Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Why no short action thumpers?

drd,sure your not thinking of JB's article on the B29(?)?

You may be correct. I may have gotten them confused.
If that's the case I apologize the JB and AZ.
Now I'll have to find it and reread it.

drd,here ya go:
"B29:The Ultimate Wildcat" Handloader #203

"The 9.3 Barsness-Sisk" Handloader #237

Thanks for the reference. Now I'll have to find it in the pile.

If I am packing a "thumper" it will be a big cased 40 caliber like my 404 Jefferys or a 416 Rem or Ruger and I can pull the bolt all the way back all by myself, even without thinking..Anyone that short strokes a bolt action should be branded "DUNCE" on the forehead and not allowed out of the house!

If I'm not hunting DG then I don't need a "thumper", and a 30-06 or 338 Win. thumper suits me just fine.

Just curious, but the last two 9.3x62s that I built held 4 down in a std. magazine and one in the chamber for 5...It seems someone said this could not be! A drop box can be made to take 5 down and almost 6, so I suspect one could make a slightly deeper milled floorplate pretty easy and get 6 down..

I just finished reading (last eve)all 6 pages of posts on the 9.3 X 62 on another thread in the Big Bore section. I've done some serious thinking about that cartridge. In the past, I've been a big fan of .358" in the 35 Whelen and 350 RM. I still have "tons" of bullets and some brass in that caliber, but no rifles. I gave them up in favor of something bigger... .458"

Don't take me wrong, I still love those two 35s and have pondered if I should find a new or used 35 Whelen. If I got the .366, I'd have to start all over again: New rifle, dies, brass and bullets. With the 35 Whelen, all I'd need would be a "new" rifle. Internal debate takes place: "But .366 would be a new challenge and experience, and we all like that! But, really, HOW much different? Bottom line is they're .008" different... the depth of rifling, that's all! Hmmmmm... Is it REALLY worth it? From past experience, I know I tend to loose interest in something that's only a curiosity piece... NOT something needed to fill a vacant niche. So, bottom line (again)is I'll forgo buying a new rifle for a few months satisfaction, when that niche is already filled with my 38.5" Ruger No.1 in 45-70 Improved! I'll spend the money instead on more 350gr TSXs moving out at 2400 fps (not max), and a few boxes of the 300gr TSXs that'll move out at 2650 fps! And on a hunt in either Saskatchewan for black bear this spring or Manitoba in the fall for deer and hogs! That's what I'll do...", I tell myself.

Now THAT'S A "THUMPER" WITH THE SHORTEST ACTION GOIN', THAT WEIGHS A MERE 7.8 POUNDS WITH A BURRIS SILVER SAFARI FIXED 4X MOUNTED, AND EYE RELIEF AT 5.5" AND OAL OF RIFLE AT 38.5". PLUS, IT MATCHES MY CZ 550 458WM SHOOTING A 500GR HORNADY!

All of a sudden, I've realized (again) that that rifle will do it all... everything a .358, a 9.3, a .375, a .416 and a .458 will do; and do it with aplomb!

I think I'll save my money, go buy some premium .458" bullets and go on a hunt... rather than sit by my computer and catch "internetitis"!

drducati,

The 9.3 BS is very real. The "April Fool" cartridge was the B-29, a mythical wildcat on the 7.5x55 Swiss case.

Charlie Sisk and I developed the 9.3 BS on the .350 Remington Magnum case for several reasons:

1) I was probably the only gun writer in America who hadn't developed a wildcat (well, aside from the B-29).

2) Charlie had found that the .350 Remington case fed more reliably in short actions than the WSM cases. In fact it fed VERY reliably.

3) It had just about exactly the same powder capacity as the 9.3x62, so would produce the same ballistics.

4) Rifle loonies are always building rifles on short actions, even though there isn't any real advantage, unless you're only 5'3" and a long bolt might hit you in the face when you bring it back.

Charlie built my 9.3 BS on a Remington 700 action originally barreled in 7mm SAUM, with a Bansner sythetic stock and 23" Lilja barrel, I believe a #4. It weighs 7-1/2 pounds with a 1.25-4x Trijicon in Talley steel rings. It's also extremely accurate, and shoots about everything, sort of like a big .308.

