9,3 mm – A Love Affair

and a 286 gn spitzer boat tail from sierra.
i have found good uses for the 300 gn sierra 375 boat tail, and this would put it in the same class.
things like big australian donkeys respond well to such bullets, which give complete penetration from sensible angles but not extreme angles.
they have a big mushroom, retain a lot of weight and usually stop under the skin on the other side like a great big bulge.
out in our mountainous and sandhill deserts, you often need to make 300 yd shots.
the 375 300 gn sierras outperform 300 gn nosler partition 375 and 286 gn nosler partition 9.3s terminally, particularly in straight line penetration.
bruce.
I think it would add a lot of flexibility.

I know several people in the UK who shoot deer with their 375 H&Hs at deer and use the 250gr Sierras. Good results too. We have 6 species of deer here with body weights from 8 kg (Muntjac) up to 200 kg (Red Stags). The Sierras seem to perform well on all.

Scrummy
 
he is just comfortable bob.
bruce.
@bruce moulds
That's good to hear mate at least one of us is comfortable.
I'm off more surgery next Tuesday, this time for my foot. I twisted my ankle about 7 months ago but had to wait until my shoulder was done.
Ah well 2 to 4 weeks non weight bearing and another 2 to six weeks in a moon boot. So plenty of time to relax after Tuesday.
It is going to drive my little brain insane not being able to do anything. Shit I can't even get to my gunshed, but it w I'll as long be worth it to get it over and done with quicker while we have to put up with the China flu.
Bob
 
I think it would add a lot of flexibility.

I know several people in the UK who shoot deer with their 375 H&Hs at deer and use the 250gr Sierras. Good results too. We have 6 species of deer here with body weights from 8 kg (Muntjac) up to 200 kg (Red Stags). The Sierras seem to perform well on all.

Scrummy

How’s the meat damage with those Sierras out of 375?
 
My 9.3 double is my favorite rifle I own, and the 9.3x62 is my go to in a bolt gun for my general hunting. I looked at the 9.3x64 but couldn't justify the small increase in performance to the cost and hassle of finding brass and ammo. If I need more power than the 9.3/375 class of rounds Will take a 40+cal out of the safe to use.
 
I have a 9,3x64 and find that it is a nice caliber to shoot , recoil is not to bad and it is very accurate . Up until the day I bought my rifle ( about 5 yrs ago ) I didn't know that this caliber existed . I currently shoot Barnes TSX FB 250 gr bullets but will soon start experimenting with 286 gr and 300 gr bullets . I have yet to hunt with it but hopefully that will be rectified this coming May . I really like the 9,3 and have decided that I NEED a 9,3x62 in my collection too .
 
Bruce I fully respect your logic and the suggestion , your advice is solid but where is the fun in that ? It is not that I have too much money , quite the opposite but I just love nice firearms , always space in my safes for another rifle , I cant help myself .

My name is... and I’m a riflecholic...
 
I think a O/U double rifle with sets in 450/400 NE, 9.3x74R and 12ga would be the ultimate African rifle to own.....

As long as one is not planning to put a scope on the rifles as the comb would be too high for the shotgun. Of course one can plan the comb on the stock for the shotgun and use a comb raising kit like below for the rest.

 

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@bruce moulds
That's good to hear mate at least one of us is comfortable.
I'm off more surgery next Tuesday, this time for my foot. I twisted my ankle about 7 months ago but had to wait until my shoulder was done.
Ah well 2 to 4 weeks non weight bearing and another 2 to six weeks in a moon boot. So plenty of time to relax after Tuesday.
It is going to drive my little brain insane not being able to do anything. Shit I can't even get to my gunshed, but it w I'll as long be worth it to get it over and done with quicker while we have to put up with the China flu.
Bob
bob, a good idea to tidy things up.
before you know it you will be out treading the black soil country looking for pigs,
and climbing the southern alps looking for sambar, all taken with the bucking 35.
bruce.
 
I have a 9,3x64 and find that it is a nice caliber to shoot , recoil is not to bad and it is very accurate . Up until the day I bought my rifle ( about 5 yrs ago ) I didn't know that this caliber existed . I currently shoot Barnes TSX FB 250 gr bullets but will soon start experimenting with 286 gr and 300 gr bullets . I have yet to hunt with it but hopefully that will be rectified this coming May . I really like the 9,3 and have decided that I NEED a 9,3x62 in my collection too .
That I know of, there are only 2 bullets at 300 gr - A Frame, and Hornady GMX.

Norma makes a 325 gr Oryx, and Woodleigh makes a RN and PP in 320 gr. According to twist calculators, a 14 is plenty to stabilize those.
 
