Originally Posted by MAC
Originally Posted by Borchardt
If a Yankee has a 9.3x62 does he still have to own a .35Whelen?


Not if he is smart. The 9.3x62 is a better round. The truth of the matter is there really is no reason for the Whelen to exist. All he did was take the 30-06 and neck it up to 35 caliber. The 9.3x62 is basically the 30-06 necked up to 36 caliber. You can make 9.3x62 brass by running 06 brass through a sizing die, fire-forming it and trimming it. Whelen solved a problem that had already been solved decades before.

For what it is worth, the 30-06 cartridge is based on the 30-03 cartridge which was in turn based on the 7x57 Mauser cartridge. The Springfield Model 1903 rifle's action was so similar to the Mauser 98 action that Springfield was required to pay royalties to Mauser until WWI broke out. Germany is responsible for a lot of great rifles and calibers.


Don't form 9.3x62 brass from '06 if planning to load the round to modern pressures. The problem is that '06 brass is smaller in the body than 9.3, which results in a 9.3 case with a case that's unsupported in the chamber just forward of the casehead. Worse yet, Hornady makes their 9.3x62 brass from '06 blank brass so one can enjoy this failing straight from the factory. Exacerbating the problem, RCBS dies are made to re-size back to the incorrect '06 dimensions since RCBS dies were made to go along with their '06 to '62 forming dies they made years ago when most 9.3s in this country were old guns grandpa liberated from the Germans. All this adds up to a bad situation waiting to happen.

I found all this out when I had two incredible case failures in once range session. Two hornady cases split right through the casehead. Subsequent research revealed the above issues. For what it's worth, I now know Lee and Redding know how to make a properly spec'd 9.3 sizing die. Lapua, Norma, and Privi know what 9.3x62 brass is.