As an European hunter, I'm truly grateful seeing you presenting this magnificent cartridge,having you also the great 35 whellen. Thank you for this content.
I have a Ruger No. 1 chambered in 9.3x62 and I took a 180lb 10 point Whitetail at 30 yards with this ammo just to try it out on game and needless to say it dropped like a sack of rocks.
I have a dumoulin custom in 9.3x62. built it for an Alaskan brown bear hunt. But was diagnosed with heart failure so needless to say I never got to strike iron with it. My go to load for accuracy was the 286 gr Hornady hand loads with Norma brass
The 9.3x62 is very effective on all dangerous game including Cape Buffalo. Famous South African hunter/writer hunted hundreds and hundreds of all dangerous game in his life, using this calibre exclusively
Are you referring to Kevin Robertson? I talk about his 9.3 in this video at the 13:07 mark. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2rVPXzA2HE4.html
Hello John I have used a borrowed 9.3 a few times out in the bush , (not on Dangerous game) & always known it to be a good performer but l have to say , l am impressed by it's penetrative ability on your B /Gel test. Keep up the interesting tests .
Ruger did indeed make the M77 in 9.3x62, but I don't think they ever made it in a left handed version. Mine started off as a left-handed 30-06 and I had a gunsmith re-barrel it to 9.3x62 back in 2010.
I shot two moose wity this cartridge, with a 258 grain bullet; one at 70 or so yards and the other one at 281. Both did not travel more than 40 yards, and had exit wounds. Impressive performance without a doubt. Yeah is for highlighting this cartridge. It should really be more popular than it is.
Hey John, Definitely enjoyed the video. Something over a year ago I got a 1946 Husqvarna M640 9.3x62 built on the M96 action with a 24” barrel . The guy I got it from grew up hunting in Africa where his father was a government game ranger. Now he lives in the U.S., arranges African Safaris and still hunts in Africa. The Husky was one of his extra rifles. Told me he had taken three Cape buffalo with it in recent years and it worked great. Just thinning his collection. Unfortunately because of health problems I didn’t see coming I have not been able to hunt or shoot with it. The only reason I wanted a 9.3x62 was because of all the posters on internet saying how much greater the 9.3x62 is than the 35 Whelen which I already had. SAAMI MAP for the Whelen is 62,000 psi vs 57,500 psi for the 9.3x62. As such the 35 Whelen should be able to push any same weight bullet as fast or faster than the 9.3x62. That is shown to be true in the most recent Nosler #9 manual but only 59 fps faster than the 9.3x62 with a 250 grain bullet using W748 powder. Hornady shows their 250 grain Interlock at max 2500 fps in the Whelen and their 250 grain GMX at 2450 in the 9.3x62. For the 286 grain Interlock they show max 2400 fps and 2250 fps for their 300 grain Dangerous Game Solid. Speer shows their 270 grain Hot Core semi-spitzer soft point at max 2523 fps in the 9.3x62. That bullet is the only one they list for the 9.3x62. For the 35 Whelen Speer shows their 250 grain Spitzer soft point Hot Core at max 2709 fps, 220 grain Hot Core soft point flat nose at 2826 fps and their 180 grain soft point Hot Core at 3172 fps, all out of a 24” test barrel. Hawk Bullets, Swift A-Frame and Woodleigh make .358 diameter bullets from 275 grains to 310 grains suitable for dangerous game. Woodleigh publishes their own loading data. Buffalo Bore makes some pretty spicy loads for the 35 Whelen. With all that said, at almost 72 years old with limited mobility I’m probably never going to Africa or anywhere else to hunt anything that might stomp me in the ground even if I could afford it. With that limitation in mind and hoping to get back out this fall I have been accumulating reloading components for the 9.3x62. I have PPU brass, 285 grain PPU soft points, 270 grain Speer Hot Cores and the 286 grain Hornady Interlock bullets. Where I live in central Kansas on my farm we have mostly White Tails. Occasionally a few Mule Deer will wander this far east. On my place I can have shots at 50 yards or less in creek bottom timber or 400 yards across a soybean field. I will never try to shoot that far even with my trusty 270 Winchester. With the 9.3x62 with a plain Jane reticle scope sighted dead on at 225-250 yards or about 3-3.5” high at 100 yards that should make for a point blank hold out to 250-275 yards. My question is are the 286 grain Interlocks too heavily constructed for these thin skinned Whitetails which usually don’t have much body weight so they might just punch on through without much expansion? We’ll get some big heavy bucks once in a while. I just got some PPU 285 grain factory ammo. I’ve read that those are supposed to be thinner jacketed than the old Remington CoreLokt bullets and work well on Whitetails. Maybe you could test the PPU loads. I’ve used the 200 grain 35 Whelen on Whitetail. They are pretty slow but work just fine out to 200 yards. I always remember what Kevin “Doctari” Robertson says something like a heavy bullet at a moderate speed just works. Thanks for the video and happy hunting boys and girls!😊
Excellent video with very informative information … Thsnk you! Yes, I too hunt with this 9.3x62 cartridge in North America - and I found this cartridge to be absolutely deadly on just about everything in this Continent using my Sako 70 rifle with various loads in the 9.3x62 round 😉👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for your video. I use 9.3 Nosler 250grn Accubond on fallow and the result is very effective. Vit N540 61.4grn runs at 2600 fps and is amazingly accurate 👍
You commented on my concern about this load,hitting heavy bone going in a cape buffalo.Ive not been able to hunt over there yet,but hope to soon,and have considered buying a rifle chambered for this round.Maybe you can do another video later showing a test of simulating such a shot.
