Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters JB - 375 H&H vs 338 WM vs 9.3x62

This has to do with the slightly larger diameter of the base of the 9.3 x 62 case, and it is the same for 6.5 x 55 Swede in my experience. The same reason those two cartridges need a different case holder for the press or primer than any 30-06 based case.

.476" vs .471"

I know it doesn't seem like much, but my Mauser Customs in 6.5 x 55 and 9.3 x 62 will not hold 5 in the mag.

Swift loads their 300 gr. SAF in their factory ammo for the 375 Ruger.

What is a good Max COAL for performance? I LOVE Tikkas, and they would be easy to get to ~8# or so. Would the 3.34" Mag length be crippling? 3.5 is easy enough to get if needed.

Chris

John, that's a NICE looking rifle, and the mounts and scope looks like what perfect. Guessing a Fx-Ii 6x36 from what I can tell?

Thanks for the info, interesting about that stock build, 1/2 pound is a nice reduction! My former 338/06 was on one of the early SS/ADL actions and I floated the OEM stock, it shot 1/2 MOA, but OD at 23" was .730....so I had too much contour....it was 8 lb sans scope. The new owner had bbl fluted to drop it down. Live and learn.........

I have only hunted Alaska for big game and have used the 30-06 and .338 mostly with Nosler Partitions and Barnes X bullets of some flavor. Most of my shooting has been moose and caribou with the occasional bear. Many of these critters were taken well under 100 yards. If the brain or neck or spine is hit, down they go, if the shot is through the lungs they run 25 to 30 yards and stand around thinking about dying.

I have owned four good .375 H&H rifles, two pre-64s a "Stainless Classic" I fixed up and gave to son-in-law and a Sako Carbine with the full stock. Never fired three of the rifles and finally decided to quit buying .375s. I do believe the bigger the critter the better bigger calibers work, but with out a real large sample of shot animals it is hard to draw a positive conclusion and very few hunters will ever shoot enough animals to have first hand experience. That is because the opportunities to do it are just not there like they were "back in the day".

One thing I do believe is, as calibers get bigger, especially wood and blue steel rifles, they get better looking! There are many a pic of beautiful stocked .375s in my memory. MDs rifle is a beauty! Every once in awhile I still get the urge to get a larger then .338 bore rifle, but doubt I would use it much. The 9.3x62 comes to mind as does a .416 Taylor.

Our bears are out and just today I was texted pics of a good sized brown and black bear. I want to bust one with my souped up 45-70 and Kodiak Custom bonded bullet!

I like the looks of your CZ 550 Mule Deer. I especially like that stock.

I only have one small piece of information to interject. The Husqvarna 1640/1600 action rifles chambered in 9.3x62mm will also hold five in the magazine and one in the chamber. I know I have read others on the forum taking about finding, or reboring Husqvarnas to 9.3x62mm so I thought I would make mention of this for what it is worth. The Husqvarna 1900 action rifle in 9.3x62mm also held five plus one. I have always had great luck with my Husqvarna 9.3x62mm's as far as accuracy.

Another great 9.3mm discussion folks.

sixfive

Are some of those Husqvarna's FN made actions? Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Prior to the HVA 1640 action, Husqvarna did use FN 98 actions for some of their rifles (as well as M94 actions). The older and newer FN 98 action designs were both used by Husqvarna for sporters. The FN 98 actions were mostly used on the 640 and 1100 series of rifles. Also in the 146 models.

65BR,

The scope is an M8 4x33 Leupold, in Talley detachable rings. It's been on the rifle for a long time, except for now and then when some other scope has been substituted for a specific hunt. But when that's over, the M8 goes back on--and has never shifted point of impact, and both my 250- and 286-grain handloads shoot to the same place at 100 yards.

If I plan to use the rifle sometime during Montana's hunting season, I shot the rifle once at a 100-yard target. The hole is always within half an inch of two inches above point of aim at 100 yards.

