Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer - Norma Vulcan 9.3 232gr.

Shot any of these? Any animals taken with?

I've only used the 232 Oryx, their bonded bullet.

Thanks for the reply. I ended up with a box of Vulcans, bought on a whim, and the one rifle I've really shot many of them through seemed to group them a little better than Accubonds - but I like those well enough it'd be hard to change. Might have to pop something with one this Fall just to see

I'm sure they'd kill something!

I pretty much ended up in the same place with the 232 Oryx and the 250 AccuBond. The 232 can be started a little faster, but the AccuBond shoots noticeably flatter and penetrates deeper.

I've used the Oryx a lot in a 9,3X74R and find them just tough enough, even at the relatively low 9,3X74R velocities. That said, I wouldn't waste money on the Vulcans.

I have used the 232 Oryx for the past three years on deer. Works very well and does anything one could want. Little meat damage and the deer have not moved more than 10 yards with good hits. For myself, the best choice for NA lite skinned game.

I have found the 232 Vulcan to be a bit fragile, if it hits much in the way of bone.

I found the 232gr Oryx accurate and it worked very well on african antelope and on deer. The only thing was it had an occational irractic bullet path. The ones I recovered held together very well retaining about 90%+ BUT tended to flatten out like a little button mushroom. On one good sized mule deer buck the bullet ended up under the hide about 18"+ perpendicular to the initial line of fire. Dropped the buck but seemed to "skid" sideways. I took note and found that in most cases the bullet seemed to vier a bit one way or another. Granted this is common no matter what the bullet but it SEEMED to me that this happened more with this bullet.

I would not use it on elk or bear or where I wanted to break some bones and continue into the chest cavity. I finally settled on 286gr Nostler Partitions and well, they are fantastic period from any angle on anything.

That's been my experience with the 232 Oryx as well. The erratic path is due to it opening very widely--like a button mushroom, as you very concisely put it. This helps it kill deer-sized animals very well, but makes penetration erratic.
Any bullet can veer off course or tumble, but it's far more likely with a bullet that opens to a diameter twice as wide as it is tall.

As I mentioned above, the 250 AccuBond shoots even flatter and penetrates much more reliably--including direction. The 286 Partition is one of those bullets that's as certain as death and taxes, incredibly reliable in accuracy, penetration and expansion--much like the 200-grain .30-caliber Partition.

I really like the 232 Oryx for deer, but would use the 250 Accubond or any of several 286g bullets for anything bigger than a White or Mule Tail deer. I have only recovered one bullet, as described a button mushroom about 195g this after going through a shoulder bone.

Anyone have any experience with the 285 grain ORYX? I've only used it on paper and its very accurate. I'm hoping it works well on game but this has me wondering.

The 232 gr Oryx is called "the boll" here - the reason is obvious if you've seen an expanded one.... It works better than some in this topic have suggested - I've even had it exit on angling shots where the bullet has entered at the point of the shoulder, broken the big knuckle and then exited through the ribs on the far side. Some people here who shoots a lot of bears for hounds even think it to be a bit on the hard side and prefers the Vulkan instead as it has a "more instantaneous effect". The 232 Oryx is an easily expanding bullet that keeps in one piece and if shot into the chest cavity usually ends in a very dead animal. It might exit but stays inside the animal on most shots that hits bigger bones. It might not be the best choice if one wants to take shots at severe angles or raking shots though.

Ohh, BTW - forgot to mention that is is moose I'm taking about in the begining of this post...

As K9-75 wrote these Oryx are very effective bullets on all European big game. Using them for twelve years from roe to moose including big wild boars in driven, stalk or high seat hunt and more than 300 kills never saw one fail. And saw them got through 500lbs real wild boars (no pigs!!)with thick muddy hairs, heavy leather and fat, breaking bones in and out (286grs 9,3x74R)
They are not spectacular, being developped to save meat which is sold commercialy in Scandinavia.
Friend of me use them on african plain game with great success (232grs in 9,3x62, 286grs in 9,3x74R)and on scandinavian and eastern european bears too.

The Vulcan is more expansive with much more meat destruction, it's used with success by hunters who like on the spot death or not to far run away when hunting in small areas with not so well educated game robbers neighbours.
Not the one to choose for bears may be, but a really efficient bullet for whitetail and feral pigs if you want them dead on spot.
Oryx and Vulkan BC as nothing to compare with an Accubond but they are efficient and effective for 90% of hunting situations from 0 to 300meters...

Dom

I like the 285 9.3 Oryx a lot, as I do other heavier-for-caliber Oryxes such as the 156 6.5mm and 7mm, and the 180 .30, but have never really trusted the 232 after seeing how widely it opens. Have seen some weird results from similar-acting bullets over the years, from several makers.

What is the point of a 9.3 if not a heavy bullet. Mind you where I hunt doesn't allow me to see over 100 yds. often.

I'm only guessing, but if you had one rifle for everything eg in europe where the 9.3 has been popular since inception, the 232 weight gives you a projectile suitable for the smallest of game. It won't pass through and then fly off across the more densely populated countryside.

It would work on fox, muntjac and roe. Change ammo to the 285/286 for red deer and Moose when in season etc. Our european members will correct me if I am wrong.

I have taken 2 deer and a hog with the 232 grain vulcans. Can't say how wide they open as I have not recovered one yet. Hog was 280 lbs penetrated thru and out both shoulders. Not much in the way of blood shot meat, just bang flop.

I shoot the the 232gn Oryx in my No.1 9.3x62. It is very accurate. I have loaded the 232gn Vulcan as well. Both shoot to the same point of impact. I have shot pigs and a fallow doe and the Oryx has exited every single time. I haven't shot game with the Vulcan yet. I will load the 250gn Accubond when I take the rifle after sambar deer though. But on pigs and the small deer the 232gn Oryx works very well.