If you were hunting lion would you consider the 9.3X62 suitable/adequate ? I have a Ruger African in 9.3X62 and am wondering if it is worth putting considerable effort into working it up as a lion rifle . My collection doe have other rifles that could be used .
My interest in lion has been sparked by Brian Hernes' , White Hunters a book recommended here on Accurate Reloading . An excellent book well worth reading . In this book my impression was lions killed more of the famous hunters than all other animals combined .

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by mark smith:
If you were hunting lion would you consider the 9.3X62 suitable/adequate ? I have a Ruger African in 9.3X62 and am wondering if it is worth putting considerable effort into working it up as a lion rifle . My collection doe have other rifles that could be used .
My interest in lion has been sparked by Brian Hernes' , White Hunters a book recommended here on Accurate Reloading . An excellent book well worth reading . In this book my impression was lions killed more of the famous hunters than all other animals combined .

Mark

Absolutely!

Just make sure you hit them in the right place.

quote:

Originally posted by mark smith:
If you were hunting lion would you consider the 9.3X62 suitable/adequate ? I have a Ruger African in 9.3X62 and am wondering if it is worth putting considerable effort into working it up as a lion rifle . My collection doe have other rifles that could be used .
My interest in lion has been sparked by Brian Hernes' , White Hunters a book recommended here on Accurate Reloading . An excellent book well worth reading . In this book my impression was lions killed more of the famous hunters than all other animals combined .

Mark

First time I hear of a "Lion Rifle" - Lion loads yes, even though I consider that a pile of codswollop.

The 9.3x62 is equivalent (bar a micron or two) to the .375 which is considered more than enough by some for Elephant.

It would therefore be reasonable to say that the 9.3 would be more than adequate for Lion and as with any of the DG species, if one does not shoot straight it would matter little on the choice of calibre.

P.S. Don't let anyone kid you on spending unnecessary funds in building a "Lion Rifle"

quote:

I have a Ruger African in 9.3X62 and am wondering if it is worth putting considerable effort into
working it up as a lion rifle...

I think in the above Mark means working up a safe accurate load with suitable projectile,
so with such it will then become his rifle for lion....or his 'lion rifle'...

probably it will still look 100% just like a bog stock Ruger African on the outside..

How many people call their factory .270win their 'deer rifle'..or 'elk rifle' ..or 'sheep rifle', etc.

Get a nice soft lead projectile load worked up...call it good.

The 9.3 x 62 is more than adequate for Lion. (a 30 06 is adequate really ) The question is if it is a legal caliber for Lion in the country you are hunting in.

quote:

I think in the above Mark means working up a safe accurate load with suitable projectile,
so with such it will then become his rifle for lion....or his 'lion rifle'.

Anything wrong in using box-standard Nosler Partitions or TSX from a reputable firm.... meaning would they not be recommendable for Lion or Leopard?

One is normally going to be shooting their Lion at distances of 50-120 yards. None of my clients (and there have been quite a few) have ever showed up with "Lion loads" and their cats died much in the same manner as their Buffalo, Leopard and the rest of the game they shot.

Its all in the mind as far as I'm concerned as no matter what expanding ammo one chooses to employ, the expectations of a DRT will only happen if hit in the right place.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:


Anything wrong in using box-standard Nosler Partitions or TSX from a reputable firm.....?

I remember myself posting an article/thread about 9,3x62 penetration on elephant with different pills,
286WL RN 20"(penetration)
286NP 23"
286brnsX 30"
NF 286 cup-nose 42"
300gn AFrame ... 42"

I guess to some people it might matter to them which one of those pills they would then prefer/choose for big cats.
Very few people would complain about having more potential penetration ability by purposely choosing a different pill
to the WL or Nosler.

Very capable classic cartridge.

I took my Zim lion with CMS in October of 2012 with a 9.3x74R double, using CEB Non-Cons. Knocked his pecker in the dirt!

Your 9.3 will be fine!

Close to perfect. Bullet choice not too soft i.e. Partition, A- Frame etc. If I would use the 9,3 I would take 250 North Fork.

A lightweight rifle in 9.3cal makes for a handy weapon during a tracking hunt. Much easier to have ready at all times during what can be an arduous hunt with fast action required.
Bullets like the Woodleigh RN or Swift A Frame are my choice.

Lion taken with a 9.3x62 on an extreme tracking hunt with the late great Ian Gibson.

Thank you for the replies that is very helpful . My question was aimed mainly at the suitability of the 9.3X62 cartridge for lion hunting . That is is it appropriately powerful to kill a lion perhaps in a situation that does not offer a perfect broadside shot .
The rifles I hunt with, as distinct from those I play with at the range , are used a lot more . The Ruger I am talking about had misfires in a club shoot and now has a much stronger firing pin spring . The trigger would be replaced with a Timney and Don Heath suggests the ejector spring needs to be stronger for rapid working of the bolt . Prior to going I would aim to put at least 200 rounds through it to check it functions consistently . That is what I mean when I say it would be a lion rifle . Hunting lion is not the time to have my rifle not perform . I would hate putting the PH and trackers at risk tracking a lion I have wounded .

