Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Serious question for plains game, 338 Fed, 338/06, and 9.3s

I used the 338-06 for a number of years as did Elmer Keith, but like Elmer when the 338 Win. came out I tried it and found out it would do anything the 338-06 would do plus a bunch more and at the same recoil levels in the same size action. Being a practical minded kinda guy, I never went back to the 338-06..
a 210 Nosler at 3005 FPS, a 300 Gr. Woodleigh at 2500 FPS is a combo that simply cannot be beat and that is the 338 Win. IMO.

I have played with the 9.3x62 for years..I settled on the 26 inch barrel as it drags out every little bit of velocity the cartridge can come up with..addes to this is a very long magazine box so that I can seat the bullets way out yonder, then I matched my barrel throat to that magazine...

The results of the above gave me 2553 FPS with a 286 Nosler partition, 2740 FPS with a 250 gr. GS Customs monlithic HP, and 2488 FPS with a 320 gr. Woodleigh and I can get 2500 FPS but see no need as accuracy is really good with these loads. The 9.3x62 set up in such a manor walks on the heels of the 9.3x64, and of course one could just use the 9.3x64 case and get the same thing without all the fuss, but brass comes and goes with the 9.3x64 and that disturbs me as brass is difficult and time consuming to make out of .338 cases in that you must trim the belts off..

I have ofter considered building a 9.3x338 Win. I think that would be a neat wildcat, but its still a wildcat and problematic.

When I go to So. Africa for plainsgame with no intention of hunting buffalo or DG, then I personally would take my old 300 H&H with 200 gr. Nosler at 3000 FPS, its ideal for any situation.Besides I love that bloody old beat to hell rifle.

A Safari cost a lot of money, it's probably not exactly the place to experiment unless you just dont' care about the results, and thats fine and I have done it many times..I have also had to pass up on some real fine trophies because of my choice of guns. I can live with that but I have been so many times has a bearing on that I am sure.