@bruce moulds
That's good to hear mate at least one of us is comfortable.
I'm off more surgery next Tuesday, this time for my foot. I twisted my ankle about 7 months ago but had to wait until my shoulder was done.
Ah well 2 to 4 weeks non weight bearing and another 2 to six weeks in a moon boot. So plenty of time to relax after Tuesday.
It is going to drive my little brain insane not being able to do anything. Shit I can't even get to my gunshed, but it w I'll as long be worth it to get it over and done with quicker while we have to put up with the China flu.
Bob
Bob you need to get a scooter and have someone build you a ramp into your gun shed so you can ride the scooter inside. Then you can cook up some new loads for the Whelan and 25-06. I always look forward to trying your loads on our game here in the states. Good luck with your surgery and recovery
 
Bob you need to get a scooter and have someone build you a ramp into your gun shed so you can ride the scooter inside. Then you can cook up some new loads for the Whelan and 25-06. I always look forward to trying your loads on our game here in the states. Good luck with your surgery and recovery
@MS9x56
Mate I've got a non motorised scooter but it is no good on grass. I see the ortho tomorrow and hope to be able to start weight bearing after that.
Already have some great loads for the 35.
I don't have a 25 ought six but have been helping someone with loads for it.
My 25 is based on a highly modified 303 british case.
Bob
 
Look out Australia, Bob will again soon be not only armed, dangerous and generally offensive, but mobile as well! ;)
@Scrumbag
You know me well mate thanks for the compliment. But I won't be completely mobile for another month.
Bob
 
9,3 mm – A love affair

My love affair with the 9,3 mm started years ago. I was looking for a double rifle, that had to be good for both driven hunt and stalking, and my choice was the old venerable 9,3x74R.


View attachment 352108


I immediately started handloading this fine caliber with N202 powder, obtaining good accuracy and outstanding terminal effects on big game. Season after season i learned how effective was the old German doctrine: heavy soft point bullets at mild velocity equals complete penetration, massive wound and game on the ground. And this at its best in woods.

The Next step was a nice Stutzen rifle chambered in 9,3x62. With its short barrel practically duplicates the 9,3x74 performance, with a remarkable preference for light bullets. I usually hunt with this rifle using the 232 grains Norma Oryx. Roe deer, wild boar, fallow deer, all have fallen by the lightweight Oryx.

Now is evident to every experienced hunter that both 9,3x62 and 9,3x74R are more than enough for anything walking on the old continent and north America. And they are adequate for most African big game.

During the golden age they both have been used on the big five with success by farmers, hunters and guides, and more. Today, with better bullets better powders, you can squeeze more velocity, energy and terminal performance from these old beloved workhorses.

So why the hell a European hunter that has never hunted outside Italy should ever buy a heavy, expensive, vintage and beautiful rifle chambered for the big bad son of Wilhelm Brenneke? The answer is: Because it exists!

View attachment 352109


Jokes aside, the 9,3x64 cartridge can match .375 H&H’s performance if handloaded properly, with the fine benefit that .366 bullets always have better sectional density and ballistic coefficient than .375 of similar weight.

You can find dozens of different kinds of bullets, from 180 up to 325 grains of weight. All these advantages in a normal length action, in a cartridge that is just one millimeter longer than 30-06, with a roomy tough brass that is perfect for the modern slow burning powders.

On the other hand, many countries in Africa pretend that .375 bullets are minimum requested for Big Five (for this reason Steyr and Hornady gave to the light the .376 Steyr, working on the 9,3x64 brass with a .375 bullet, intended to work on a short action. A great idea that encountered a small but solid plethora of users).

Only RWS and Brenneke still have this caliber on catalogue. They both have good products that could easily tackle any big game on the northern hemisphere. RWS, few years ago presented a new ammunition with the 180 grains Evo bullet that practically is the same as 8x68S’s performance with a lightweight leadfree fragmenting bullet.


A 19-gram fossil
Brenneke proposes the 247 grains TOG, a modern bonded stout bullet with outstanding performance. And they both still produce the mythological TUG bullet, a real fossil of the megafauna age. Born in the first years of the past century, this iconic bullet has passed through two world wars, the economic boom, the millennium bug and the social media era virtually unchanged. Probably no other bullet has killed more big games worldwide through centuries than the old 19 grams TUG. And it still does...

Many say that it has an obsolete design and poor construction nowadays, but I think that none of them have never seen how this old Ogive works when used properly. Nevertheless, if you want to understand the real flexibility of the Brenneke's son, you must be a brutal hand loader.

Playing with powders, primers and bullets you can easily replicate 9,3x74R, 9,3x62 and 9,3x66 performances, or overcome them Flying to 6200 joules (if you really need it). Virtually could be possible to hunt almost any game from roe deer up to cape buffalo and elephant.

View attachment 352110


Red deer hunting in focus
Back to reality, months ago I was talking with a close friend about the red deer. I’ve had a good season, with a big stag, killed during the rut. While the old monarch was bellowing, I was able to silently sneak closer, to about 50 meters. The heavy bullet, tossed at 970 m/s by the 8x68S, was a quick inexorable judgement.