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by mark smith:
Thank you for the replies that is very helpful . My question was aimed mainly at the suitability of the 9.3X62 cartridge for lion hunting . That is is it appropriately powerful to kill a lion perhaps in a situation that does not offer a perfect broadside shot .
The rifles I hunt with, as distinct from those I play with at the range , are used a lot more . The Ruger I am talking about had misfires in a club shoot and now has a much stronger firing pin spring . The trigger would be replaced with a Timney and Don Heath suggests the ejector spring needs to be stronger for rapid working of the bolt . Prior to going I would aim to put at least 200 rounds through it to check it functions consistently . That is what I mean when I say it would be a lion rifle . Hunting lion is not the time to have my rifle not perform . I would hate putting the PH and trackers at risk tracking a lion I have wounded .

Mark

Mark,

In my youth I hunted buffalo and other stuff with the 9.3X62 and really liked the gun. In my opinion it would be an excellent choice on Lion and is a fine calibre indeed.

Somewhere in his writings Pondoro states that if he could have this calibre in a double then it would be all that he would use.

I have a couple of rifles in 9.3x62 mm. I would not hesitate to use them on anything - except I would prefer bigger for elephant and bufffalo. Still, I would use the 9.3 on them and feel well-enough armed.

It has always seemed to me that this caliber is powerful out of proportion to its size. Like a pocket battleship.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I have a couple of rifles in 9.3x62 mm. I would not hesitate to use them on anything - except I would prefer bigger for elephant and bufffalo. Still, I would use the 9.3 on them and feel well-enough armed.

It has always seemed to me that this caliber is powerful out of proportion to its size. Like a pocket battleship.

Absolutely bit like the .404J which is its bigger brother.

Thanks for those words fair game and Mike . I have just been reading Hunter by John Hunter and was reminded how when first professional he hunted lion by provoking a charge and shooting them with a Mauser 93 or 95 in 7x57 !

Hey Mark, the 9.3x62 is a fine lion caliber from any angle using premium bullets made for deep penetration. However, the Barnes TSX may not open up enough on a lion sized animal at 9.3x62 velocities. The 9.3x62 has a heck of a good track record in Africa.

Thanks for that 376s , I was thinking Woodlieghs or Nosler Partitions .

Mark

my only concern would be where the minimum caliber is .375" bore. Some African countries show a bit more common sense than others and make the exemption for the two 9,3mms.

How many gazillion Cape Buffalo did the Boers kill with them a hundred years ago?

More than ample. I've used 9,3 x 62 as a back up on most PG hunts throughout my guiding life. Dropped Eland, giraffe, buff and female jumbie with it as well. (Never tried bulls though). It has slightly less energy than a .375 which is 9.5mm. the animal on the receiving end cant tell the difference of that 0.2mm (0.0078') or the 14 grains of difference in the bullet. It does though whack your shoulder considerably less than a .375, which I prefer. Just use the heaviest good quality controlled expansion softs you can find (prefer) and put it in the right place

The 9,3 x 74 mentioned above is the rimmed version and has an almost identical ballistic... Fantastic calibre.

Tanzania, ex-german colony, used 9,3 x 62 extensively before WW2, and thousands upon thousands of buff (and everything else) were taken with it.

If you look at the case, its basically a .30-06 case with a .366 hole. Standard length action. I had my barrel cut down to 52cm (20.4'), as it is also one of the most stable calibres around on any weight class of bullet.

as mentioned above, just check legal minimums for the country you going to, but most PH's don't mind the difference to the .375.

Hunt well, Hunt Safe

Here is a picture of a classic 9.3 - look familiar Byron?




I took this picture of Byron's rifle hunting with him a couple years ago. I wish that rifle could tell everything it has seen!

Welcome to the site too!

Ozhunter, is that a Blaser Attache'? My favorite rifle. Nice!

Thank you for those replies Byron and Mike . It confirms I am on the right track . In particular I did enjoy the photos of a well used Mauser 9.3x62 . A mutual friend I have with ozhunter has been giving me grief over my choice of rifle and cartridge , but I ignore him .

Mark

Howzit Mike :-)

Yes that rifle looks very familiar, cant believe you had those pics. Rifle has seen a lot, done loads of good/damage. tends to "pull the handbrake" really well.

Hunt Well, Hunt Safe

If I ponied up the $50K+ to hunt a Lion, I wouldn't want to be concerned that my rifle was up to the task. I'd be holding a 416 Rigby.

My baby is back!



That is my Pre 1912 Simson.

The story is a bit twisted. Over the last 4 months I have been trying to sell some rifles to release capital.

I decided to let go my 2 year old CZ Mag 416 Rigby & my L61R 280 Ack Imp. After2 months I got no bites. With a very heavy heart I put the Simson on the web along with the CZ. I changed my strategy & set a low bid with a fixed price offer. I split the rifle from the extra bits etc.

Then both rifles sold within hours! I was hoping I could keep the Simson.

Well, it turns out the new buyer had a change of heart and did not like the old pit marks on the rifle & so I gladly gave him back his money!

Sorry for the high jack - no lion hunts planned - but is is a very nice 9.3X62 & she is still mine

quote:

Originally posted by mark smith:
If you were hunting lion would you consider the 9.3X62 suitable/adequate ? I have a Ruger African in 9.3X62 and am wondering if it is worth putting considerable effort into working it up as a lion rifle . My collection doe have other rifles that could be used .
My interest in lion has been sparked by Brian Hernes' , White Hunters a book recommended here on Accurate Reloading . An excellent book well worth reading . In this book my impression was lions killed more of the famous hunters than all other animals combined .

Mark

I shot a lion with one and it did the job.