My CZ550 FS in 9.3X62 allows me to put 5 in the magazine and then chamber a 6th round, but just barely. I have to depress the ones in the magazine to allow the bolt to close on the 6th round without it being fed from the magazine. The CZ bolt closes easily on a round dropped into the chamber.

Now I'm curious but it's too late to do it tonight since its down in my workshop. But tomorrow morning I am going to have to go see if I can fit 5+1 in the 1903 Springfield I just had rebored to 9.3x62. Will report in the AM.
G'night,
Rex

When I started hunting mule deer in 1961 folks referred to the 270 and the 30/06 as HIGH POWERED rifles. Many of my father’s pals thought they were overly destructive on deer. They thought the 250/3000 was just right.

I have a 9.3x62 coming back, along with a 338, 35 Whelen and a 375 Improved as well. I have room for all of them in the safe. I don't know if any of them are better or worse than the next, but man are they are fun!

I own, shoot, and kill with all 3 cartridges, just a note in regards to the 338 win shooting 250 NP's.

You won't see much of a killing difference over 225's and 210's until the game weight is over 1,000 lbs.

Then it shines, it's brutal. It comes into its own.

I tried it. With five in the magazine I could almost press a 6th down enough for the bottom tip of the claw extractor to clear the rim and pick it up, but not quite. It needed another 1/16" or so. Just to see if there was a different way to achieve that effect, I removed the bolt, clipped the sixth cartridge into the extractor, and went to slide it back into the receiver. But now, the sixth cartridge blocks me from being able to press 1-5 down enough in the magazine for the bolt face to pass over without trying to pick up cartridge #5.
This got me to thinking...if only the Springfield was a push feed (blasphemy, right?!), 5+1 would work fine...LOL Having been a lifelong Mauser guy I've always feed from the magazine. So I did a little research and discovered that, unlike the Mauser (from which the '03's design was stolen) the Springfield IS actually designed for the extractor to snap over a round just single loaded in the chamber. I learned that is primarily what the magazine cut-off on the 1903 is for - to allow soldiers to keep their 5 rounds safe in the magazine, and just single load as long as the engagement with the enemy is fairly stagnant. In the case of an enemy charge, the 5 in the mag were instantly available with a flip of the cut-off up to the ON position (and could of course be quickly reloaded via a stripper clip).
So I got my rifle back out, and tried it. Sure enough the extractor slipped right over the rim of a single chambered round smooth a silk. I see no reason to make that the primary way I load it at the range (to save wear on the extractor) but if I want to carry 5+1 the Springfield will do so slick as can be.

So, sorry to derail the thread with the history lesson but I just learned it today after being a Springfield fan for a long time. Thought it might be worth throwing that out for others.

Cheers,
Rex

Good comments by all, thanks.

JB, I assumed that scope if a 4x would have been a tad shorter, looks perfect! I was quite content using a 4x33 M8 on a M70 carbine in 7/08 on a Mulie hunt in CO, neck shot one at about 115 paces. Your rifle is perfectly accurate! Look forward to a field report later this year on your 9.3 hunt - sure you will put your knife to work!

RinB - I've leaned on non-mag cartridges most my life, and on the lighter end. Always thought a 250 or AI would be sweet...now the 6.5 Creed makes it too easy to jump to the CM. I have been 100% satisfied using the 6mmBR many times on deer......my longest WT kill was LRF at 400 yds, double lung exit, 105 Amax at 2850 mv, it struggled to stay on it's feet 20-25 yds. Golf ball exit. I stopped chasing all out MV and FPE long ago.

To me the 243, mild 6.5s, and 7/08 are ideal for deer/hogs in NA, and the latter 2 often double duty on larger game with good bullets and placement. Nothing wrong with good 25s either. That said, I see a great place for the mid-bores...when in bear country and/or after elk, bear, and African game.

SU35, no doubt the 250 PT is a beast, I ran 225 PT in my 338/06 for trajectory at 2670...gave up 1-2" over 210, but hit harder with more BC/SD. Not heard any complaints with 210s, but felt why give up BC and SD if only 1-2" difference at 400 yds, with a 200 yd zero.

Thanks for all comments folks!