My friend had a different kind of view. Hunting in the alps, often stalking deer in woods. He prefers the heavy punch of the 9,3 mm, but after the Vaya tempest, that berated the alps, breaking down millions on trees, in short; things have changed.

Now many areas are completely peeled, fallen Woods have been removed creating very large pastures. The red deer population is increasing rapidly, creating some problems with the reforestation.

The authorities will probably change the permits to enhance the forest to grow. Hunting in pastures means long shots, up to 250-300 meters, and probably a 7 mm Magnum could be the right kind of medicine - due to its orographic conformation, an instant kill is imperative. We both agree that delayed kill mean hours of work to recover the meat and the trophy.

We often have the same problem here in Tuscany, were hills are sweet, but the vegetation is so close to stop the sunlight. A wounded deer or worse, a wounded wild boar, will surely reach the deepest and closest bush - waiting for barking dogs, determined to fight.

These conditions cost the life to dozens of dogs per year, and this is even more dangerous with big red stags. As a strong enthusiast of the 8 mm, I suggested my friend to change his choice of caliber to 8x68S or 8 mm Rem. Mag. But he replied that it would have been great to have the stopping power of the .366 bore with the ballistic performance of a Magnum: accuracy, velocity and knock down power.

The answer was the 9,3x64 Brenneke. I was working on some loads from months, using different bullets and powders, but for this special purpose my choice was the classic bullet, Norma Alaska. Using this simple but reliable bullet for driven hunt, I know exactly how effective it can be on big game.

Although, it's basically a “cup and core” bullet, its heavy weight and high sectional density should achieve deep penetration and heavy punch even over 200 meters. In the past I have studied some interesting loads for the 9,3x64, everything from small to medium game. I have had astonishing terminal performance with 232 grains Norma Oryx, with a muzzle velocity of 850 m/s, but with predictable over expansion. I started testing Alaska bullet with N202 and N203B powder, obtaining accuracy and power.

View attachment 352111


More velocity with a lower pressure
Nevertheless, I was not completely satisfied. I was sure that the roomy brass could has been filled with a slower powder, squeezing more velocity with a lower pressure.

I decided to replicate the old stout charge that RWS had in catalogue years ago; a soft point 286 grains bullet, tossed at 800 m/s, 6000 joules of energy, but with a more recent slow burning powder and a superb bullet.

As written, with 203 B powder i obtained a nice grouping but with a lower velocity than I expected.

Looking for heavy punch, I switched to its max load of 68 grains of 203 B, oal 84 mm, with an estimated pressure of 4300 bar.

It was too much. too much recoil, too much pressure, too much stress on the brass, weapon and shooter. Primers were flattened by high pressure, brasses elongated enough to harden the bolt opening and after all, with horrible accuracy. The worst group ever seen from a Mauser.

Counting on the long heavy barrel of the old Mauser Europa, 204 or URP powder were the best candidates, but unobtainable. I used RS60 powder, without any idea about minimum and maximum weight, since is hard to find data about this old rare caliber.

I used the cartridge length suggested in the RWS manual for the Teilmantel bullet.

Quickload was a great help. Theoretically it could be possible to elaborate an incredible load with a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s, floating around 6400 joules, but I need all my fingers, and I like to be prudent. This time, the first approach was successful.

Started with 71 grains of RS60, RWS brass, RWS Magnum primer, and the Norma Alaska bullet of course. Oal 84 mm, for an estimated velocity of 810 m/s, 3780 bar and 6089 joules.

Practically a safe load, able to effort high temperatures due to the relatively low pressure, and surely good for African safaris, while with brass filled up to the 98% and magnum primers should be efficient below zero too, losing some energy.

Field testing was better than expectations, with the impressive velocity of 800-805 m/s elevated by the chronograph. The recoil is strong but manageable, progressive, not disruptive, powder burns completely, with no smoke signs on the bottleneck. Accuracy at 100 meters is more than acceptable for the caliber, especially considering the size of the game we want to hunt.

Zeroing the bullet 6 cm high at 100 meters, the drop at 200 will be just about 2 cm, that become 16 at 250 meters, with 3820 and 3400 joules of impact. As said many words ago, a lot more than enough.

Many will say that every 7 mm or .30 Magnum would do the same job, the same way with a lot less job and pain. The world is wide, and I have never been a fan of the easy and simple ways. If the smart Wilhelm, one century ago, have spent his genius designing this master caliber, probably is worth to see how it works. Now the harder part: waiting until September come.


All this happened weeks ago, before the pandemic. Now my homeland, and the entire world, is facing an invisible terrible enemy. Hunting is only a sweet memory but also a consoling thought for the future. Be sure that we'll come back to the woods one day.


Article by: Enrico Andreoli

I'm happy you like my article.

Still working on this outstanding caliber.

Greatings from Italy.
 

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