A thought for Postman: Don't dismiss a double or triple gun for leopard.

"It must always be remembered that a leopard may well return to a kill after a shot has missed it, a camera has clicked, or flashlights have exploded. From a hunting point of view, a double-barrel weapon gives a great advantage here: for, in the event of a clean miss, the watcher can remain completely still, yet retain an instant second shot should the creature return", (The Leopard by Peter Turnball-Kent, 1967).

I'm sure this return to bait would only rarely happen, but it seems to me that if I had a 7x65R/7x65R or similar, with a large objective scope for low-light work, I would not dismiss it as an option. Likewise, a normal Drilling would be a useful follow-up firearm if loaded with heavy buckshot. Some people have suggested that a double-rifle Drilling (such as 9.3x74R/9.3x74R), would be the best in this role, but usually these have just a 20 gauge beneath to keep weight down. I wouldn't want to rely on a 20 gauge to face a leopard charge when two 12 gauge tubes would do the job so much better with something like a 7x65R or 8x75RS barrel to cover the bait.

A Bergstutzen, (a light and a heavy calibre rifle combination), will cover the sheep/bear scenario. Our you could also look for something like an 8x68S or .30-06 rifle that will happily take long shots but also have the muscle to deal with bears. Someone reviewing the 8x68S said that, as an antelope rifle it had no peer. I find it's recoil is moderate, accuracy is very good and it is a pound lighter and more compact than my .375H&H.

Regulating the Bergstutzen will mean that it converges at some predetermined point and I guess that's where you set your scope. But the 2 calibres will behave differently beyond that. So if you take this option, I'd suggest practising at 200 and 300 yards to see what happens.