I normally use 250-grain bullets at 2650 fps, but have used 286's at 2450 or so. It's a very handy rifle for about any kind of general big game hunting.

Charlie doesn't like recoil much (too many years of testing customers' .458 Lotts) so his own 9.3 BS weighs around 9 pounds scoped. He has also built some others for customers. They don't sell like .300 Winchester Magnums but he has built around a dozen, and has the reamer. Redding will make dies, though obviously they aren't a regularly stocked item.

One of the handier things about the 9.3 BS was discovered only after making up the first couple of rifles. If loading boattail bullets (like the 250 AccuBond) you don't have to neck up the brass. Seating an AccuBond in .350 Remington cases opens up the neck automatically.

We didn't take the whole project too seriously (though some people who build short-action rifles obviously do) but the 9.3 BS is a real cartridge. I have taken several animals with it--and it works JUST like the 9.3x62!

I have the 375 "Joker" or 375-350 Rem Mag which is offered as a standard chambering option by Pac-Nor. Mine is barreled to a M77MKII action. It is a very reliable feeding, more accurate than necessary, short action rifle which, with its 20" tube sends 270 (@2400) and 300 (@2300) - both Inter-Lockeds, into tiny enough groups- touching- at 100 yards. I will agree that that the 350 Rem Mag feeds very well. My M77, previously a 243, had nothing done to the action except for the opening of the bolt face, something PN also did for me. The feed rails needed no attention. It's a fine little rifle when one wants a compact thumper.

I think you are hitting on the real reason there aren't any short action thumpers. Thumpers are for shooting heavier bullets and the heavier bullets are long enough to severly restrict powder capacity, 13.5grs in your example going from a rarely used 300gr 416 bullet to the traditional 400gr bullet. This large a reduction in powder capacity is going to severely restrict your powder selection and overall utility of the round. Most hunters want Long, heavy bullets in their thumpers.........................DJ

MuleDeer,
I offer my most humble apologies for misrepresenting your article and wildcat. I'll try to not misremember in the future.

No problem, in fact no apology needed. A lot of people make the same mistake!

I just took the opportunity to remind people about one of the most obscure wildcats ever invented!

I saw drawings and specs the other day for a 9.3-.338 RCM...you may have been bumped up a notch in the obscurity race .

Dennis

http://www.steyr-mannlicher.com/jagdwaffen/big-bore/

.450 Marlin in a bolt gun. Steyr SBS 96.

Dennis,

I bet that would beat the 9.3 BS by at least 10 feet per second!

MD, With your 9.3 WSM did you do much load developement with the 250gr TSX? It seem like the 250gr 9.3 bullet would be short enough to still allow for good case capacity. Did the 285's reduce c.c. quite a bit?..........................DJ

45/70...450Marlin...300RUM @ 2.10/necked to .458...450Yukon.
throws Barnes 300xfn @ 2350fps from a


Marlin with 22" barrel.

Me too want short action bolt with pointy bullets. More powder room than I care to use in a lever.

450Yukon

If you want a short action big bore go back to page 4 this thread--down about the 3rd post---Michael458--and there they are! From 16 inch to 20 inch-.500 caliber-458 caliber-416 caliber----50 B&M Long-50 B&M Super Short-458 B&M and 416 B&M.

Everything in place-SSK Builds the rifles-Hornady and RCBS has dies-Quality Cartridge has proper headstamped brass. All of mine built on Winchester M70s WSM actions--the 50 Super Short on a WSSM action.

Michael

I can offer you an option: 376 Steyr In my 20 inch barrel Prohunter it makes a 300 grain Barnes X do 2399 fps with 63.0 grains RL-15 or 2404 fps with 62.5 grains Varget. It has a seven round box magazine, with adapter kit. OAL is 3.08"

Carson, Ive thought long and hard about the 376 steyr. I think I would really like to re-barrel and play with this round but there may be a problem with the bolt face, mine is .532" and the Steyr case has a base diameter of .5010" which could be an issue. I would need to run that by a smith to know if its doable. Ive also considered a 450 Marlin and a couple others. In the mean time I ran accross a 375 Ruger Alaskan in a lefty version...should keep me occupied for a minuite or two. What kind of critters are you shootin' in Tennesee with a 376 Steyr?