I've initiated contact with my PH for an upcoming safari to RSA. He seems to favor the SAF and I am loyal toward the local favorite Nosler Partition (Oregonian). I think going with the PH's recommendation is a good thing, but so is what you're comfortable and confident shooting.

For those of you with experience with PG and DG with the 9.3, which of the two would you load up for Africa? I'm planning on using the 286gn in each.

Can you sight some examples to narrow it down for me?
Penetration, performance, tissue damage?

I could go either way, but what's worked best for you?
I have a CZ 550 American with a Burris Signature 1.5x6x40 Illumidot.

Thanks...

Jetblueman

Your choice is made then by virtue of the fact that Swift doesn't make a 286 grain A-Frame. It's either 250 or 300 in this caliber.

Swift does indeed make .366 286gr. A-Frames. Just currently not listed on their web site.

Federal also loads this bullet for the 9.3x62mm

Both the loaded ammunition and bullets are readily available through several retailers.

Swift makes a great bullet but the problem with the 300 gr 9.3 is that it is the .375 bullet bumped down in size and so the ogive is so that if you crimp on the canalure a lot of rifles will not handle it. I have three 9.3x62's and none will chamber them.

I have had great luck with the 286 Partitions and you can't go wrong with either bullet

You're right. But Swift finally came out with a 286gr. .366 cal A-Frame specifically for the 9.3.

No more swagged down .375 bullets!


A link to a discussion earlier this summer that may be of interest. Discussion concerning both bullets in question.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...h/true/Swift_A_Frame_Bullets#Post4266151

Interesting. I guess I should have said it is difficult to find a retailer who carries the 286 bullet. Midway seems to be a good source for most product and I haven't seen it listed ever; in fact, I just checked again. No 286 Swift in .366.

Graf & Sons and Cabelas have the bullets in stock, just to name a couple retailers.

All great bullets. My choice is to pick the one your rifle shoots best and gives you the best ballistics. All things being equal, Swifts all the way but you can't go wrong with either. jorge

What jorgeI said.........but I'm partial to nosler, if it's a dead heat in all other aspects.


maddog

Of the two bullets you mentioned, I'd go Swift. I'm partial to the fact that they took the bonded route, in addition to some other design features that I like.

As others have noted, Swift does have a 286-gr. A-Frame now and Federal is using this bullet in a 9.3 x 62 factory load.

I'd also recommend the 9.3 North Fork in 286. Those would be my very first choice.

My choice would be Swift. A good bullet that keeps together and swamps perfectly.

The 286 9.3 Partition is one of the models with the partition moved forward, for more weight retention. The abosolute minimum percentage of weight they'll retain is 83% (that's if they lose the front core entirely) and more often they retain 85-90%. I believe the rear jacket is beefed up as well. They penetrate VERY well.

One thing many people don't realize about the A-Frame is that only the front end is bonded. The rear core is not, the reason the rear end of the bullet often expands almost as much as the front end.

In my personal experience with both Nosler Partition and Swift A-Frame bullets, the Partition has consistently shown deeper penetration on game.

Mule Deer,
Would it be a stretch to say that the Nosler Partition also kills better, perhaps with more 1-shot kills, due to the explosive and frangible nature of the front of the bullet (grenade effect) along with apparently deeper penetration?

No, I couldn't say that. The A-Frame usually kills very well, due to it's wide expansion. Though so far none of the animals I've shot with the 286 Partition have gone very far....

+1 on the Partition and what JB stated!!! The Partition is what all similar bullets are judged by.

after playing with a 9.3 all summer i have to say that mine like the TSX flat base considerably better than the A-frame. At least in the 250 gr. load. It will keep them to 1 1/4" if i do my part and for me thats awfully good from a 20" barrel.

Also had similar results with the TSX when coming up with a 7x57 160gr load for a little ruger #1a. 1st two shots will touch but the 3rd will be a bit of a flyer unless you wait 5 minutes which i just don't have the patience for.

