Hi..
In a few months I am going back to Africa, this time on a buffhunt, and am going to use my double 9,3x74R Chapuis.
I have made some ammo with Vithavouri. 135 and Woodleigh 286 gr. FMJ. My rifle shoots well, but I wonder I you can help me with another powder. I think that With. 135 might make to high pressure in the African heat.

I’m happy for any help here… Does any of you have ant experience with 9,3 fmj`s on buff?

And please forgive my “rusty†English!

Alf Rino Hals
Norway

A lot of full metal jacketed bullets have a tendency to fall apart when they have to crush through heavy bone and muscle. If you are looking for a buff specific round I would think that you could find a better round than the FMJ.

The Woodleigh FMJ fall apart??

Funny. I have read and heard that this bullet is a good bullet for buff!!

Do you have access to the Barnes bullets in Norway. Might suggest you try the new TSX.

Barnes in a double?

I dont think thats wise?

9.3,
I have not used the Woodleigh solid in a 9.3 but have used their .416 410 grain solid on buff and elephant with excellent results. The bullets can and sometimes do extrude lead at the base of the bullet but I did not find this with any bullet except when going through a cow ele skull and lodging in the spine. I have never recovered a solid shot at a buff...they always whistle through. I would load some woodleigh softs as well. Some PH's prefer your first shot to be with a soft or you might find yourself in a herd where a solid passthrough could wound another buff. Good luck and good hunting!

I did a lot of experimenting with the 9.3x62, and found that Varget gave better velocities relative to book loads than any other powder that I tried. I don't know if it is available in Norway, but it is one of Hodgden's powders that are suppose to be less sensitive to temperature. Kudude

PS: On bullets, the 296 Partition is really stout and has an excellent BC for longer range shooting. The Woodleigh solids weren't used, but the soft points opened up well on the light stuff. I did not have an opportunity to use them on heavier animals. Best of luck. Weidmann's heil. kd

I'm with bwanamrm on this. The Woodleigh solids should be fine.

One thing to note, I bet that bwanamrm's 410 grain 416 bullets were traveling over 2,350 fps. You will have a hard time exceeding that velocity out of a 9.3x74R with 286 bullets. This is good news in that the solids should hold up even better when not pushed as fast.

Also, in the book "The Perfect Shot", the author suggest using only 286 grain solids in the 9.3x62 (same or higher velocity as 9.3x74R) for buffalo. At these velocities (2,400 and less), the solids were not exiting and the author thought this was a good thing since all of the energy was being dumped into the animal. In fact, he thought the 375H&H was more effective with 300 grn bullets at 2,400 fps vs. the traditional 2,500 fps when it came to buff.

In summary, load only 286 grain solids for buff and have at it. Also, I would stay away from the monolithic solids (such as Barnes)in a double rifle. Barnes will be coming out with the banded solids in 9.3, but I would stick with the Woodleighs which have proven themselves as very effective in double rifles over the years.

Good luck on your hunt.

Tim

quote:

Originally posted by DB Bill:
Do you have access to the Barnes bullets in Norway. Might suggest you try the new TSX.

DON'T even think about using ANY homogenous projectiles in your double. Homogenous projectiles, such as the Barnes X bullets, WILL cause the bond between barrels and ribs to fail and you will end up having to send the rifle back to the factory to be rebuilt.

I am not repeating some myth here, I have first-hand experience with this and had to send my Chapuis 9.3x74R back to the factory to be rebuilt. In fact this happened to me twice before I realised what was wrong (yes, I am slower than most!) so I think that I know what I am saying when I say ....never, never, never use a homogenous solid in a double.

Woodleigh FMJs are fine in a double and I have never heard of Woodleigh FMJs failing. I haven't used them through my 9.3 but have through my .475 and they worked perfectly.

9,3x74R
Your 286 gr Woodleigh solids will work fine. I would probably use a 286 Woodleigh soft or a 286 Nosler partition for my first shot on buff.
FDo not use any Barnes type bullets in hyour Chapuis.
I have a (,3x74R Chapuid double. I took it to Zim in 2004 for plains game, I used my 450 No2 for buff and elephant, however several times when danger close to elephants while hunting plains game I would load 2 solids at the PH's request.
My 9,3 Chapuis is my favorite hunting rifle under 40 cal.
My Chapuis has a scope in the pivot Chapuis mounts, it goes back to zero 100%
Good luck on your trip.

Used RWS 293 grns TUG ammo in 9,3x62 for most of my work on the buffalo erradication programme in matebeleland in the 1980's. Since then I have used Ken Stuarts 284grn flat nost softs for my own hunting- shooting rations and Problem animal control and used the woodleigh solids for elephant and backing up clients.

I have found the woodleigh softs a bit too "soft" for buff , but perfect for lion.