I'm not certain the 250gr TTSX will penetrate deeper than this bullet. I could be wrong, but those Barnes bullets tend to expand more than a lot of other controlled expansion bullets. They penetrate deep to be sure, but of all the cartridges I've tested, the Barnes bullets are never the deepest penetrating loads. Might need to test it out and see for sure...
@@Thebiggamehuntingblog For better penetration, you need to use the Barnes TSX bullet and not the TTSX bullet. The TTSX is great for most game, but the TSX is better and a great choice for Cape Buffalo. The 286 grain TSX bullet would in my opinion be the best expanding bullet to use in a 9.3x63 for Cape Buffalo. I don't have a 9.3x62 anymore, but I have killed two Cape Buffalo bulls with it many years ago when the bullet options were less. I don't remember the exact bullets I used, but it was Norma factory loads. One dropped after moving only 20-25 yards from one shot at the top of the heart at a slightly angling away shot from 40 yards. The other one got 2 shots where the second one wasn't really needed, but I put one in the neck when it was down to end it quickly. This was a center double lung shot where it ran about 100 yards before going to the ground. None of the bullets in the Norma loads fully penetrated the bulls. I have later shot 3 more bulls with my 375 Ruger with TSX bullets and even if I have not seen any difference in "killing power", is the bullet penetration extremely good and I think that has more to do with the bullet than the caliber and cartridge. One bull I shot angling towards me, and the bullet broke the lower part of the scapula and the bullet continued through the buffalo and ended up somewhere in the bush. I used the 300 grain TSX bullet for all 3 bulls. I have not recovered one single TSX bullet from my bulls. For plains game have I used the 250 grain TTSX bullet with excellent results out to almost 300 yards. I think in some ways that the toughness of the buffalo is overrated. Yes, it is extremely tough if the hit is less than ideal, but none of the bulls I have killed have moved far before they have been down and not standing up anymore. I have never needed to shoot more than 2 shots and 3 of them have been killed with 1 shot only. One of my PHs told me that many American clients tend to shoot to far back in the lungs and a buffalo can live for a very long time after a hit like that. Many DG hunters either practice with their gun to little, being terrified of the recoil or they totally lose their nerve and manage to shoot very poor shots and even at distances as close as 20 yards as well. All my PHs have told me that the buffalo gets EXTREMELY tough to kill when the adrenaline gets flowing. In my opinion is the 9.3x62 an excellent cartridge for a lot of hunting, including for Cape Buffalo with the right bullets. Sadly it is not legal to use for DG in all countries and that is why I switched to my 375 Ruger.
Zimbabwe is the only country that allows the 9.3x62 for Dangerous Game, the best bullet is 286 grain, Swift A-Frame, or Woodleigh, and both work very well on Buff, and large plains Game.
I would love to see you gel test the Bargain PPU 286 grain round nose in 9.3x62. I have several boxes and would like to see how it performs. Some swear by it.
Yes I can attest ppu in my 6.5 sweed is darm accurate, and not too long ago a gent shot a Cape buffalo wit a 8x57 Mauser using 196 gr ppu ammo one shot kill
Agree with your bullet choice. As an African-based hunter for 30 years the 9.3x62 is a great cartridge, but for the tough animals you need a better bullet than the Hornady. Last 3 Swift A-frame bullets (in .375) retrieved from African animals: Swift A-Frame 300/300 gn = 100% 298/300 gn = 99% 296/300 gn = 98%
Great information, that 9.3 gave impressive results. I am vert interested in seeing what a 308 Norma Mag would go in a similar test. I have used the Norma as my go to for many years for Bear, Elk and moose very successfully, always wondered ho it would stack up to African Game
I shot a handloaded 9.3x62 using a Nosler 250gr Accubond at 753m/s muzzle velocity from my Blaser on an elk cow at 260 meters. The first shot went too low shattering the joint of the upper arm ball to the scapula. I found the bullet on the opposite side under the hide. The second finishing shot at 260 meters after correcting my scope went through the elk standing broadside and exited on the opposite side. Since the Accubond bullet is hard to get I'll use a Nosler 250gr Etip for my hunt this year. I used the 9.3x62 for hunts on plainsgame in Africa and quite a bit in Germany and Sweden. I never had to complain about this cartridge, it's actually one of my favorite cartridges.
Great video, I own a Husqvarna 9.3x62, load the Hornady and PPU 286gr at just over 2400 fps and the 270gr Speer at 2580fps. All ver accurate only used the PPU on a bear and WT deer, never found the bullets. Would love to see more Gel tests with the 9.3x62.
