Raptor wrote:
Yeppers, all this talk about the evils of lion hunting has put me in the mood to book a lion hunt in Zimbabwe. It's an excuse to buy a new rifle, too. Think a .375 H&H should do?

.375 H&H will get it done (I think it's the minimum in many places; that's being pretty conservative IMO). Lions don't need all that much compared to the bigger dangerous stuff from all the anecdotes I've read. They're pretty much Elk/big deer with teeth and claws. 9.2x62mm Mauser is a good substitute if you're short on funds, as Zastava makes a quality bolt gun in such for a bargain.
If no minimum, I'd probably follow in Bell's shoes and use a Ruger No.1 in .303 Brit (he used a falling block in .303 Brit when picking them off around the train tracks in Uganda as a teenager); I'd like an excuse to get one of those, and they're not all that expensive comparatively speaking when we're talking of conservation hunting.
If I lived in Africa and I had a problem lion, I guess I'd just plug it with whatever milsurp bolt gun I had handy; I guess .303 Brit is still popular over there and a common/cheap rifle (Lee-Enfields).
From my battery now, I'd get it done with 7.5x55mm and 6.5x52mm rifles (problem lion). Bell took most of his with cartridges of similar ballistics (including elephants).
An autistic man can dream.

They usually recommend something like a .375 H&H or 416 Rigby for lions. They can be quite dangerous at closer ranges. I believe Bell used a 7X57 Mauser but I'd have to look it up. Nonetheless, I want something that packs more lead than a 7mm. This is something I hadn't thought of in a long time, but thanks to this thread.....