Norma are bringing out a line of preium ammo called the PH range, with all the right bullets.

Since you are using a double, do the RWS TUG's regulate? At 9,3x74 velocities they work fine ( they come appart too quickly if fired from a 9,3x64).

The TSX has "driving" bands on them similar to the custom banded bullets made in SA. I'd be surpised if they would hurt a double rifle.

IMO there is no need to use different solids, the woodleigh 9.3mm 286grn soilds have worked well for me.
I have so far recovered three from Cape Buffalo all in perfect condition and one from half way up the tail of a lion {entered the neck}.
Muzzel velocity at 2340fps.
Cheers,
Adam C

BwanaBob:

I remember you posting about that years ago. Your damage was from Barnes X, wasn't it? Didn't Chapuis later announce that they would not warranty their DRs for use with mono-metal bullets?
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

quote:

Originally posted by BwanaBob:

quote:

Originally posted by DB Bill:
Do you have access to the Barnes bullets in Norway. Might suggest you try the new TSX.

DON'T even think about using ANY homogenous projectiles in your double. Homogenous projectiles, such as the Barnes X bullets, WILL cause the bond between barrels and ribs to fail and you will end up having to send the rifle back to the factory to be rebuilt.

I am not repeating some myth here, I have first-hand experience with this and had to send my Chapuis 9.3x74R back to the factory to be rebuilt. In fact this happened to me twice before I realised what was wrong (yes, I am slower than most!) so I think that I know what I am saying when I say ....never, never, never use a homogenous solid in a double.

Woodleigh FMJs are fine in a double and I have never heard of Woodleigh FMJs failing. I haven't used them through my 9.3 but have through my .475 and they worked perfectly.

The above is a warning that one should heed! IMO, the only mono-metal bullet that is safe in a double rifle are the North Fork flat point, and cup point solids.

The WOODLIEGH solid will be fine! Like NE450 No2, I'd use a Nosler Partition for the first shot, and put into the heart/lung area, followed by as many Woodliegh solids as I could before he got out of sight, or went down.

Good luck on your hunt!

9.3x74R

Cannot help with the reloading q, as we have different powders, but can comment on the 9.3 in general and the 286gr solid Woodleigh in particular.
My loaner gun to clients is a 9.3x64 Brenneke that I load to 2370ft/sec with 286gr bullets (same ballistic class) (Rhino softs or Woodleigh solids) The solid is good enough for elephant if placed right, while I have had no trouble when aany of my clients used the soft on buffalo (3 so far). Another 2 took their buff with the solid, of which one was a gutshot bull that I eventually killed, and the other one had a classic shoulder shot, with the bullet wistling through both shoulders. IMO you have the right rifle and bullet for the job. Let us know how it went.

I used Woodleigh 286 gr Weldcore Protected Points and 286 gr Woodleigh FMJ's last year on a water buffalo cull hunt. I forget the exact number, about 14 buffalo. These were cows and a couple of bulls, plus a big scrub bull, donkey, couple of horses, a few pigs.

Mostly I used the 286 gr Woodleigh Protected Point but did fire off some 286 gr FMJ,s. I remember I used 2 or 3 on the scrub bull. It didn't go many steps, I was just trying to get it to drop as the range was around 170 metres.

Never had any problems with the bullets perfomance and any recovered where in reasonable shape. Most of the recovered projectiles were on the far side of the animal under the skin. One of these had its fore-tip deformed but as it penetrated the width of the beast that is not considered a problem by me. (my only problem was two stuffed up shots by me, including an attempt to take a front-on brain shot on two beasts, one with each barrel - missed the brain of the second meaning I had no follow-up barrel to anchor the beast with - not bullet performance).

Most of the shooting ended up being quick shooting with the killing of anywhere up to four buffalo at once, putting one or two shots into a beast before going to the next, possibly going back to the previous ones if they needed it.

I used a 9.3x74R double (Tikka U/O), velocity was about 2150 fps. Can supply the load if needed but used an Aussie ADI AR propellant.

Thank you "gentlemen" !

I guess I will use Woodleigh soft, and solid in front of 55gr. With.135, in RWS brass. This gives me about 690 meters pr. sec. (2280 ft).
I have used this load four years in a row now, and have taken about 20 different animals in South-Africa (with a 55" Eastern Cape Kudu as my top of the line in S-A so far).
This year I will go to Zambia. I guess it is about time “ill try for one of the boysâ€.

It is great to see that there are others who got Chapuis doubles!!

Please send me some pictures from your hunts.

9.3x74R,
Who are you hunting with in Zambia? I shot my first buff there last year. Zambia is a great place to hunt.

Donato.

Im going to hunt with Peter Chipman, Kwalata safaris..

Who did you hunt with?