Interesting thread.
Though I haven't killed anything huge with my 9.3X62, it shoots the 286gr partition extremely well. I am talking clover-leafs, and routinely, at that.
My rifle is a CZ-550, load is using Lapua brass, Fed 210M primers, and RL15. I cannot remember the charge weight off the top of my head, but I see about 2400fps over an Oehler 22 chronograph.

That's how the 286 Partition has shot in several rifles that I've tested.

One oddity about bullets: It's easier to build an accurate larger-diameter bullet than an accurate smaller-diameter bullet, because any variation in jacket thickness is less critical in the larger bullet.

Jet,

I've no experience with the A-Frame, but was very pleased with the Nosler on my first PG hunt(using a 9.3x74R). Ten critters, and only recovered two bullets. They were pealed back to the partition, and retained around eighty percent, as JB described. Only two critters were not one shot kills. I fired a courtesy round into the kudu(it dropped instantly to a double shoulder hit) as the lights were still on, when I walked up to him. The other was a zebra, that I just plain flubbed shot number one. I'd use them again.

Jeff

Jeff, ain't them zebra fun, when ya flub a shot [been ther done that]?


maddog

If the Partition shoots that well in your rifle, I'd stop looking!

Hard to argue with the performance of the NPT. Swifts have a great reputation as well, but from what I'm reading about the cannelure being too far aft on the 300 grainers, I would be inclined to go with the Nosler and forget it.

I dont know about the cannelure and Partitions are great bullets sure enough but given a choice between the two (assuming similar accuracy) I'd pick the A Frame every time.

Same here jorge...and I have found A-frames to be particularly easy to work with..Noslers have NEVER let me down, so don't get me wrong...Noslers are GREAT, but A-frames are Phenomenal...

Wish they made one in a .22....

BTW that last one is a 180gr Hornady Interlock out of a 300 Weatherby recovered from an impala. Yes recovered. There's a lesson in there somewhere....

Virtually all the discussion involving A-Frames revolve around Cape Buff and the larger PG like Eland.

For those that have experience, how has the A-Frame performed on the smaller lighter, thin skinned PG (Kudu and smaller)? Would it be recommended, or a perhaps a different bullet if the larger species were not on the menu?

Any one have experience with the 9.3x62 285 grain Norma Oryx? This shoots very well in my CZ550.

Jorge:
Knowing how thorough and deliberate you are about your hunting gear I was frankly suprised to read that you shot that 180gn Hornady Interlock out of your 300 Wby Mag!!! I love the Interlocks out of my -'06, but I would have thought it would virtually explode, with shallow penetration at Wby Mag velocities. Shows you how much I know!

Fost: See the pics of the bullets shown. Zebra, eland and wildebeest recoveries. The kudu went all the way through. They work great. Jet, the Hornnady was not my first choice. I had just bought that rifle and did not have time to work up loads so I had Weatherby factory X bullets (not TSX). Well they were a "hot" batch and almost froze my bolt so at the last minute Weatherby sent me out replacement ammo and Horndadys were it. Never again. Since they I've used factory Partitions with great success and nowadays exlcusively TTSXs. jorge

Shot many head of plains game from Duiker to Eland with 300 A-frames from a 375hh; lots of one shot kills(38 of 40). About the only thing they did damage to in a negative way was a Jackel(off side was sure a mess.LOL). All 3 PH's that trip were pleased with the performance.

Recovered very few, and a good portion broke the off side shoulder and exited(Impala,Bluewildebeest,Nyala). I did have a few text book recovered examples from a few frontals; Kudu found in the ham,Gemsbok found under the skin after going thru the rumen;Blue Wildebeest again as the Gemsbok under the skin.

Shooting them now in a 270win; and had good performance on a Muledeer this year.

Did some culling with a 165 gr A-frame in an '06 ( Kudu, Wildebeest,Gemsbok, Waterbuck..) and got excellent performance. So good in fact that when I shot a Wildebeest bull and he plopped over in 10 yds, my PH turns around and says " WHAT bullet did you say you were shooting...?"

Ingwe; Do you remember the load you used with the Aframe in the 30/06?

