Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Combination Guns and Drillings 8.7x72

Anyone familiar with the 8.7x72 cartridge? Is it just a German means of measurement and it is what those of us in the USA would call the 9.3x72?

Yes. They measure the bore diameter not the groove.. There are a number of 9.3x72's though. Some like the Sauer have a different boddy shape and others it might be rim thickness.

erich is correct, as usual.

It's probably the standard 9,3X72R that takes .364 193 grain bullets. It's akin to the 35 Remington with a 200gr bullet.

It was the common gamekeepers' round 100 years ago. I've thumped a couple of mulie does with the round, one at 65 yds and one at 120 yds, both DRT. One was shot with a nice old back-action drilling, and the other with a slim & trim cape gun. The drilling had a vintage Voightlander 2.5X scope in claws, appropriate for the X72R.

If you are getting one or have one there is some ammo still available on the internet.

https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index.php/cName/rifle-ammo-93x72r
https://gun.deals/category/ammo?caliber=2866
http://www.selwayarmory.com/shop-by-category/rifle-ammunition/93x72r.html

Hawk makes a very good 200gr .365 bullet that is about ideal for the round. Dies are now made of unobtanium. I wish I hadn't given away my extra set. 41 grains of IMR 30-31 was my starter load and usually my ending load...very accurate. DO YOUR OWN DATA RESEARCH!!

C&H for dies, Buffalo Arms makes a nice two diameter 9.3 bullet just for the 9.3x72R. Like most early European cartridge there can be a wide range bore and groove diameters. Mine has a .364 groove diameter but only a .344 bore diameter, Mule Deer had one with a 358 groove diameter.

https://www.ch4d.com/products/dies/caliber-list?page=19

Buffalo Arms bullet


Surprisingly the very first rifle I used for hunting was a drilling in 16ga/16ga/9.3x72R and I used it for feral dog control work for the local game warden, it worked great with buckshot for the close in work and the rifle for longer range stuff. We were kids back then and my partner used a custom Ariska and his dad loaned me the drilling. I have since purchased one like it. A drilling is still one of my favorites for coyote hunting(calling).