Category: Ammo
A 9.3x62mm cartridge (left) compared to a 7.62x51mm (right).
Today I want to discuss a lesser known, yet potent and versatile hunting cartridge: the 9.3x62mm Mauser. While relatively popular in southern Africa and Europe, relatively few hunters in the United States utilize this outstanding cartridge, usually relying on the more common .375 H&H Magnum instead when hunting large and dangerous game.
While the .375 H&H is an outstanding cartridge, the 9.3x62mm can provide 85-95 percent of the power (dependent on the exact load) with less recoil and with the added bonus of being able to fit in a rifle with a standard-length action instead of the magnum-length action required by the .375 H&H. This makes the rifle shorter, lighter and cheaper overall and a great choice for hunting big game all over the world.
Before I really get started, please understand that this article is not about bashing the .375 H&H. It is an excellent cartridge and is widely used the world over for good reason: it works. This article is merely trying to describe some of the advantages of a less popular, but comparable cartridge and why it may be appropriate to explore the 9.3x62mm in further detail.
Designed in 1905 for the Mauser Model 1898 rifle, the 9.3x62mm soon became popular among German settlers in Africa. The cartridge rapidly acquired a reputation for providing sufficient power to cleanly take all species of plains and dangerous game in Africa. This, combined with the fact that it was available in a reasonably priced magazine-fed rifle, led to an explosion in popularity among hunters in Africa and Europe.
Modern 9.3x62mm factory loads generally fire a 220-320gr bullet at velocities between 2,200 and 2,650 feet per second. However, a 286gr bullet at approximately 2,350 feet per second is probably the most popular load. This load produces over 3,500 foot-pounds of energy and is a deadly combination for deer, elk, moose, bear and large plains game species like kudu and eland.
The 9.3x62mm can also work as a great cartridge when hunting dangerous game like buffalo and elephant where legal. Though some countries, like Tanzania, have a minimum caliber of .375 for dangerous game hunting (the 9.3mm is .366 caliber), Mozambique has no minimum caliber and Zimbabwe has a minimum caliber of 9.2mm.
While it is the absolute smallest cartridge I would recommend using on buffalo and elephant, the 9.3x62mm will do a great job when using an appropriate controlled expansion or solid bullet that is placed properly. Indeed, many thousands of buffalo and elephant have fallen to the venerable 9.3x62mm over the last century. That being said, the cartridge is not the best choice for following up a wounded buffalo or elephant in heavy cover, but then again, neither is the .375 H&H.
One of the reasons the 9.3x62mm cartridge performs so well on large and dangerous game is because it penetrates deeply and consistently. This is partly due to the fact that the bullet has a high sectional density (a measure of the ratio of the diameter of a projectile to its mass).
All other things equal, a heavier projectile of a given caliber will be longer and therefore have a higher sectional density and consequently penetrate deeper than projectiles with a lower mass and sectional density. As an example 286gr and 293gr 9.3mm bullets have sectional densities of .305 and .312 respectively. This compares favorably to 270gr and 300gr .375 caliber bullets (the most popular weights for that caliber) which have sectional densities of .274 and .305 respectively.
Another advantage that the 9.3x62mm has is the relatively light (for a medium-bore dangerous game rifle) recoil that it generates. While the exact amount of recoil generated depends on the load used (more powerful loads generate more recoil) and the weight of the rifle (heavier rifles have less recoil), the 9.3x62mm generates between 65-85 percent of the recoil of the .375 H&H. For comparison, this is only 20-30 percent more recoil than a typical rifle chambered in .30-06.
A 9.3x62mm cartridge with a recovered 286gr Swift A-Frame (left) and 286gr Woodleigh FMJ (right).
A manageable amount of recoil is important for hunters, especially those who are smaller framed or who are just more sensitive to recoil. Lighter recoil typically increases accuracy on the initial shot as well as enabling the hunter to make a rapid follow-up shot. As has been said over and over again, where an animal is hit is much more important than what it is hit with, so an accurately placed 9.3mm bullet is much more effective than a poorly placed .375 or .458 caliber bullet.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the 9.3x62mm over a .375 H&H is the significantly lower price of rifles chambered for it since the cartridge can fit in a standard-length action. Among other manufacturers, Sako, Steyr and CZ all produce rifles chambered in 9.3x62mm. Of these, CZ produces perhaps the least expensive, yet still excellent quality example in the Model 550 American which starts at $850 MSRP. Compare that to an MSRP of $1419 for a Winchester Model 70 in .375 H&H, $1450 for a Remington Model 700 in .375 H&H.