59.0 gr.H4831sc

Jorge:
Actually, I'm glad you made that shot with the Hornady as it provides meaningful field experience of how it performs at high Weatherby mag speeds. Ain't no mud on it for slower speeds though I'm told.

they are GREAT for slower speeds, >2700 fps. My opinion anyway..

Thanks!

+1 on the Horns at slower speeds...always performed with excellence for me at around 2400-2800...

Chui,

Nice looking rifle. What make?

I went the 250 gr X route in 2002 and was completely satisfied. These from gemsbuck, bushbuck, two kudu and an eland.

I took my 9.3x62mm on a buffalo hunt to Zimbabwe in 2012 and had great success with it. The photo below is the 286gr Swift A-Frame I recovered from my buffalo. We found the bullet just under the skin of the opposite shoulder. He didn't run very far...

That being said, both the Swift A-Frame and the Nosler Partition are great bullets and either will likely serve you very well for both plains and dangerous game (except elephant).

My Ruger African likes the 250 grain Nosler Accubonds over Mule Deers recommended dose of RL-15. No experience on African game.

Here's some A-Frames that I recovered from buffalo, which are the so far only thing I've found that would stop them. They do seem to swat smaller animals fairly hard.I've have a 180 grain Partition fired out of a .300 Win stop in a little whitetail buck but that doesn't mean I don't like them.

Penetration isn't everything, all of the time or we'd all be shooting solids all the time. Theres a lot of "ordinary hunting" that is quite well served with "ordinary bullets".

Hard to beat an A-Frame on African game.

Ingwe, there is a 22 Nosler partition.

Yeah, I know, and Im a huge NPT fan, but could not get the accuracy I wanted out of the 60 grainer. I wish Swift made a .22 cal A-frame!

Meanwhile, in the little guns, it Barnes TTSX all the way.

Ive got a box of Nosler 64gr ABs I need to try, I don't love the ABs, but they do sometimes fit. The TSX 224s have been accurate in the guns I have.

My 9.3 x 62 shoots both Federal loaded 286 grain A-Frames and Nosler loaded 286 Partitions equally well. However, it really shines with Federal 286 Barnes TSX. It doesn't shoot any 250 grain bullet well. Your rifle may vary.

If quick expansion is what you need, select the Partition. For most plains game, the Partition will work just fine. If giraffe, eland or buffalo is also on the menu, the A-Frame or TSX up and solids down.

Hey, Your Exhalted Highhness, I've been waiting 4 years for an answer!!!

Is it some kind of secret? South Carolina made Model 70 or something???

In the 286 grain flavor, it would be the Partition for penetration, and the AFrame for expansion. Depends which you value more.

In the 286 grain flavor, it would be the Partition for penetration, and the AFrame for expansion. Depends which you value more.

Patience is a virtue......

To All.

My humble opinion is that the SPEER & NOSLER are both acceptable in the 286 grain loads. - IF it was me, I would try BOTH & pick the brand that seems to work best in a particular rifle.
(IF I'm going to buy factory ammo, rather than reload my own, I buy the 285 grain PRVI PARTIZAN, as MY rifle shoots that load quite well & that brand is about HALF the price of other available factory ammo. - A 285 grain, .366 caliber JSP or SOLID, moving at 2263FPS will efficiently kill any living animal on Earth, given a decent "hit".)

In my treasured Remington Model 760, that Jessie at JES reformatted, BOTH seem to shoot/perform well & about the same.
(Truthfully, I shoot more of my about 290 grain homemade GCCB at about 2100FPS than either factory bullet. = That GCCB works FINE on our often HUGE/TOUGH Russian-feral cross boars, in the South TX brush country.)

Note: I was out hunting hogs on Jack & Dannita W___________'s land about 1400 hours on Christmas Eve. - I met one of their ranchhands, who said, "You may want to ease down into that little gulley up ahead. I saw a HUGE hog near there about 15 minutes ago." - I asked him, "How big??" He said, "Oh, I'd guess about the size of an average-sized Buick."
(Unfortunately, I never saw the big hog but I surely heard him leaving the area for the REALLY thick stuff. = !@#$%! )

yours, tex

I took a 9.3x62 to South Africa last year. I used the Federal Cape Shock ammo loaded with 286 grain A Frames. Plains game at ranges 40 yds to 200 yds. Fired six cartridges, had six dead animals. Oryx, Waterbuck, Wildebeest, Kudu, Impala and Warthog. I was happy and so was the PH.

