I had posted a month or so ago to see wha tyou guys thought of the 9.3x62. I then took it to Africa and was very pleased with the performance. I have been using the 375 H&H as an all around rifle, and still like that caliber, but the 9.3, with less recoil and in handier rifle really killed em dead.

The score: 3 gemsbok, 2 wildebeest, assorted babons, impala, warthog all died nicely!

One gemsbok was just blasted with a heart shot, as was a wildebeest, and another gemsbok just spurted blood all over the stump behind it. Nice large exit wounds on a warthog, all using Norma ammo in 232 grain Vulcans.

Very nice overall.

I am one of those strong believers in that cartdrige as an all arounder..
L

It's the ballistic twin of the 35 whelen and that says a lot IMO

Let call him his "smaller brother"..

Remember the 9,3 shoots 300 and 320 grainers..

L

I am getting ready for a Namibian elephant hunt in August and after much consideration, have pulled my 9.3 down for my second rifle.

I took it to the range Sunday and tried out loads developed for my trip to Tanz last year. Results: 286 Woodleigh solids and softpoints all over the ten ring of a 50yds pistol target at 50yds; with the same sight setting, the Nosler 286 Partition is 1.5" high at 100 yards and still dead on left-right. Although not rechecked, the 250BT is right at 2.5" high at 100yds. This means with the same sight setting, this rifle will handle elephant or buffalo at 50 yds, Eland at 100-200yds, and smaller antelope out to 250-275. It is a truly versatile cartridge. Kudude

quote:

Originally posted by Lorenzo:


Let call him his "smaller brother"..

Remember the 9,3 shoots 300 and 320 grainers..

L

lorenzo...

woodleigh makes 310 grainers and north fork makes the finest 200, 225, 250 and 270 gr bullets in 358.

woodleigh makes 2 in 310 grains soft nose and fmj

swift also makes an excelent 280 grainer a frame

310 gr 358 = .346 s.d.
320 gr 366 = .341 s.d.

virtualy identical

286 vs 280 ????

also the 358 can do wonderful premium 180 grain nosler partition pistol bullets a variety of hornady xtps 140 gr barnes xpbs and dirt cheap pistol bullets with a weight range from 110 grains to 310 grains...advantage whelen!

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:

quote:

Originally posted by Lorenzo:


Let call him his "smaller brother"..

Remember the 9,3 shoots 300 and 320 grainers..

L

lorenzo...

woodleigh makes 310 grainers and north fork makes the finest 200, 225, 250 and 270 gr bullets in 358.

And a 280 grain Swift A-Frame is nothing to sneeze at.

Properly handloaded there ain't a pinch of Uruguan cow $hit worth of difference.

Here in the states 35 whelen ammo is available where I've never seen a box of 9.3 X 62 ammo in my life.....and that's worth more than the pinch I referred to.

9.3x62mm ammo may not be available in your normal USA sporting goods store, but loaded ammo is readily available via the web, as is every reloading component one could wish for. So one has to reload, or be web aware to use a 9.3x62mm, that's a small price to pay in the computer age.

LLS

availability is a dead issue i agree when it comes to hunts but i think the 200 gr weight spread of the whelen and equaliy good premium bullets makes the whelen have the advantage. yes the 9,3x62 is the bare minimum for d.g. and not make muster depending on region but who hunts d.g. with a 9,3x62??? yes chicks do it maybe but most dudes will hunt with a 458 lott or 470 n.e. dukier to elan(d) 35 whelen...

last time I checked Midway and Huntingtons,only one of them had 35Whelchair cases, which are only avail from one factory manufacturer.
9.3x62 brass is produced by at least 5 manufacturers(Norma,Lapau,RWS,Grafs,HDS and maybe more!?what about..FWS,Horneber,Hirtenberger,S&B?)
More than one brand is very much instock at Midway&Huntingtons.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:

quote:

Originally posted by Lorenzo:


Let call him his "smaller brother"..

Remember the 9,3 shoots 300 and 320 grainers..

L

lorenzo...

woodleigh makes 310 grainers and north fork makes the finest 200, 225, 250 and 270 gr bullets in 358.

And a 280 grain Swift A-Frame is nothing to sneeze at.

Properly handloaded there ain't a pinch of Uruguan cow $hit worth of difference.

Here in the states 35 whelen ammo is available where I've never seen a box of 9.3 X 62 ammo in my life.....and that's worth more than the pinch I referred to.

One of these days I will learn to keep my mouth shut !!!

