over a Swift A Frame as I believe they open more quickly and do massive damage. I’ve shot leopards with both bullets and had perfect results each time. The Northfork Percussion point bullet is designed specifically for lion and leopard and I believe would be excellent, but I have no personal experience with them. Even though a TTSX is an excellent bullet, any of the above are better for leopards.

A pass through (someone mentioned “over penetration”) on a leopard (or lion) is a good thing! Two holes in the chest with the bullets mentioned guarantee a quickly dead cat, not only from the damage but also complete collapse of the lungs. It also gives a much better blood trail which your PH and trackers will appreciate if they have to follow the cat.

Here is what a you want to see from a leopard bullet. This was a .338 225 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaw. This right side was the exit hole. The hole on the left side was the entrance hole.View attachment 657788View attachment 657789

My scope has an illuminated reticle