Took two whitetail at about 30yards last year with the 9.3x62. I tried to get a good load with the 250 Accubond but couldn’t find the magic. I wound up loading the 250 TTSX. Really wanted to get to 2500fps, but I guessI need to try more powders. My 22” barrel shot best at 2350fps. At any rate, both shots were pass through, did not recover any bullets or fragments. One deer just dropped on the spot, the other made it about 50feet. Outstanding performance, and I plan on taking it to Africa if I ever make it over there. I’m also trying my hand at making a new stock for it, though that project is on the back burner for the moment.
Yes, under the off side skin through the shoulders broad side on the gemsbok, zebra and eland. The blue wildebeest was a frontal shot quartering to and ended up on the off side rear rib under the skin. All picture perfect mushrooms except one that sheared off one side of mushroom on the on side shoulder. First time the PH had seen the Accubonds in the 9.3x62 and he was impressed.
Great cartridge, but this bullet is very poor for big, dangerous game. Poor weight retention. For big, dangerous game there’s much better bullets out there. I’m glad you mentioned you have reservations on cape buffalo - I totally agree. For all other buck, deer, carnivores it will be excellent.
@@dgoodman1484yes very poor. There’s alternatives out there that gives 100% weight retention (plus 2x expansion). Why would you settle for an inferior product? The world has moved on in the last 140 years, eg. Swift A-Frame, North Fork SS, Rhino Solid Shank.
Great video John! Nice to see this test. I purchased a few boxes awhile back, and hope to use it in the field this season. Shoots very accurately in my CZ 550 FS. Could you possibly do a test on the Privi Partisan 285 gr round nose 9.3x62? Would be interesting to see its performance in gel as well.
The 9.3 is my go to rifle here in Alaska. It has take everything from blacktail deer at 200 yds to a 9'9" coastal brown at 50 ft. My go to bullet so far has been the north fork 286 ss very tough but still expands will even in small deer at distance. These hornadys are also decent but a bit too soft for big bears in my opinion when breaking lots of bone is the task. Will be trying the 242 grn hammers this fall on moose.
I’ve had good luck with the north fork SS as well. Just used on a bear last night with a 225g at 2650fps out of a 35 whelen. Great expansion from my tests but also deep penetration
It's hard for me to say. I've never actually shot an animal with a Hammer bullet myself. Nor have I done a gel test with one to this point. With all that said, weight retention in and of itself doesn't mean anything. Better weight retention is often (but not always) associated with deeper penetration. I've seen cup and core bullets with 90%+ weight retention that don't penetrate anywhere near as far as this bullet (or even bullet of similar starting weight, but with less weight retention from the same caliber), so weight retention just one factor at play here. Penetration wasn't an issue at all with this 9.3x62 load though. The only potential concern I have about this bullet is how it would perform against thick-skinned dangerous game, especially when striking a bone. A tougher bullet like a Swift A-Frame would likely hold together better than this InterLock if it strikes heavy bone. It will also probably retain more weight. So in that sense, "better" weight retention would be a byproduct of the tougher bullet, but not the specific result I was looking for. Does that make sense?
Great video. Can we see a gel test with Barnes .366 250grain bullet loaded in 9.3x62 ? I would like to try to avoid lead particles in game meat and use copper bullets but I'm concerned about low speed of this particular round and if the bullet would open. Barnes claims it will open all the way down to 1600 fps but it would be nice to see how it works.
Would you consider testing and comparing the .375 H&H Magnum in 286 grain or 300 grain? I use Barnes bullets. They lose very little weight. It would also be interesting to see different bullets used in the same caliber rifle. Thanks for the information.
Would love to see this test with the Hornady Superformance 200 grain Interlock in 35 Whelen. I’m a little concerned the advertised speed might be too much for that bullet.
To be quiet honest i would take a cape buffalo with a 303 British long before i trust Hornady ammo, most of Hornady ammo ive seen tested the results were disappointing. Federal,Sako and Norma would be much better ammo choices
I would love to see a gel test from 358 Norma Magnum using Barnes 225 grain bullet I am getting 2850 fps I have never seen a ballistics gel test from the caliber it would be interesting I actually feel like this caliber shoots very flat especially for that size of bullet
Im curious about how the standard Hornady Custom Interlock SP would perform in comparison? I've had great results using 286gr sako hammerhead ammunition on Sambar deer, but theyre hard to find atm. So Hornady is on my radar and in my market the customs are $110 cheaper than the dangerous game!
John “Pondoro” Taylor summed the 9.3x62mm up pretty well when he said in his book African Rifles and Cartridges that: “There isn’t really a great deal to say about it. Everybody found it so generally satisfactory that there wasn’t anything to start a discussion.”
It doesn’t have enough power and the bullet is not even bonded. It’s a good round for short range moving targets such as wild boars in europe or plains game in short distance with premium bullets. Most people agree that 375 h&h is the bare minimum for dangerous game for a reason
