hi fellas

Great old thread this one. Uncle Nick always maintained the 9.3x64 was superior to the 375H&H... Old Finn once wrote an article where he classed the '62 & 375 together for African game. He said that it was an obvious step up to .416 & another step to .458 etc. I agree with him, of course we have to try to be objective without favouritism or bias.

I am a 9.3x62 follower with 20 years experience in two different rifles, both easily achieved 2500fps with 286gn Woodleigh although, on big game 2400fps provides better penetration. Now I am learning to use a Merkel 140 in 9.3x74, so much fun open sights & so bloody instinctive. I recently shot several NT buff with 9.3x62, 9.3x74 & .416Taylor all were dead at the first shot however the .416 made this happen much more quickly....

A few years ago I was shooting scrub bulls with a hunting mate I took my 9.3x62 & .338 as we were primarily culling donkeys. My mate was using 300WM the big bulls just kept going after great shots & often took 5-6 shots with the 300 (220gn)before expiring. The 9.3 was efficient with 320gn pills but didnt flatten 'em unless the spine was hit, one shot was enough! The .338 was similar with 250gn @ 2600fps pills, one shot one bull.

The point, the Africans talk a lot about moderate velocity, heavy bullets for their dangerous animals, which I fully support. Flashy velocity kills light to medium game bang flop sometimes, but that recipe does not play out with 600kg & above. I learned plenty of lessons in the '80s with 30-30 & 30-06 on large ferals in Cape York, the 30-30 more realiable because the slower bullets just keep digging to penetrate vitals.

The mediums will handle the big jobs in a skilled mens hands, the big bores just do the job better. I think the allure of the 9.3x62/64/74s is lighter, handier rifles that point & swing better, this cannot be understated as it massively assists precision.