I did miss a quick offhand shot at a Bushbuk the last day, but that was not the fault of the cartridge or rifle.

WRPape,

CONGRADS on your NICE SHOOTING & EXCELLENT results, too.

Next Year, we are planning for a similar hunt, including a Cape Buff & a leopard, hopefully.

Sincerely, DarlaG & Tex

For me it's the Swift A-Frame. It's a great compliment to the Nosler partition....simply bond the front core.....

There is also the North Fork....a swift A-Frame lacking the rear core which is simply not needed.....

But today my choice is going to be Barnes TTSX as my experience, while fairly limited, is quite positive....they just plain work!

There is one thing I can say about Nosler's partition.......I've never read a negative post about them anytime on the shooting forums....this has to be a serious kicker in the decision making process. They are the tried and true bullet of all time.....the others are of the Johnny-come-lately group.....and a mighty fine group they are.

Of the four I have mentioned (and there might be others of equal quality that I haven't tried) I rank them as follows
1. Barnes TTSX
2.. North Fork
3. Swift A-Frame
4. Nosler Partition

The functional difference between any of them in the field just might be a resounding ZERO....but we all have our prejudices.....

The better question is regarding the value of the polymer tips....but that's another issue for another campfire.

Jeff, sorry for late late reply...but its an Interarms Mark X that I "modified"

The cheapest gun in the rack, but still a favorite!

Classic lines.

Just returned from DSC and of course went and handled all the big name doubles I could. Saw a matched pair of Holland & Holland and all that came to mind was that the Maltese Falcon was not "the stuff dreams are made of"!

Verney has a super slim 28g S&S that was as handy as a conductor's baton at 4 1/2 pounds.

Also, RIA Auctions had some of Robert Peterson's stuff. The Royal family does have guns like this. Egad, there was there some nice engraving.

Yep "Pete" had some GREAT firearms!

I’ve had really good luck with the 286 gr PPU in my CZ 550 FS and my Tikka T3 Forest.

And automobiles too.

Talk about getting lost in the mail??? I asked 11/23/10.

I figured he's just been mad at me for 9 years!

Happy to help!

Sometimes you gotta keep the poobah on task or his mind will wander, for a decade or so..........

286 Partitions shoot as well or better than any other 250-286 gr. bullets I've tried. If I was hunting anything big or mean NP's would be my choice.

250 grain Nosler Accubonds!

Dang, old thread, hope jetblueman got to Africa and killed a Cape Buff, were I to take my 9.3 to Africa for buffalo, it'd be stoked with 320gr Woodleigh Weldcore softs and 285gr BBW #13 solids.

At this point I feel compelled to repeat the comment from the most experienced African PH I know, who retired a few years ago. He was born and raised in what was then Rhodesia, and killed his first buffalo at 17, when he started working as a game ranger for the parks department. Among other things, he was one of the original Selous Scouts during the revolution that turned the country into Zimbabwe, and also a culler for a huge ranch, where he killed hundreds of buffalo, mostly during drives.

When I met him, his total time as a PH (between short stints at other jobs, including a couple years working for the U.S in the sandbox) was well over 30 years. He used several cartridges for backing-up buffalo hunters, from the .375 H&H to .458 Lott, and when I asked him what .375 bullet he preferred, said: "Whatever clients leave behind. These days all the bullets are good!"

Damn good info MD, Thanks.

Prexactly, which leaves only one criteria: the one your rifle likes best...

In your evidently experienced opinion, is a 286 grain bullet good enough for big African Dangerous Game?

I have only shot Speer 270 Semi Spitzers in my 9.3x62 and only hunted deer. I have killed only one deer with it, a one shot DRT at 40 yards. The entry wound was 1", the exit was 2". I'm not an African hunter but I'm curious about all things African. I worked in Liberia for 7 months in 1969-1970 when I was 21-22 years old and haven't been back since. I shot a few deer there but they were two legged.

