I just got back from a feral cattle hunt with the 9.3x62 and the 30-06. My goal was to test Speer's 270-grain bullet at 2,350 fps. The first animal I shot with it went about 700 pounds, and I hit it in the shoulder. The second was about the same size; I hit it on the point of the hip, which was all I could see. This was in thick forest; range was maybe 15 meters. Neither bullet exited, and both animals fell to one hit, but had to be finished by bleeding, as my CZ 550 began to misfire. (See thread on Gunsmithing for details.)

My spare was a Browning replica of the Model 1895 Winchester in 30-06, with buckhorn sights. I shot another animal (450 pounds) at about 30 meters with it. It was facing me and fell to one Remington 220-grain CoreLokt factory load through the brisket. I got three more (1,000, 500 and 500 pounds) with the Federal 180-grain Trophy Bonded load. They were all broadside at ranges from 80-100 meters. When this bullet hit bone, it dropped them in their tracks. If not, it exited and slowed them down enough for me to break the shoulder with the 95's open sights.

The work crews put nearly a ton of meat in their freezers, and from an admittedly small sample, I learned five things:

1. The 30-06 works like magic on animals in the 450# range. With either 220 or 180-grain bullets, it hits them unbelievably hard.
2. The 30-06 180-grain Trophy Bonded load broke one shoulder (maybe both) of a 1,000-pound animal with one hit. This animal dropped in its tracks, fully immobilized but not dead. (I have seen the 9.3x62 with 286-grain Partitions kill similar animals almost immediately with the same shot placement.)
3. The 9.3x62 cartridge performed as expected. I now agree with Ray Atkinson about using the 270-grain Speer semi-spitzer for big animals and I will be quiet about it from now on.
4. Buckhorn sights are way harder to shoot well under stress than a peep sight or a scope.
5. The 9.3 has an edge that the 30-06 simply does not, but the 30-06 is completely adequate for animals this big. The 9.3x62's edge only reduces the number of shots required per animal. One shoulder hit from the 9.3x62 seems to drop and kill animals over about 700 pounds; the same hit from the 30-06 seems to drop them just as well, but a finisher will probably be required. In either case, the end result is the same.

If I have to do this again, I would not hesitate to use either the 30-06 with 180-grain Trophy Bonded bullets (or the 220-grain Remington load) or the 9.3x62 with Nosler Partitions, provided that the rifle had sights I could shoot well.
Hope this helps, Okie John.

Yo Johnnie,
Where did this "experiment" take place? I could use some target practice like that . . . and a few extra sirloins would go a treat as well.

Okie,

for what you were doing I would have chosen a woodleigh 9.3x62 bullet or a Barnes X if I could afford them.

The speer would work well for game to the size of roo's and feral pigs and deer I suppose (smaller species).

Okie,

Thank you for that report. I found it very imformitive. My next project is building a 9.3x62 and your info on bullets will be very handy.

I currently am using a 35 Whelen for the heavier game. I have tried the 250 gr speer and it is a very excellent bullet. I read where in Alaska, certain men used this as their all around load. I shall certainly try the 270 gr 9.3's when I've completed my project.

BigBullet

Aussies,
Hey you live in Woodleigh land, why use any other bullet!!!

The most impressive bullet I have used in the 9.3x62 is the 320 Gr. round nose Woodleigh..It is a hammer on cape buffalo..

Northfork now makes 9.3 bullets and I can attest to their behavior, they are outstanding bullets in all calibers...

I also used the 232 gr. GS Customs bullets to plunk into some dead buffalo and they are absolutly fantastic as far as penitration and expansion, but they have had some terrible delivery problems and caused some here a lot of grief, so be advised on that...

I would think the 250 gr. Barnes X would be a great bullet in the 9.3x62....My only problems with these lighter monolithics is my guns snuggles up 270 gr. Northforks, 320 gr. Woodleighs and 286 gr. Noslers in the same hole, and puts the Barnes and GS monolithics 13" high, so I seldom use them.

"The most impressive bullet I have used in the 9.3x62 is the 320 Gr. round nose Woodleigh. It is a hammer on cape buffalo."

Ray,

What sort of muzzle speed do you get with those 320 gn bullets?

