Does anyone have experience using a 9.3x74R on buffalo and if so what was the result? I understand that the .366 caliber may not meet minimum caliber requirements in some countries, but am curious how effective the round is in reality. Thanks.

NitroX used one on a water buffalo cull hunt.

Here is a thread about it.

More details here.

Most people with experience will tell you it is too light, and it is illegal in a lot of countries, but it appears the rules are easily bent. If you read the 9.3x62 writeup (duplicate ballistics) in the Barnes manual, you will find that a prominent African writer and veterinarian reports that he has one personal rifle which has accounted for 800 buffalo.

It is illegal in many places, for Buffalo, and Elephant, but as far as I know it is legal in all places for Leopard, and Lion, except Tanzania where one is required to use a 375 or larger for lion.

Personally, I'd far rather take on Buffalo, than lion with a 9.3X74R/9.3X62 Mauser, especially if wounded, or in close cover! I believe it to be very light for the big four, but ideal for leopard. If I were to use a 9.3X74R for Buffalo, I'd certainly rather have it in a well made double rifle, and with quality bullets. I'd have no problem hunting buffalo with a double, so chambered,myself, but I certainly can't reccomend it to those who I have no way of knowing how they hunt, and shoot! I consider it the bare minimum, for all the big five other than Leopard! I believe it's use on such game should be limited to those who have a lot of experience with Africa's dangerous game! For North America, a 9.3X74R double rifle, with a QD scope is one of the best hunting rifles one can own! I have two doubles chambered for 9.3X74R, one with a scope, and one without, and I simply love them, and use them quite often, here, and have used others in Africa!

I shot one this weekend -- a Chapuis UGEX -- and it was a delight to shoot. The gun handles like a dream and the recoil is a piece of cake. Accuracy was excellent. Seems like a great gun and caliber. The balance of the rifle is what impressed me most.

That's the reason these rifles are just about perfect for MODERN African hunting. The bullets now available make this caliber capable of killing anything. Most folks can shoot one of these much better than they can the bigger calibers. The rifles are much lighter, trimmer and handier, not to mention cheaper. And with a PH backing you up, this caliber is just about ideal in my opinion. Unfortunately, you can only use it in Zim, SA (some provinces say 375 but unlike Tanzania, there is no game scout to keep tabs on you), and Namibia.

Now in the old days, when an ivory hunter went toe-to-toe with a herd of elephant, this caliber would have been inadequate. But for today's hunting, with backup PH, it's just about right.

I have not used my 9,3 on buff, but a lot of plainsgame in Africa, and moose here in Norway.
I hope to use it on buff in the future..

My rifle shoots werry well with Woodleigh fmj and soft points, and i wonder if any of you have used one of theese on buff? Is theese bullets "buffbullets"??

Here is some pics and video from africa.


http://www.sluttstykket.com/portal/index.php?option=com...ge=viewtopic&t=13084


http://www.weatherbyrifler.com/xo/S%f8r-Africa%202005-1.mpg

PS. Rightclik on link and "Save as"

And "gentlemen" Please forgive my "rusty english"..

I have taken three Cape Buffalo with my 9.3x62 using 286grn Woodliegh solids and 300grn SWIFT A FRAMES with good results, but consider the 9.3 the minimum I would use on Buff and Lion.
ozhunter

As Charles Helm posted above I used my 9.3x74R on a buffalo cull last year and it worked well on the 14 (or so) buffalo shot.

Used Woodleigh 286 gr Weldcore SPs.

A scoped 9.3mm double is a deadly shooting piece.

I believe that most of the maneaters of Njombe, the worst known maneating lions in the history of the the world, were shot with a 9.3x74 R.

I have seen solids in this calibre go in one shoulder and out the other on a buffalo and go in the hip and up through the buffalo far enough to reach the vitals and quickly kill it.

Its the rimmed ballistic twin of the 9.3x62 and I have seen three one shot kills on buffalo from the side using the RWS TUG bullet. I am sure its the exact same bullet they use in the 9.3x74 R.

I know of a missionary in the Congo who for many years used a Kettner 9.3X74R over 12 gauge combo gun for elephant.

But I do not think it ideal for a charge because even the solid bullets will bend on hitting heavy bone. I have seen them bend with the 9.3x62 on the skull of an incoming buffalo.
But I have also seen this same thing happen with a 375H&H.


VBR,


Ted Gorsline

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but those of you with scoped Chapuis doubles please see my question on scope mounts in the DR forum.

Regards,

Roscoe

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Does anyone have experience using a 9.3x74R on buffalo and if so what was the result?

You should also read NE 450 No2's hunt report, bearing in mind that his years of experience with the round put him in a different category with the rifle than a lot of folks, and that he uses a scope much of the time on his.

I'm a PH in Namibia and I have used and still use the 9,3x74R as well as the 9,3x62 extensively on all of the BigFive all over Africa as long as I hunt on my own. It works extremly well as long as you hit your target in the right spot and as long as the animal is undisturbed (no adrenalin). Even so I wouldn't consider it for my clients as the caliber of choice for BigFive (except Leopard and Lion) nor for myself as far as back up shots are required.