Maybe I meant Dear, LOL!!!

He asked about dangerous game effectiveness, not mule deer effectiveness. Also don't depend on 270 Speers; they're soft.

I dispatched a buffalo with a combination gun with the rife part 9,3X74R using a Woodleigh 286 solid. Had factory 286 Partition been available back then I would have used that, hands down. Anecdotal, but I was present when six A-Frames from a 9,3X64 Brenneke didn't do what was necessary on a BIG Masailand buffalo.

The bigger caliber Partitions are very good and tough, IMO.

Bruce,

The big AccuBonds are pretty tough, in fact in my experience as tough as Partitions of the same weight. Know two people who've taken buffalo, no problem, with the 260 from the .375 H&H, one a charging bull. They hold together fine in the .375 Ruger as well.

I've shot a bunch of big game with the 250 9.3 from both the 9.3x62 and 9.3 B-S (same ballistics), including a 7-1/2 foot grizzly and plains game from gemsbok to kudu. The only one recovered was the second shot on the grizzly. The first one went broadside through the bear, entering just behind the left shoulder and exiting the meat of the right shoulder. The bear turned started running angling away. The second bullet entered the right rear ribs and was found under the hide on the left side of the neck, retaining over 80% of its weight. That was at about 50 yards.

That's good to know, John. The biggest I've taken with AccuBonds is a BIG cow elk with my 9,3X62 and 250gr ABs. I didn't get much "data" from that one hunt; it was one shot...flop on side.

I'm a big fan of the AccuBonds and need to apologize to the Sako76, it appears. Humble pie for breakfast...

ttt

I saw 7 A-frames absolutely pancake in a buffalo. These were fired from a 9.3 Sisk, 286 grainers in the 2750 fps range. A few completely came apart. Partitions always seem to work the same way, expand on the front back to the partiton, then keep penetrating. If you are only hunting plains game, either will work.
Charlie

I've been loading my .9.3X62 with Speer 270 grains over about 59 grains IMR 4895. That load works great on local game here on the Centra Texas Gulf Coast, that being mainly deer and someday hopefully I'll have it along when I run into Porky. However, I would like to work a load up with a bigger bullet such as the 286 Grain Partition or A Frame. What powder and how much would y'all recommend for a mid range load? Not starting and not max.

Damn! I thought I was the only one, and was never going to bring it up, however mine didn't pancake on buffalo, just some homemade testing media here at the farm, bullet was a 375 cal 300gr a-frame, it looks like a piece of mashed sugar baby candy, I still have it here somewhere, the 375 cal 300gr Partition, or any other weight/caliber Partition I tested/recovered from other game, NEVER done that, I could always count on at the very least a somewhat expanded 60% of initial weight solid plowing on through.

JB's loads are a good place to start. They've stood the test of time.

DF

There's a reason the 9.3x62 did so well at its historical velocity. Run a 286 NP at 2350-2400 fps into anything practically and one gets desired performance. Not hard.

Thanks for the info Dirtfarmer and bluefish. Like I said, all I've ever killed with it is whitetail. I've been hard headed and always take my .270 Win. or .30-06 after pigs, not because I figured they were better for that purpose but because I'm so comfortable shooting those two. I've even killed pigs with my .243. But all that's about to change. Now to get me some Partitions and some Big Game and see how my rifle likes that combo.

Hunter: Thanks for the picture. Good view of the "bulge" Mule Deer was talking about.

",,, recovered from buffalo, which are the so far only thing I've found that would stop them."
70 guy: I have a 400 grain 416 bullet that I recovered from a zebra. The front of the bullet expanded to 3/4" and the rest of the bullet looks like a solid that could be fired again. It was shot from a 416 Ruger at 2400 fps. Broadside shot that I expected full penetration and exit.

And has been for a long time.

Love the partition, but when it comes to heavy game I switch to Aframes.

Mule Deer et al, if one was to load 250gr. Accubonds, what loads and powder you come to favour? I saw some references regarding the perceived recoil related to using different powders.

