New calibre hitting the market

[HWL]

This cartridge is made for the Swiss kanton Graubuenden, where it meets very specific requirements of the Graubuenden hunting law.

It's predecessor 10,3x60R, witch is nothing but the .450/400 2 3/8" NE, made it's job for more than 120 years.

Now, RWS realised, that the animals of Graubuenden became stronger and stronger, so they offer a bigger cartridge.




HWL

 

[fourfive8]

Exactly, a solution without a problem. Been scratching my head about all the Swiss DG that needed a different, previously unavailable cartridge! I also chuckled at the marketing verbiage in the RWS announcement- good for everything from marmots to Cape buffalo OOOOKay!

 

[Milehighshooter]

This cartridge is made for the Swiss kanton Graubuenden, where it meets very specific requirements of the Graubuenden hunting law.

It's predecessor 10,3x60R, witch is nothing but the .450/400 2 3/8" NE, made it's job for more than 120 years.

Now, RWS realised, that the animals of Graubuenden became stronger and stronger, so they offer a bigger cartridge.




HWL

Or maybe they wanted to offer Swiss hunters a bolt action option?

 

[Milehighshooter]

if that x68 is based on the standard belted mag case, it'll be a lot closer to the 416 Taylor vs the Rem Mag. The 10.75x68 can be made from modified belted mag brass, at 68mm long. This looks pretty similar. So a 400gr at 2150 should not be an issue.

If the swiss hunters are required to use the 10.3 as a minimum, this in a standard bolt action kind of makes sense. I'm not sure what the gun owning laws are like there, but maybe they are heavily restricted on how many they can own. Anyone know if there are caliber/power maximums? Yes, you could just buy a 416 "whatever" and load it down, but remember handloaders are an extremely SMALL slice of the market. We think everyone does because there are forums full of reloaders, but remember for every reloader on a forum there are probably 7-10 hunters who buy factory everything and call it good and don't care to post. So having a flexible cartridge that is loaded from the factory in a flexible way, really does make sense.

Everyone says you can load this way or that way with whatever cartridge to suit any need....but how many of those rounds come from the FACTORY with that kind of range? Outside of old military rounds that are juiced up by some places and kept timid by other manufacturer's, a truly do it all flexible rifle doesn't really exist unless you reload.

 

[JPbowhunter]

if that x68 is based on the standard belted mag case, it'll be a lot closer to the 416 Taylor vs the Rem Mag. The 10.75x68 can be made from modified belted mag brass, at 68mm long. This looks pretty similar. So a 400gr at 2150 should not be an issue.

If the swiss hunters are required to use the 10.3 as a minimum, this in a standard bolt action kind of makes sense. I'm not sure what the gun owning laws are like there, but maybe they are heavily restricted on how many they can own. Anyone know if there are caliber/power maximums? Yes, you could just buy a 416 "whatever" and load it down, but remember handloaders are an extremely SMALL slice of the market. We think everyone does because there are forums full of reloaders, but remember for every reloader on a forum there are probably 7-10 hunters who buy factory everything and call it good and don't care to post. So having a flexible cartridge that is loaded from the factory in a flexible way, really does make sense.

Everyone says you can load this way or that way with whatever cartridge to suit any need....but how many of those rounds come from the FACTORY with that kind of range? Outside of old military rounds that are juiced up by some places and kept timid by other manufacturer's, a truly do it all flexible rifle doesn't really exist unless you reload.

That's something i wasn't aware of, in Australia of hunters as opposed to casual shooters, i reckon we'd be closer to 30-40% people reloading.

I'm one, i like being able to shoot exactly what i want which as you say factory can't provide.

 

[Milehighshooter]

That's something i wasn't aware of, in Australia of hunters as opposed to casual shooters, i reckon we'd be closer to 30-40% people reloading.

I'm one, i like being able to shoot exactly what i want which as you say factory can't provide.

Well JP, from my many years on forums, I've come to see you OZ and Kiwi hunters/shooters are a bit like us American's culturally. For one, a much more rural country with a lot of hunting, and fairly unlimited options on guns/bullets/cases, etc. And a lot of open accessible land with few people, but lots of animals to shoot. And like the USA, your populations are biggest on the coasts. In EU, there are people everywhere, and not as much public land or opportunity (it seems, I don't have first hand knowledge, hopefully someone will chime in).

If you are a Swiss hunter, with that strange caliber restriction, but also hunt many species of game, but cannot own many rifles, and do not reload....what options do you really have?

