This big tom leopard was taken with hounds at Erindi in central Namibia. The author used a .416 Taylor with 400-grain Hornady softpoints. In retrospect this is probably too much gun, but with hound hunting or tracking, handling capabilities are more important than caliber.

The experience made me want to try a leopard hunt with dogs, but after that charge I was nervous about it and I probably made an odd choice. I used a .416 Taylor with 400-grain Hornady softpoints. It worked well, but that's an awful lot of gun for leopard, even up close and personal. My professional hunter, Cornè Kruger, has done a couple of dozen dog hunts and has taken several charges without a scratch. He carries a .243(!) because on a frontal shot he can keep the bullet inside the leopard, reducing risk to the hounds.

FOLLOW-UP IS DIFFERENT
A baited hunt is different than a dog hunt. For the former you must have accuracy and you must have a clear, bright scope. For the latter, handling characteristics are everything, and, depending on the way you shoot, you might be better off with open sights rather than a scope. Of course, that depends on what the leopard does, which is totally random.

Following up a leopard is different yet, but unlike many situations there is usually time to regroup after the first shot is fired. Regrouping includes bringing in the trackers, and at this point many experienced hunters change guns. Some prefer a shotgun for following up leopard, while others prefer an open-sighted bigbore. For me, I saw buckshot fail the first time I caught a leopard charge. I'll have nothing to do with it ever again, and I'm perfectly comfortable with a low-powered scope at close quarters. Whatever you choose, most important is that the rifle comes up fast and on target, like a good shotgun.

IF I'M LION, I'M DYIN'
Hunters tend to exaggerate the size of most animals, but few figures are inflated as much as the weight of lions. Not long ago, on television, a show host took a very scrawny lion and bragged on camera about his "600-pound lion." Half that number would have been pushing it. The most-quoted figure is that a wild lion weighs 500 pounds, and I think that is possible, but only rarely. Most mature wild lions probably weigh much closer to 350 pounds, and anything over 400 is unusual.

This suggests that a lion could be taken cleanly with the same .270, 7mm or .30 caliber. Yes, you could. Certainly a .338 or a .35 would be a very good choice. Except that, almost universally, .375 H&H is the minimum legal caliber. In this case I fully agree with the minimum.

Lion cartridges, left to right: .375 H&H, .375 Ruger, .375 Weatherby Magnum, .375 Remington Ultra Mag, .378 Weatherby Magnum. Where legal, you could use a .33 or .35 for lion, and in a charge you're definitely better off with a larger caliber.

There are two reasons for this. First, you must always keep in mind what a lion can do to you if you don't hit him right. Second, unlike leopard hunting, the circumstances are such that it's much more unusual to be able to regroup and change guns.

Remember, lions are always dangerous, and a wounded lion is at least somewhat likely to charge immediately. So you need to start with a rifle that is adequate for finishing the job, even if things go completely to hell.