Eltorro
Welcome. Your first post...look back on page 4 or 5 and you will find a chart of JB’s loads for the 9.3-62.

From my somewhat limited experience on black bears, the 250 AB works as well as the 286 Partition. For both I use RL-17. Depending on what I want to kill, and how far, I vary that load. 70 grs of RL-17 behind the 250 AB shoots 3 into 0.44" @ 100 yds at +2700 fps. I shot a bear with that load at 85 yards. From an angling shot at 85 yards from a tree stand to high in mid-rib cage (bear was quartering away) the bullet made exit low in frontal chest between chest and offside front leg. It took out lungs and heart in the process leaving a trail of blood a blind man could follow for 20 yards to a very dead bear. The boar died in stride.

The 286 Partition over the same load at 2600+ fps took out another bear in the adjoining field at 68 yards from a frontal hit. The bear fell down an embankment. It was hung in the same tree, on the opposite side, where my stand was located. That bullet fell out from the right flank in front of the right hip in skinning. It lost the front core and weighed 74 % of unfired weight (211 grains). Performance was about identical to the 250gr AB. The 286 was shooting three into sub-MOA.

But the first bear shot with my 9.3 x 62 (TIKKA T3 Lite) was a follow up on a wounded bear by a young friend/client. The bullet was a 286 Hornady RN-RP leaving the muzzle at +2400 fps. That load was 58 grains RL-15 (book load) at close range. The bullet performed flawlessly.

My current loads for those two Nosler bullets have been reduced (because of woods hunting) to 67 grs for the 250 AB @ +/- 2600 fps and 66 grs for the 286 Partition @ +/- 2500 fps.

I've tried several other bullets and powders ( RL-15 was the first) but none have given the performance of those two Noslers.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Thank you.
Is one or the other preferred if the barrel is only 20-21"?

""CZ550 From my somewhat limited experience on black bears, the 250 AB works as well as the 286 Partition"".

After 40+ years of hunting and shooting with the Partition, I have found the AB adequate but not anywhere the quality of the Partition.

250 NAB is also very accurate, at least in my AHR CZ.

JB's load.

DF

E1, what was the issue with the ABs? I've only shot one animal with one.

AHR CZ 9.3x62. Have posted this one before.

Started out with 58 Gr. Varget years ago in a CZ .

The same load worked out well in a Sako 75



These days, my go to load for the 9.3 x 62.....



Has worked well on Aoudad, deer and pigs!

ya!

GWB

Impressive. What cases did you use? Graf, Hornady?

+1

Lapua is my fav, followed by Norma, then Nosler.

That was Norma brass IIRC.

Ya!

GWB

Been following this thread since the beginning - most interesting! I live in South Africa and during the last 5 years have hunted almost exclusively with my 9,3x 62. I load 286gr NPs to 2300fps. I shoot mostly Kudu and Gemsbok over distances of up to 236 meters. Most are one shot drops. I have recovered 2 bullets weighing 250 and 260 gr respectively. Unfortunately, 286 NP has become a "special import" so I might have to change to 250 gr AB's which will still be available.

Swift A Frames hands down, Nosler Partitions can sheer off too much weight and don’t hold expansion diameter as well as A Frames. A Frames are much better construction. And this is why PH’s recommend them. I’ve used A Frames in 375 and 458 calibers and was very pleased with the results.

Apparently you have little or no experience with the 9.3 286-grain Partition.

Over 20 years ago Nosler started redesigning some of the heavier, larger caliber Partitions to retain a higher percentage of their weight than the usual 65-70%. This was accomplished by modifications to the jacket, often placing the partition further forward.

The 286 9.3, however, didn't appear until after this was done to other Partitions, such as the 300-grain .375, so was designed to retain more weight from the get-go. I started using it in 2002, and the first animal taken was a big bull moose in northern British Columbia, shot at about 175 yards broadside, just behind the shoulder bones. The bull stumbled about 15 yards downhill before falling, in the process taking out several quaking aspens averaging 3-4" in diameter. The bullet was found under the hide on the far side, retaining 90.4% of its original weight.