 

[Milehighshooter]

Ok after doing some reading on the Swiss and guns, there really isn't much restriction on number of arms and such, so that has nothing to do with it.

I think this round was specifically geared towards the canton that has the 10.3 min requirement, and for hunters who do not reload and don't want a double or drilling rifle. If they've been using the 10.3x60 for decades, don't discount nostalgia or familiarity with selling new cartridges. 30 caliber anything will sell in America, its ingrained in us, for example.

 

[sambarhunter]

I have ordered and paid for my Manson reamer today in 10.3 x 68 M

 

[PaulT]

I have ordered and paid for my Manson reamer today in 10.3 x 68 M

Mmmmm.

Going big hey John ????

 

[JPbowhunter]

What did you decide to do in terms of sourcing brass and then what will you load through it?

Watching with much interest.

 

[sambarhunter]

RWS for brass so far..load? No idea.
Paul lets call it a change ha ha.

 

[Alistair]

Meh.

Gonna stick with my old rule of thumb; Never buy a cartridge that is younger than you are.

Of course, I'm pretty young, and the most modern cartridge I run is a .44 magnum (1956) in a lever action, so maybe I took it a bit to heart, but it saved me a couple grand on a 6.5Creedmore and what animal has changed significantly since the '50's anyway?

 

[sambarhunter]

Never buy a cartridge that is younger than you are.

Nah! I have been running a 7mm mag forever,its younger than me by quite a few years

 

[PaulT]

Never buy a cartridge that is younger than you are.

Nah! I have been running a 7mm mag forever,its younger than me by quite a few years

You could say that about most cartridges firing smokeless powder, could't

 

[Alistair]

Never buy a cartridge that is younger than you are.

Nah! I have been running a 7mm mag forever,its younger than me by quite a few years

Heh, do you consider yourself 'down with the kids'? I on the other hand can legitimately run a 7mmRemMag if I'm so inclinded, the cartridge being much ( 30+ years) older than I am.

Leave these newfangled magnum doodads to us yoof, gramps...

 

[1dirthawker]

When i firet started the thread i had no opinion on them other than curiosity. The more i read about them though the more i disagree with a lot of people here, i reckon due to the euro market and it will hang around and if it handles its versatility well it really could be one of the great all rounders.

I'm with JP here. it is the nature of hunters to continually tinker with stuff and sometimes "answer the question that was never asked" the 375 ruger is one such rifle. i own one and love it. I think the europeans probably think up fewer cartridges than we do in the US. it sounds like swedens requirement for a minimum caliber also helped to develop this cartridge.

it sounds on the surface like a very interesting cartridge. in S. africa, they are restricted to owning a few rifles (unless you are a ph) so i could see a legitimate need/use for such a rifle. it will be a long time before we over here get to try it out due to lack of brass and possibly bullets.

i for one and interested to see if it makes it. if it is a good one, i bet it does stay, in a small way.

 

[sambarhunter]

I finally have a couple of boxes of ammo coming in for the calibre. they are 285 grain pills.
Things have been held up as I needed the brass/bullets for Ben @ Hornady to make the reloading dies up for me.
I also wanted the ammo for Rolf Bachnick to ream the barrel that`s been sitting here waiting for love.
Rolf is a real pro and likes to do it right, the build will go to him.

Slowly unfolding!

 

[JPbowhunter]

I finally have a couple of boxes of ammo coming in for the calibre. they are 285 grain pills.
Things have been held up as I needed the brass/bullets for Ben @ Hornady to make the reloading dies up for me.
I also wanted the ammo for Rolf Bachnick to ream the barrel that`s been sitting here waiting for love.
Rolf is a real pro and likes to do it right, the build will go to him.

Slowly unfolding!

If i had the money i probably would have dived into this with you. Keen to see how it progresses.

What part of vic are you located in?

 

[sambarhunter]

NE mate..the place to be!

Dive? Welcome to, I have the reamers and will get the dies too.
Its a process but something better than getting a vanilla calibre like everyone else has lol.

 

[JPbowhunter]

NE mate..the place to be!

Dive? Welcome to, I have the reamers and will get the dies too.
Its a process but something better than getting a vanilla calibre like everyone else has lol.

Can't argue with that, I'm always trying to get the wife to move up there.

How did you end up getting the ammo into Australia? Have you got a source for any pils?

I've always been a bit of a contrarian like that too, especially if it's a great calibre too!