Yep, damn nice bull!

While I haven't taken any Cape buffalo with my 9.3x62, on one occasion I was invited (actually encouraged) to bring it, loaded with solids, when accompanying the two PH's guiding a friend on a buffalo hunt. The PH's thought it would be a good idea to have as much backup as possible, and though I was going along primarily to take photos they thought my 9.3x62 might come in handy. I didn't have to use it, but....

On another safari I'd already taken one buffalo with my .416, but by that time my PH had seen my 9.3x62 in action on a couple of the tougher species of plains game and was quite impressed. He suggested I use it on my second buffalo and in fact was quite enthusiastic about the prospect. This wasn't strictly legal but the government game scout gave his permission. Unfortunately we didn't find another buffalo anywhere near as nice as my first one, so the "experiment" was never tried.

I do know, however, from practical experience that the 286-grain Nosler Partition (which is what I would have used on the second buffalo) penetrates far better than the 286 A-Frame on larger game. In fact the 286 A-Frame is one of the few premium bullets I've seen absolutely fail on large game, and once but repeatedly.

I also have a friend in Idaho who's taken two bull elephants handily with the 9.3x62. However, he used brain shots on both bullets, with Barnes solids, not body shots--and quite a few elephants have been taken with brain shots from far smaller cartridges.



“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
John Steinbeck