Actually, I'm curious what muzzle speed is adequate with those bullets and that size game.

Thanks,

Karl

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Old Sarge, I was in Hawaii, on kind of a friend of a friend of the family kind of thing.

PC, you're right, but I had a theory that the 270 Speer would be OK if I slowed it down enough. It did deck those two animals, but the Partition was far more effective my last trip. I'm beginning to think the 270 Speer would be ideal in the 9.3x57, especially an a rebored 8x57 military rifle.

Big Bullet, search the board for threads on 9.3 bullets. There are tons of them out there. If I were to do this again, I would probably go with a 35 Whelen because any decent gunshop has bullets and ammo for just a bit more than 30-06 bullets and ammo. In western Washington, 9.3 bullets are a special order item.

Ray, I went down the custom bullet trail one time with a 5-shot 45 Colt revolver. I was completely set up to cast with LBT moulds, but I didn't have time and ended up having to buy bullets. By then I had about 2,500 rounds through the gun and was just getting warmed up, but there was a 6-month wait for decent bullets. I ended up using lighter bullets, wasting the money I spent on the gun because I could have done about the same thing with a 44 Magnum for a hell of a lot less wear and tear on my wallet and my marriage. That's why I'm so hung up on getting good performance out of an inexpensive and common bullet--I don't want to be the bullet maker's hostage again.

Does anyone have any idea how to make the CZ 550 American's firing pin spring retaining nut stay put? Mine unscrewed when I was in the middle of a herd of cattle with two animals down but not out, and the gun started to go click instead of bang.

Thanks, Okie John.

FWIW, The other day I was practicing off hand shooting on some 10" plates at 100yds using my practice load of the Speer 270 loaded to hit to same POI as the Nosler Partition @2,450fps load.

I missed once (brain said "wow" just as trigger finger said "go") and when I looked in the bullet crater the jacket was laying at the center of the initial crater, not back in the penetration zone. I should have saved the jacket, it had only expanded back to just past the ogive and shed the core. I'd give a SWAG that round would have rated a "failure" score on game.

Okie,

don't give up on the CZ's mate just get to the bottom of the problem. I would also like toknow as Prevention would be better than cure

The CZ has too many good things going for it to give up on it just yet. Also, I want a 416 or 458 Lott someday, and that's a no-brainer--a CZ heavy rifle would be a twin of this one. But I've got to get this solved before I go farther. I'm calling American Hunting Rifles and CZ USA today and will let you know what happens. Okie John.

Okie John,

If you do go with a 35 Whelen some day, you will not be dissapointed in it. I have been very pleased with mine to date.(about 14 years now)I've been shoting 225 Barnes X and have only recovered one. Caught on the off side shoulder of an oryx.

I am building the 9.3x62 on a Mauser 98 action with double set triggers. This will be a first for me. Just started on it, Shilen barrel #4 contour ordered yesterday. Only one problem, it had a set of bases for claw style rings, I am going crazy looking for a set of rings(preferably 1") that will fit it. Oh well.

BigBullet

Okie,

I am building a .458 Lott on a cz .458 win mag. Send it all off to the smith this Saturday !!

I love my cz's

I can get almost 2400 FPS, but I chose to cut back to 2350 FPS with the 320 gr. Woodleigh in my 26" barrel M-54 Winchester 9.3x62...It is a killer of anything. I load a max charge of H414 or RL-15..case life is only so so...5 to 6 loadings...

I only use these loads with new brass for the first loading and use them for hunting, then I drop down a bit for following reloads to about 2200 to 2300 FPS.

I have found the 9.3x62 to be a very good killer of Cape Buffalo, comparable to the great 375 H&H.

Well Ray, 2350 is rather warm; but with a modern rifle shouldn't be a problem. It must be rather effective indeed.

If you had a 9.3x74R single shot you didn't care to stress, which route would you go for large African plains game?

1) 320 gn .366 Woodleigh SN at 2100
2) 286 gn .366 SN at 2200
3) 250 gn paper patched .358 (either Barnes X or Nosler Partition) at 2350

My guess is the old long and slow approach is still best for cartridges of moderate pressure, but I haven't taken a shot at anything larger than deer.

Karl