sorry, but i quite disagree with mr edwards.

there is no voodoo or supernatural power to a cartridge.

all other factors being equal, it simply launches a certain type of projectile at a certain speed.

if the bullet design/comstruction is identical, as are bullet weight and diameter, and you shoot them at the identical muzzle veolicty from an equivalent rifle (re accuracy for example), then you will get identical results on game.

the main reason that some cartridges have a better reputation in use on game than does another cartridge with pretty much the same ballistics is 99% of the time attributable to one simple factor: the type of bullet used in terms of design & construction. this was especially true of african hunting during the classic period.

most of the time, it was NOT an apples-to-apples comparison such as i stipulated. there were huge variations in the bullet weights & sectional densities of cartridges used -- which accounted for a large amount of the disparities in penetration between similar cartridges.

example: 300 grain bullets in the .333 jeffery versus 250 grains in the .318 westley-richards which is actually .330 groove diameter. so of course the jeffery penetrated better with the same type bullets but 20% higher sectional density.

similarly there were huge differences in bullet design & construction. for example a german TUG bullet simply penetrated better than an ordinary english softpoint of the same weight.

and there were periods where the quality of some english ammo such as kynochs was quite horrible. their solids failed miserably for years and got a bad reputation.

my point is that the anecdotal historical "evidence" cited is NOT an apples-to-apples comparison of two cartridges.

as i said before, IF you use the same design/construction bullets -- such as swift a-frames in both cases, or woodleigh weldcores in both cases -- the 9.3x74 and 9.3x62 are almost identical to the .35 whelen in ballistics AND on game performance. i have used them all extensively on wild boar and black bear and see no practical difference in the field.

if there was a difference with identical bullets, how could you possibly explain it? voodoo?

apologies, but i am cynical scientist who tries to remove the romance and mystique and focus on hard facts.

regards

lapsub