Dirk
Namibia

I love Woodleigh bullets and use them almost exclusively in everything over .30 calibre. I shoot both a 9.3x64 Brenneke (286gn at 2500fps) and a 9.3x74R in a Merkel drilling. I load the drilling rather hot (no, I'm not going to say how hot, but it's not far behind the 9.3x64.

A few weeks ago i shot a zebra at about 60yds - heart shot just behind the near leg, breaking the offside leg. The 286gn Woodleigh soft retained only 100gn.

I checked the Woodleigh specifications and found that the 286gn sRN oft point is rated to a maximum of 2200fps - it clearly didn't like an extra couple of hundred fps. If I was going for buff I'd try the 320gn Proted point, rated to 2600fps.

mike

Used a 9,3x62 with TUG bullets on the buffalo erradication culls in Zim in the 1980's. Came to prefer it over a .375 and have used one on everything including all PAC ele that I have personaly shot since then. (baring the odd impala, and an ele and a buff I shot with a handgun as part of a demo to legalise handgun hunting)

I carry a heavier rifle as a back up for clients though.

It works. Solids have excelent penetration - Doctari recons better than the .375- but there is no "shock" in any way, shape or form on buff, hippo or ele!.

More than adequate for lion or leopard.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk Rohrmann:
I'm a PH in Namibia and I have used and still use the 9,3x74R as well as the 9,3x62 extensively on all of the BigFive all over Africa as long as I hunt on my own. It works extremly well as long as you hit your target in the right spot and as long as the animal is undisturbed (no adrenalin). Even so I wouldn't consider it for my clients as the caliber of choice for BigFive (except Leopard and Lion) nor for myself as far as back up shots are required.

Dirk
Namibia

Welcome to "AR", Dirk! An excellent post.

The following article is related the 9,3x62 which almost duplicates the 9,3x74R ballistics

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

It is all about confidence. Most visiting hunters, on seeing a buffalo, or particularly an elephant up close are intimidated and shot placement accuracy declines with increasing buck fever. A 9,3 or a .375 is all any visiting hunter needs- unless they are specifically hunting elephant cows in the jess. “Needs†though can be divided into what you actually need to successfully and cleanly kill the animal versus what you need in your mind to give you the confidence that you can pull it off.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Heath:
It is all about confidence. Most visiting hunters, on seeing a buffalo, or particularly an elephant up close are intimidated and shot placement accuracy declines with increasing buck fever. A 9,3 or a .375 is all any visiting hunter needs- unless they are specifically hunting elephant cows in the jess. “Needs†though can be divided into what you actually need to successfully and cleanly kill the animal versus what you need in your mind to give you the confidence that you can pull it off.

I agree completely with Don on this subject. The 9.3 is a very good caliber for DG and the 375 H&H is a little more of the same good thing. Although both have the necessary penetration to kill a charging elephant or buffalo neither is a true stopping rifle. IMHO opnion you get to the stopping level with the 450/400 and 404 Jeffery. A 450 to 500 bore simply increases the stopping power and are my choices for DG esp. in the jess.

465H&H

Gentlemen: I don't have nor I plan to obtain subject caliber (or a 9.3X62 for that matter), but this is the BEST, most well-informed and well written thread I have seen here on AR in a LONG TIME and the main reason I joined this august forum years ago.

Great job and Splice The Mainbrace!!!! jorge

I agree jorge, very nicely done thread.

Allen

Gentlemen...

May you please share some pics of your hunt/trophys/rifles taken with your rifle in cal 366??

So, has anyone here used the Valmet/Tikka 412/512 double rifle chambered for 9.x74R in Africa? On buffalo? Scoped?

Baised on my last trip where I took a giraffe,
2, 286 grain Woodleigh Solids put him down,
A cow elephant, one 286 gr Woodleigh Solid, side brain from @5 yards, went completely through the head, And a Cape Buff shot at @60 yards facing me with a 286 gr Woodleigh Soft, he was down and dead in less than 40 yards, I would not hesitate to recommend the 9,3x74R for ANY game on the Planet.
It is not a stopper, I agree....
However if you put the bullet in the right spot it is a KILLER for sure.

I used the scope for all game on this trip but the elephant cow.

450NEno2

Very interesting your experiences with the 9.3mm.

NitroX
I must admit I have been suprised by the performance of my 9,3x74R Chapuis.
From kudu at 300 yards+ to elephant at 5 yards it has been an excellent performer.
Most suprising to me was the giraffe and the cape buffalo.

When you consider the whole package, a scoped 9,3x74R Chapuis double, with scope in QD mounts, the price, the weight, the power, the range, the accuracy, the fact that it is a double, it is a best buy, best choice, for the modern sport hunter bound for Africa.

It works pretty good in Texas, Montana, Idaho and Canada too.

quote:

Originally posted by nordrseta:
So, has anyone here used the Valmet/Tikka 412/512 double rifle chambered for 9.x74R in Africa? On buffalo? Scoped?

Eugene Small, a very solid PH, uses one for everything incl. ele and buff. I will be using one in 375JDJ on DG in 07 and plan to write it up as part of a series on this rifle/caliber.

Russ, this wouldn't be the same one on your site would it???

I keep looking it and the others listed,, I had a trade working for my 33win 86, but fell through, still would like one If I could find the double trigger set up