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No, I don't believe I will make it to DSC. It's one helluva long way from this boys crib

although I would like to attend the DSC one of these days. I have family down in Victoria, TX and could perhaps arrange a combination trip about that time of year. The fishing on the flats for specks and redfish is great that time of year to boot.

Please keep me advised via this board or PM me re: your discussions w/ the two of them. Dave Moore (of William, Larkin & Moore) just weighed in a bit ago. I called him before I called Champlins, and he just returned the call. Dave Moore said that the "new metals and heat treatments" make the Barnes bullets (all of 'em as near as I can tell from his comments) OK in the Chapuis. I bought the rifle from them (new) at the 2006 SCI, and I suspect they will stand behind the rifle if it goes south due to those bullets. That being said, this rifle is too doggone accurate for me to take any chances of screwing it up, so I believe I'll just hang tight until you get a chance to discuss same with George & JJ. So far (all from people I respect as having knowledge and no "axe to grind") I've been advised that 1) all of the Barnes bullets are bad for a DR, 2) only the Barnes monolithic solids are bad for a DR, and 3) all of the Barnes bullets are OK for DR's. I guess at this point "I pays my money and takes my chances", but I think I'll hold on a bit longer all the same.

I bought both the Barnes and Swift bullets at the SCI show. I don't know where/what the availability of the Woodleighs are for the 9.3 mm. However, I knew that jacketed bullets for the 9.3mm are mail order at best from my home, and often are not in stock via that route, so I bought 'em while I had the chance. I will shoot cast bullets out of the rifle far more that jacketed, but not all guides/PH's believe a CB will perform as well as they do. The only reason I bought the solids is I hope to someday make the trip to Africa for Plains game. If/when I go, all of my reading and research indicates that I should have a few solids along while wandering the African landscape. The 9.3 X 74R is not a DG rifle per se, but apparently will do a respectable job on DG with well placed shots, or so I've read. Rather than deal with any hassle with a PH re: cast bullets, I decided to have jacketed loads worked up and just go with those.

My experience with good cast bullets would indicate that at the velocities at which the 9.3 X 74R will be moving them, they will behave much like solids with only slight mushrooming if they hit bone. At least that is what the last cast bullets I stuck thru a moose did. I would use those instead of solids if I though a PH would permit it. Unless you have actually seen a CB perform on game, it's hard to believe all of the folderol we go through to buy and use "premium" bullets. Bullets designed to penetrate and mushroom are definitely better than a CB since more often than not a CB will simply penetrate, punching a hole all the way through the critter. At least intellectually that would seem to be the case. Anyway.... Pilgrim

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