Since then I've used the same bullet and load (which gets around 2500 fps) not only in North America but on more than one African safari. Have only recovered one other, from a blue wildebeest bull standing quartering toward me at around 200 yards I put the Partition in the big shoulder joint, and the bull staggered 20-25 yards before falling, obviously dead on its feet. The bullet was recovered at the rear of the rib-sage on the other side.

You apparently also didn't notice the post before yours, where Vlok (a hunter from South Africa) also has only recovered two 286 Partitions in his hunting, which retained 87.4% and 90.9% of their weight.

A-Frames are fine bullets, and I have used (and seen them used) considerably, but on average the 286-grain 9.3 does not penetrate as deeply as the 286-grain Partition, because it opens so widely--and average retained weight is about the same as the Partition. You may think the narrower mushroom of the Partition is a disadvantage, but the bullet still kills very quickly, and exits more of the time than the 286 A-Frame. In fact, on one of my safaris in Tanzania my hunting partner was so impressed with the way my 9.3x62 killed that he bought one himself upon returning home.

The other Partitions I've recovered from big game that retained 85-95% of their weight have been the 225-grain .338 (85.4%; from a huge bull musk ox, shot like the wildebeest through the near shoulder joint on a quartering-on shot), 300-grain .375 (an average of 88.2%, from buffalo); and a 400-grain .416 (95.2%) that angled from the rear of the left ribs on a Botswana Cape buffalo and ended up in the right shoulder. The 500-grain .458 is also constructed similarly; my hunting partner on a 2011 safari used it from a .458 Lott on Cape buffalo, but we don't know how much weight it retained because it ended up somewhere in the rear half of his bull--after a frontal shot that broke the spine under the bull's chin. We traced the bullet's path well into the guts, but couldn't find it.

I will believe JB on this one cause he always steers us right.

That said Im a BIG fan of partitions and a HUGE fan of A-Frames...but if JB says one is Mo'betta in a given cartridge...I'll believe him.

Not saying the Partition is "better" than the A-Frame in the 9.3x62, just pointing out the assumption that our new member SafariLife presented about weight retention is incorrect.

Then I explained how the differences in the two bullets affect their performance. 286 A-Frames make bigger holes, because they expand wider (which often includes the rear end of the bullet) but the 286 Partition penetrates deeper.

As a matter of fact, when the 286 Partition was new I got involved with a new bullet-testing medium my friend and fellow gun writer Richard Mann developed, made out of soft wax. Its big advantage was retaining the wound channel, so you could actually see how various bullets expanded (and sometimes didn't), but it also provided a valid comparison of how deeply each penetrated.

We were testing a bunch of bullets of various sizes and construction, including the 250- and 286-grain TSX 9.3s. I bet Richard that the 286 Partition would penetrate deeper than the 250 X, but not as deeply as the 286 X. Was pretty sure about this, due to using all of them on game, and well as testing them in various media. Richard was doubtful, but that's exactly what happened.

Was that the Bullet Test Tube, and, if so, what happened to it? I take it it's not available anymore. It seemed like a great idea.

Yep. It was a great idea--but it disappeared during the Great Recession.

Before that it was pretty successful. A number of sporting goods stores stocked it, and several bullet companies started using it.

Thanks. That's too bad.

I'm also sitting on hundreds of 286 NPs and equally as many 285 grain of the bullets PRVI loads in RN form. They are a freight train at 2280 in the woods.

One of the virtues of the 9.3x62 is that cup-and-core 285/286-grain bullets tend to work very well at factory muzzle velocities. Which of course are the bullets it was designed for over a century ago.

A few years ago I killed a cow nilgai (about the size of a cow elk) with the 286-grain Hornady factory load. The nilgai was standing almost directly facing me at around 200 yards, angled slightly to the left. I put the bullet inside the right shoulder, and the cow crow-hopped to the left about 10 feet and fell over dead. The Hornady had exited just behind the rear of the ribcage on the opposite side.

There was a gentleman doing some testing on 9.3s, a few hundred miles north from here. He reported that Hornady performed the worst in his water jug test, among all other bullets tested.
It is good to hear it does not disintegrate into thin air once launched