Ok ok they are twins....
L

The only thing "wrong" with the concept of heavy bullets (greater than 250 grs) in the .35 Whelen is that the two American manufacturers (Remington and Ruger) that have made rifles so chambered used a 1-16" twist rate. IMHO, that's not really fast enough to stablilize the heavier .35 caliber bullets. Admittedly, though, I've never tried bullets heavier than 250 grs in a .35 Whelen. Finn Aagaard mentions having the 300 gr Barnes Original bullet tumble at 200 yards (on paper) in one of the articles he did about the .35 Whelen. (The rifle he used was a Remington Model 700 Classic with a 1-16" twist.) Of course, a .35 Whelen with a 1-12" or 1-14" twist shooting a good 275 gr bullet would be very, very close to the standard 286 gr load in the 9.3x62

And yes, I own or have owned two rifles in .35 Whelen. The first was a Ruger M77 Mk II (special run for Davidson's a few years ago) which I no longer own. My current .35 Whelen is a Remington Model 700 CDL.

I also own a CZ 550 in 9.3x62 which I really like. I took it to South Africa in Aug 2005 and whacked two Kudu, one Gemsbuck, a small Bushpig (for the dinner table), and several Warthogs and Impala with it. All one shot kills. My handload was the 286 gr Woodleigh RN at 2390 fps.

I also own a Ruger M77 Magnum in .375 H&H. But, after using my CZ in 9.3x62, I find myself liking the 9.3 more and more. The 9.3x62 has nearly as much "punch" as the .375 H&H but in a lighter, handier rifle. And if more power is needed than the 9.3 provides, then I think the next step up really begins with the .416 (either Rigby or Remington). Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the .375 H&H. It's a great cartridge and will continue to be so. But, I really like my 9.3x62!

-Bob F.

In comparing the 35 Whelen and the 9.3x62, perhaps it is relevant to remember that most of the factory Whelens have a 16" twist rate, so it may be that the heavy bullets mentioned will not stabilize well unless the twist for those .358 heavies is 12" or maybe even 10".

My 9.3x62 has a 12" twist rate, and it shoots the 300 gr swift very well. I have never tried the heavier 320 gr Woodleighs. I think they would stabilize though. My 9.3x62 also is very accurate with 250 gr bullets.

So, maybe it's not just a comparison of available bullet weights in the 358 and 9.3, but a question of what the barrel will stabilize.

KB

Kabluewy,

Well put. Yep, I agree. (I see we were posting at almost the exact same time.)

-Bob F.

the best way to do the whelen is to do a custom with a 1 in 10 twist imho. i have a wildcat fantasy of a 358 dakota ish rifle ( neck up 338 dakota ). a reeeel zapper with lighter bullets and able to dispatch of nasty hairy fangclawed beasties with 270 gr northforks. or jeffeosso might make the 358 a.r. i would like to see something in line with the 358 sta but 06 action and nooooo belt

I, too, am a believer in the heavier bullets and yes, there's a point to the commercial 35 whelens with the dumber than rocks slow twist.

For either a .35 W or a 9.3 I'd build on a VZ-24 so that's not an issue for me personally.

I shop mostly at Midsouth and they have cases for both on hand and the whelen brass is half the price of the Lapua stuff.

Bullet selection is a toss IMO....but besides the ammo avail thing the best reason for me to build a 35 over a 9.3 is resale.....How does one resell a 9.3?...no one ever heard of it here.....

Sorry folks.....not to be argumentative but they are ballistic twins and if I didn't live in North America I'd have a 9.3 X 62 for sure.

I'm a handloader.....and haven't bought a factory loaded round in thirty years!!! So (like BS said) availability isn't a big deal.... to me....but the next owner might just disagree.

I consider the 280 Rem and the 30-06 to be ballistic twins (almost) but try selling a 280 used around these parts.....Remington can't sell them new for crying out load.

Sorry.....I have to go with what's known and popular.

vap...what do you think about a 358 dakota???

Yeah, for resale, the .35 Whelen is better at least here in North America. Of course, not many people here really know what a .35 Whelen is either. You'd be surprised at how many people at the rifle range say "A what?" when I tell them I'm shooting a .35 Whelen. Of course, most folks at the range are REALLY clueless when they ask what I'm shooting and I answer "9.3x62". I usually get responses such as "A nine point three what?" and "That's one ah them thar matric caliburs, ain't it?"

In my opinion, I think the .35 Whelen is really closer to the ol' 9x57 Mauser than it is to the 9.3x62. The 9x57 fired a 247 gr (nominal .356") bullet at around 2300 fps. That's DWM ballistics; I've seen it listed as 2296 (700 m/s) and 2310 fps. That's very close to the Remington standard ballistics for the Whelen of a 250 gr bullet at 2400 fps. Of course, I realize that the .35 Whelen can be loaded a little hotter than 2400 fps with a 250 gr bullet. I believe Nosler ammo lists 2550 fps as standard with a 250 gr Partition.

