I'll be hunting Hippo, Croc and Sable in Moz next year and would like some input on what you all think of a CZ550FS in 9.3 X 62 topped with a Leo 1.75 X 6 for the job?? Thoughts are to go with either Barnes or Woodleigh in 286 grain softs/solids. Leopard may be on the bill as well so a scope change and good 232/250 grainers for Mr. Spots would be in order if indeed the opportunity arises. Thought please, thanks.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Might be legal, might no be. You should check with your PH about that.

Your planning on braining the Croc and the Hippo so if your rifle shoots under inch groups at 100 yards you should be fine.

Great choice, Larry!

You can hardly do better than a 9,3, and the scope is just about perfect as well. For just about everything up to buffalo (and including, with good shot placement and good bullets), the 9,3x62 is perfect.

If it was me I would stick with 286-grain bullets, though. The Woodleigh softs work perfect, and a handful of solids for the hippo will do you fine.

Enjoy!

quote:

Leopard may be on the bill as well so a scope change and good 232/250 grainers for Mr. Spots would be in order if indeed the opportunity arises.

Please tell me where you guys get the idea that one must reduce bullet weights under its nominal weight.

Will''s right.

It's a good cartridge, decent rig. Just set it up to shoot 286s, scope or irons, and leave it alone. Get one scope to do whatever you call upon it to do. You can see a blind with a fixed 1.75, otherwise go get a Leupold 1.5-5. You start messing with TWO scopes and TWO loads and too much can go wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions. I always take two scopes on Safari, if only for a backup incase one goes South or is damaged in transit. The thought, Will for lighter bullets would not only be for the cat, but Sable and other plains game. Simply an effort to make the 62 a little flatter shooting. I realize all could be done with only one offering. The Hippo and Croc would be hunted in the same area and timeframe and after completion, the hunt would revert to the plains game variety thus the idea of changing loads and scopes. This would most likely be a onetime switch and not a day to day thing. Thanks and any and all suggestions will continue to be appreciated.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Larry,

I would shoot only BarnesTSX for all animals...For my safari Used 300gr TSX for all Tanzania animals and only softs I took were for chui 300 gr Hornady RN... Stay wiht the big bullet 286gr. and will not have to worry about any sightins...


Mike

You ought to PM OzHunter, he has used the 9.3x62 to great effect in Africa and taken some great trophies with it. Hopefully he will chime in here.

I'm a fan of one bullet weight. Pick the 286 softs and solids and be done with it. Zero both scopes the same so there is no opportunity for a screw up, those come naturally enough, no invitations needed.

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by JPK:
'm a fan of one bullet weight. Pick the 286 softs and solids and be done with it. Zero both scopes the same so there is no opportunity for a screw up, those come naturally enough, no invitations needed.

JPK

Good advise imo.

trajectory(286gr nosler partition/2360fs):
100m:+5cm
160m:0
200m:-8.2cm
250m:-24.5cm

in my world this is a flatshooting as i'm ever going to need.
but if you do intend to shoot on longer ranges, be sure to find out about impact velocities/expansion on those ranges.

I shot my leopard with a 9.3x64 using 320gr Woodleighs -it would have died just as nicely with a x62 The Woodleigh works well on thin skinned game and I recommend it highly.

Couldn't you just use the Barnes 250gr TSX and banded solid?

They would be flatter shooting and I can't imagine the solid not getting into the brain on a croc or hippo.

Load to the same POI and it would save the hassle of switching loads mid hunt.

SDhunter,

Your suggestion is one I am considering based on how my different loads for these two bullets work out. I have a very accurate load already for the Barnes 250 TSX but haven't sorted out the 250 solids yet. What's everyones idea on the POI thing? Which bullet, ideally, TSX or solid do you reduce the load in if needed to achieve same POI? Thanks for you help.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by SDhunter:
Couldn't you just use the Barnes 250gr TSX and banded solid?

They would be flatter shooting and I can't imagine the solid not getting into the brain on a croc or hippo.

Load to the same POI and it would save the hassle of switching loads mid hunt.

Larry,

I will be going through this same dilemna after my 9.3x64 is done.

I plan on using the 250gr TSX and banded solids IF I can get them to shoot to my satisfaction for velocity and POI.

This is heresay, but I thought someone stated that solids of the same weight will normally shoot higher that the softs. So, in my experience you would have to reduce the powder charge, or step up in weight to lower the POI.

I dislike blanket statements like that and hate repeating them. IMO the only way to tell is head to the range and start gathering data and experimenting, and making adjustments accordingly.

The 250 grs TSX and 250 grs Banded Solid shot to (almost) the same POI with the same load (62 grs RL15 in Lapua cases and a CCI 200 LR primer) in my rifle (R93, 22" barrel).

I think the Banded Solid printed about 1" lower than the TSX - the muzzle velocity was also a tad lower for the Banded Solid. So I intend to sight in my 250 grs TSX 1.5" high @100 yds, and the Banded Solid will for all intents and purposes be dead-on @ 100.

