Great article on the 9.3x62 Mauser

[BigBoreDan]

Really looking hard at this caliber for a new rifle purchase and came across this article...very informative with a lot of history for those that enjoy it me included.

http://www.african-hunter.com/the_9_3_x_62_mauser.htm

[BigBoreDan]

I guess i'm the only one who found it interesting LOL!!! I thought with the big bear and cape buffalo threads it would garner more interest but oh well.

[huestahunter]

If it makes you feel better, I read it. Actually, it was interesting, though I think I'll stick with my .243 for now.

[BigBoreDan]

Hooray!!! Just kidding thanks for the feedback. As the name suggests I am a Big-bore enthusiast although I do the majority of my hunting with a 270 Winchester. This caliber just seems to it's job efficiently and ammunition and components are much more readily available than I would have thought. It is also available in the CZ 550 American at a very reasonable cost which makes it even more attractive to a poor boy such as myself.

[huestahunter]

Personally, I am recoil shy. I owned an 06, but it needed to be replaced and have been elated with my 243 ever since. Once I move back West where there's bigger critters, I'll probably get another 06 or a 280 or 270. I have nothing against big bores per se. Actually, the biggest bore I've shot is the 06, but that was the limit of my recoil tolerance. I tried a 7 mag once and was lucky the swelling went down on my shooting eye by opening day. Have you tried the 8mm mag? I have not, though I did shoot an 8mm mauser for a while. Nice round, though I could have done without the steel butt plate (it was an old Nazi gun; no wonder they lost).

[BigBoreDan]

I personally don't care for the 7mm Mag. It doesn't offer enough over my .270 to make it appealing. I own a 300 wby. Vanguard and have a little experience with .338Win Mag. 340 Wby. and 375 H&H. Haven't been around an 8mm Remington but ballistically it is an impressive round limited only by the poor selection of 8mm bullets. For me the Weatherby stocks do a good job of handling the recoil associated with these larger calibers.

[Lodiman]

I thought it was a good article too. I read it yesterday.

[Miraclefly]

OK I read it too. It sounds like an interesting round . However, I have a question about the picture. According to thte caption, the round on the right is a 375 (straight). My 375 does not shoot a straight round. Is it possible that the caption is wrong or is there a straight sided 375?

[BigBoreDan]

That .375 is not the H&H it has a rim. I dont know exactly what it is and hadn't notice it until now as I was daydreaming about the 9.3x62 lol.

[Miraclefly]

Dan

Who makes this round? I would like to see some balistics and do some comparisons

Ken
kenallen@mindspring.com

[BigBoreDan]

Miraclefly e-mail sent. If you don't get it or have problems let me know.

[huestahunter]

I have a friend in Montana who shoots the 8mm rem mag and swears by it. As to the 7mm vs. 270 comment, I read exactly the same thing in a Wayne Van Zwoll book on muley huntiing last night.

[citori]

the 375 round in question is correctly called either the 375 Flanged Nitro Express (2 1/2") or the 370 Flanged. It came out prior to the 375 H&H by a good decade and the rim was for use in break open guns. Performance wise it was in a bit over the 375 Win in performance. It was later replaced by the 375 Flanged Magnum which appeared with the 375 H&H magnum for use in break open guns. When it was found the rimless, belted case would work fine in break opens, the flanged was phased out.
I have a drilling in 9.3x74R which is very similar to the 9.3x62 in factory loadings. I've taken a couple of deer with it but until recently, ammo has been rather difficult to find and expensive. With Hornady loading it, cost has gone down and availability has gotten better. The real powerhouse in the 9.3 line is the 9.3x64 Brenneke. That one is definitely in the 375 H&H range.

[BigBoreDan]

Ty for the update on the .375 round. Here is another article covering all the of the aforementioned 9.3mm rounds written by Craig Boddington.



http://www.gunsandammomag.com/EUR/

This article goes into great detail on terminal bullet performance:

http://www.reloadersnest.com/article_9362_oct2803.asp

In April I hunted three buffalo in the Zambezi Valley with Swainsons Safaris operating the Dande North concession in the Zambezi Valley. That all three were killed with one shot each from my custom-built 9,3x62 could perhaps kill the old myth that this fine calibre is not suitable for such large and tough animals. Buffalo number one was a big cow (horns 39½") shot in the ehest from about 80 paces with a 286 gr Woodleigh solid, loaded to 2250 fps. At the shot the cow took off, but only managed about 50 paces before going down. My second buffalo was a very big bull (see photo) also shot from about 80 paces but this time with a 286gr Barnes-X loaded to 2220 fps. The bull was standing side an and I shot him an the right shoulder. He also ran off after giving the customary lurch and we found him about 30 to 40 paces away, stone dead. The bullet penetrated the shoulder, continued in a straight line through the chest cavity, over the top of the heart and was recovered under the skin of the far ribcage.

My last buffalo was a big dagga boy, which I shot whilst he was crossing a dry river bed. As he was going away from me at a slight angle, I placed the 286 gr Woodleigh solid about six-inches to the left of the tail root in the rump. He ran in a semi-circle towards us and went down in thick bush. This solid penetrated almost the fall length of the buffalo, going through his lungs and over the top of the heart as well. We recovered the bullet in the front of the chest cavity.

My hunt proved that the old 9,3x62, loaded with appropriate bullets, is still strong medicine for one of Africa's most sought-after trophies. PH Squirrel Meredith said to me that if I ever sold this rifle, he would not hunt with me again. Long live the 9,3x62!

Nigel Woodroffe

The above was the report refered to in the last article.

[travelr47]

Dan,
A couple years ago I was reading an article about African rifles & hunting. It was my first intro
to the 9.3x62. Long story short, I have one now. A CZ550 American, 9.3x62, and I couldn't
be more satisfied.

Good hunting

[Lodiman]

They had a good article in the shooting times on the 9.3x62, and 9.3x74 this month or last months edition.