Still, as I said above, I own both a .35 Whelen and a 9.3x62. So, since the .35 Whelen and the 9.3x62 are so close, I set mine up with different types of loads. I use my 9.3x62 as my heavy bullet non-magnum medium bore and mostly shoot 286 gr bullets at around 2400 fps. I use my .35 Whelen with a 225 gr bullet at around 2600-2650 fps. That, of course, matches the original ballistics of the .350 Rigby Magnum (rimless).

-Bob F.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
vap...what do you think about a 358 dakota???

Boom.....the only advantage of such rounds is action availability.......and there's plenty of actions to house the 35 Whelen and the 358 Norma.....one couldn't really ask for more muscle in a 35 cal bullet than a 358 Norma.....at least IMO

The 375 Dakota shines only in that one don't need the harder to find long action for the 375 H&H and the dakota style round demands the shorter action.....which works well.

In short it's not the cartridge that trips my trigger.....it's the action that uses it.

I can make the 375 Dakota run thru the VZ-24 with very little trouble. It also gives me .375 H&H performance with ease. The 358 Dakota does nothing for me however.....it's easily replaced by the 358 Norma and more just isn't of interest to me.

As a matter of fact.....the more I look at the world the .35 Whelen and the 9.3 X 62 class of cartridge make more and more sense.

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:
In comparing the 35 Whelen and the 9.3x62, perhaps it is relevant to remember that most of the factory Whelens have a 16" twist rate, so it may be that the heavy bullets mentioned will not stabilize well unless the twist for those .358 heavies is 12" or maybe even 10".

My 9.3x62 has a 12" twist rate, and it shoots the 300 gr swift very well. I have never tried the heavier 320 gr Woodleighs. I think they would stabilize though. My 9.3x62 also is very accurate with 250 gr bullets.

So, maybe it's not just a comparison of available bullet weights in the 358 and 9.3, but a question of what the barrel will stabilize.

KB

I have 3 rifles in 9.3x62, Two are sporting Kreiger barrels and one is a Wilson. All three are 1-12 twist and will stabilize a 320 gr. Woodleigh soft or solid.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
the best reason for me to build a 35 over a 9.3 is resale.....How does one resell a 9.3?...no one ever heard of it here.....

Vapodog ,

Did you say r r r resale? How could you write such a thing? Aloha.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
vap...what do you think about a 358 dakota???

Naa! What about a .366 Dakota?

Next april my tracker will carry my 9.3 FN Husky loaded with 320grn Woodleigh solids as Back up for a couple Jumbo while I carry the 470.
ozhunter

In factory rifles, there is no doubt the '62 as the upper edge. In a custom gun, with correct twist, they are closer, but the fact is that the '62has larger case capasity and lager diameter, and will always give higher velocity with same bullet weight.

With todays modern powders and bullets, the 9,3x62 and .35 Welen both are more impressive rounds than the .375 H&H was in John Taylors days.

quote:

One of these days I will learn to keep my mouth shut !!!

Ok ok they are twins....
L

Lorenzo

You are such a nice guy and positive contributor.....you can create controversy and hijack my threads anytime!

quote:

Originally posted by 404WJJeffery:
I had posted a month or so ago to see wha tyou guys thought of the 9.3x62. I then took it to Africa and was very pleased with the performance. I have been using the 375 H&H as an all around rifle, and still like that caliber, but the 9.3, with less recoil and in handier rifle really killed em dead.

The score: 3 gemsbok, 2 wildebeest, assorted babons, impala, warthog all died nicely!

One gemsbok was just blasted with a heart shot, as was a wildebeest, and another gemsbok just spurted blood all over the stump behind it. Nice large exit wounds on a warthog, all using Norma ammo in 232 grain Vulcans.

Very nice overall.

there can be no question that the 9.3 X 62 (and it's ballistic twins ) are great substitutes for the .375 H&H for plains game and having a handier rifle goes the greatest distance in my book. The .375 H&H is quite a bit more than is needed for the plains game large animals even though some prefer it's use.

I'm still on the edge of deciding between the 338-06, 35 W or 9.3 for the task as I really don't want all three.....

Two impressive rounds:
9,3x70 300gr @ 2800 for 5200ftlbs


35 Newton 250gr @ 2975 for 4925ftlbs

Both the Whelen and the 9.3X62 are geat rounds. I have a custom mauser in the Whelen and I might build another.
As far as I am concerned I will stick with that round unless I come across somthing really big like Alaskan bear. But if I ever get to africa and go after Elephant or cape buffalo or somthing like that, I want a 416 magnum of some sort. ...tj3006

In and outside the States, I've always been able to find a box of factory loaded ammunition for the 9.3x62mm, I can not say the same for the Whelen. Outside the US, getting a box of loaded 35 Whelen can be a very difficult task if not impossible. I travel outside the States a lot and chose the 9.3x62mm simply because of that.

I'm sure that not all the back woods stores in the US stock the 9.3mm round, but most well equiped stores will offer you several flavors.