- mike

Thanks SD and mho -- looking forward to getting solids together next week. I know POI of the 250 and 286 TSX bullets so will throw in the solids of both weights and see what happens? SD, what are you building in the 64?? I don't have a crono at this point so will most likely go with the most accurate load and adjust according to the POI factor.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by mho:
The 250 grs TSX and 250 grs Banded Solid shot to (almost) the same POI with the same load (62 grs RL15 in Lapua cases and a CCI 200 LR primer) in my rifle (R93, 22" barrel).

I think the Banded Solid printed about 1" lower than the TSX - the muzzle velocity was also a tad lower for the Banded Solid. So I intend to sight in my 250 grs TSX 1.5" high @100 yds, and the Banded Solid will for all intents and purposes be dead-on @ 100.

- mike

Larry,
It is being built on a 1909 Argentine.

Going to the rifle range tomorrow AM to dial in the front sight height with the pattern stock.

Then the stockmaker is going to have at it and work his magic.

What loads are working for you? I have the same set up (czfs) and looking for some good loads.

Thanks in advance. Oh and I will start at a lower charge and work up.

My PH showed me a 9.3 x62 in camp. I admired the beautiful wood and because it was a Mauser action I liked it immediately. He told me that it was a "lady's gun". (it was his wife's) I immediately understood him -because in the US many people regarded the 7x57 as a "lady's gun". Unfair comment? Of course, in the case of the 7x57 as I knew from personal experience (having shot two black bears with a 7mm Mauser -neither of whom moved after the shot), it was a deadly cartridge. I don't know about the 9.3 x62 because I never shot it against a Cape buff - but I do notice that one poster says it is alright against Cape buffalo -if the shot is properly placed. Without wanting to quarrel with the poster, I could say the same about a 22 on elephant. (I have read that, on a bar room bet, an elephant was killed with a 22 in the soft area behind the ear) In short, there seems to be some kind of reservation about the caliber - and I would advise US hunters coming to Africa for the first time and who want to shoot Cape buffalo - to go with the prevailing opinion here on this forum - or to seek out more opinions. The 375 H&H should be the minimum caliber to consider (entirely apart from whether the 9.3x62 would be legal anyway) For myself, I shot one buff at about something near 35 yards with a 375 H&H. He was dead on his feet after the first shot -and I knew it even though I had never before shot at a buff. Still, if I had to do it over again, I would prefer a 470 N.E. {I shot my PH's 470 later on and loved it} In other words, I believe in using as much heavy artillery as will make me confident that I will win the argument! (To this day, I have never forgotten the look I got from nyati as he turned towards me. It was some time afterwards that I read an expression that a buff " looks at you like you owe him money -and he just found out that you don't intend to pay)

Couple of extracts from Rifle Magazine, September - October 2004
Volume 36, Number 5, regarding the 9.3x62 Mauser cartridge.

“A trip to Africa a couple of years later produced further exposure to the .366 bore. During the normal discussions around the fire at night, conversation naturally came around to rifles and cartridges. It seemed the Professional Hunters and most experienced African hunters had a lot of respect for a good bolt-action Mauser chambered for 9.3x62 as one of the best all-around rifles for their type of hunting. They called it a “Veld Gun†which translated as a medium-range cartridge with a heavy bullet traveling at a moderate velocity capable of deep penetration with enough sectional density to break big bones when it had to.†And,

“Some time ago someone said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.†In a way this fits the birth of the 9.3x62. The necessity came from the European farmers and ranchers in Africa who had a need for a firearm that was affordable and yet had enough punch to handle the tenacious crop raiders and large predators they were plagued with. Most cartridges of that time were adequate to handle most plains game, but when it came to dangerous critters, they needed something bigger.
Big-bore double guns were the answer but were financially out of reach for all but the well-heeled. They needed one rifle that would do it all and still fit their pocketbook.

In 1905 German gunmaker, cartridge designer Otto Bock came up with the answer. Using the strong military 98 Mauser action, he designed a cartridge that would fit and feed through the standard-length action. Using a case near identical to the .30-06, he developed the 9.3x62, which with softnosed bullets was more than adequate for even the largest of the antelope, and with solids it had enough sectional density to penetrate and do in the big boys.

An interesting note taken from the recent A-Square loading manual shows just how much respect the 9.3x62 has. It seems that in 1958 when Kenya ruled, the .375 H&H was the minimum cartridge allowed for dangerous game. A footnote was added that the 9.3x62 could be used by experienced hunters.â€

Both the 9.3x62 and 375 H&H are at the upper end of the medium bore cartridges and both will quickly kill DG if the shooter does their part. I would like to think however that all would agree that the shooter of DG should utilize the largest legal caliber cartridge that the shooter is “proficient with†when hunting these animals.