404WJJeffery,
Thanks.....and sorry for the

L

This has been an interesting thread, even with the hijacks.
I doubt I will ever have the need for a 9.3x62 although maybe sometime down the road, the "I WANT ONE" syndrome may hit me.
However, I do have a thing for the .35 Whelen and have three rifles so chambered. The Ruger 77 and Remington 700 Classic have that dumb 1 in 16" twist. The Ruger sits in a ramline stock and has the very cool nature of placing factory 200 and 250 gr. loads into a 1.5" group at 100 yards. Sad to say, the Remington will not do that. The third Whelen is a custom rifle I found at an estate sale. It's built on a pre-war Oberndorf Mauser action and has a 1 in 14" twist rate barrel. I only shoot 250 gr. bullets in that rifle. The Remington is a 1.25" gun and the Mauser is about the same both rifles shooting the 250 gr. Remington factory load.
I have noticed, that when cruising my local gun shops that 250 gr. factory ammo is conspicuous by it's absence and 200 gr. loads are mighty scarce. I understand the federal has dropped their 225 gr. loading, probably due to lack of sales and an exhorbitantly high price in my neck of the woods.
At the gun show last week, I found a box and a half of remington's 250 gr. loads and a box of the Federal 225 gr. load that had 18 rounds left, plus five boxes of once fired Federal brass. I'll be running that federal stuff over the Chronograph and if I can get some the the same type bullets (Trophy Bonded Bear Claw) maybe I'll try and match the Federal load.
I do have another .35 Whelen in the planning stage. It will be on either a J.C. Higgins FN Mauser action or a Husqvarna 640 FN style Mauser action. Stock will be a Butler Creek synthetic, barrel probably a Douglas with the proper 1 in 12" twist, 23.5" in length. Scope, a recently rebuilt original Weaver 1.5x4.5 variable.
There was an article back in the 1970s in the American Rifleman by C.E. "Ed" harris on the .35 Whelen in which he stated that the cartridge was designed to shoot bullets from 250 to 300 grains in weight. The fact that they would also shoot a 200 gr. bullet well was just serendipity.
I think my Whelens will serve me justr fine, thank you very much.
Paul B.

Gentlemen....... the 9,3x62 is really a very good and longtime proven cartride and it will nearly do almost everything you could ask for.

I have been looking around for something nearly similar to .375 H&H but in a shorter and handier rifle. Wanted to buy a 9,3x62 but then I saw a very interesting cartridge, .376 Steyr, and I bougt it.......to say it with one word: marvelous!
Nevertheless I'm going to buy a 9,3x62 in the future....

quote:

I'm still on the edge of deciding between the 338-06, 35 W or 9.3 for the task as I really don't want all three.....

I feel your pain. I have all three and it would be tough deciding which one (or two) to take to Africa.

quote:

The only thing "wrong" with the concept of heavy bullets (greater than 250 grs) in the .35 Whelen is that the two American manufacturers (Remington and Ruger) that have made rifles so chambered used a 1-16" twist rate. IMHO, that's not really fast enough to stablilize the heavier .35 caliber bullets.

Of course, a .35 Whelen with a 1-12" or 1-14" twist shooting a good 275 gr bullet would be very, very close to the standard 286 gr load in the 9.3x62

Quite so, the faster standard twist rate allows the 9,3 x 62 mm to stabilize heavier bullets than the 35 Whelen, launching a bullet at the upper end with more momentum and at the same time having a higher SD factor. This puts the 9.3 a notch up.

The 35 Whelen would not be legal for buffalo hunting in most places, altough it could be done successfully. So if someone contemplates building a custom rifle, instead of buying a standard run of the mill factory made rifle, the 9.3 provides more versatility. Bullets in the 9.3 caliber generally range from 230 gr to 320 gr providing such a wide choice in available bullets for the hunter.
Simply a dream caliber
Chris

I have two cases of the Remington .35 Whelen in 250 grain pointed soft point. I saw what the .350 Rem Mag suffered, dropping the heavier, better general purpose 250 grain load and keeping the 200 grain deer load around a while longer. Those of us that dream of a 9.3x62mm in Africa don't buy many hundreds of rifles at Wal-Mart. The medium bores need heavy bullets to shine, but a 250 grain .35 Whelen will do.

how about a 35x66!

higher preasure, more bullet weights, extra round in mag, no belt ect...

I have taken a lot of game with my 9,3x74R double rifle. 286 gr Woodleigh Softs and 286 gr Nosler Partitions have performed excellently. On Giraffe 286 gr Wodleigh Solids hammered him.

I consider the 9,3x74R and the 9,3x62 the equal to the 375 H&H in the field.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
how about a 35x66!

higher preasure, more bullet weights, extra round in mag, no belt ect...

seriously the 66 is a cool round and deserves respect...375x66 350 grains @ ???