Additionally, there is a large selection of high-quality ammunition available for the 9.3x62mm. Nosler, Hornady, Norma, Federal, Barnes, Remington, Woodleigh, Swift, A-Square and Prvi Partizan are all major manufacturers that produce bullets and/or loaded ammunition for it. Furthermore, the German munitions company RWS also produces excellent quality 9.3mm bullets and ammunition, but they are expensive and hard to come by in the United States. These manufacturers produce a wide variety of bullets that range from light, rapidly expanding bullets for use on white-tailed deer to heavy, controlled expansion and solid bullets for buffalo and elephant.
With a premium rifle chambered in 9.3x62mm, one could legally and ethically hunt virtually every species on Earth from white-tailed deer to elephant. I cannot think of many other calibers that would allow a hunter to pursue such a wide variety of species without breaking his or her shoulder or bank account while doing so.
However, in addition to the previously mentioned shortcomings against stopping a dangerous game charge, the 9.3x62mm is not really suitable for long-range shots over about 300 yards like one might encounter on a Marco Polo Sheep hunt. Other than those few exceptions, the caliber fits the bill nicely for the vast majority of big game.
In short, the 9.3x62mm is a fantastic cartridge that can fill a number of different roles for a big-game hunter virtually anywhere in the world — especially for a hunter who only wants one rifle to hunt a wide variety of big game. John “Pondoro” Taylor summed the 9.3x62mm up pretty well when he said in his book “African Rifles and Cartridges” that, “There isn’t really a great deal to say about it. Everybody found it so generally satisfactory that there wasn’t anything to start a discussion.”
Is it a perfect cartridge? No, but I think the 9.3x62mm comes about as close to a “one size fits all” solution as you can reasonably expect to get.
“Africa’s Most Dangerous” by Kevin Robertson, “African Rifles and Cartridges” by John Taylor, “The Reloader’s Nest,” and “The African Hunter” were all used as references for this article.
Even though many people treat the .223 Remington and 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges as interchangeable rounds, this can be a dangerous practice under the wrong circumstances.
It is true that the two cartridges are quite similar. However, there are some subtle, yet important differences between the .223 Remington and the 5.56x45mm cartridges. Today, I’ll go over some of the differences between the two rounds and some good practices to follow when using them.
As you can see in the photo below, .223 rounds are virtually identical in size to 5.56mm rounds. This means that the majority of the time, .223 ammunition will chamber and fire in a 5.56mm chamber and vice versa.
However, the biggest difference between the two is that 5.56x45mm ammunition is loaded to a significantly higher pressure than .223 Remington ammunition. Correspondingly, 5.56mm chambers are designed and built to withstand the increased pressure, while .223 Remington chambers generally are not.
A 5.56x45mm NATO round (center), flanked by .223 Remington bullets.
Additionally, .223 Remington chambers have a shorter leade (the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point where the rifling engages the bullet) with a steeper angle than 5.56mm chambers. Generally speaking, a shorter leade results in increased accuracy at the expense of increased pressure and decreased velocity, while a longer leade produces increased velocity with lower pressures at the expense of reduced accuracy
Originally designed as a military cartridge, the 5.56mm NATO was meant to be used with a longer leade with a shallow angle. In addition to producing increased velocity, this also had the advantage of improving reliability by allowing more buildup of carbon and other “gunk” without adversely affecting the function of the rifle.
All other things being equal, a shorter leade results in increased pressure when compared to a longer leade. This means that firing 5.56mm ammunition (which is already loaded to a higher pressure) out of a .223 Remington chamber can produce dangerous amounts of pressure.
Yes, it is true that not all chambers are the same, and the same is true for ammunition. For this reason, it is absolutely possible to fire 5.56mm NATO ammunition out of .223 Remington chambers with no issues.
However, combine ammunition that is toward the top end of acceptable safety limits with hot summer temperatures and a little too much fouling in the chamber, and you stand a good chance of running into some serious trouble. The rifle probably won’t blow up, though it is possible.
More likely, it will blow the primer out of the primer pocket on the case and it will end up somewhere in the internal workings of the rifle. Obviously, this is not good and can result in a frustrating and dangerous situation.
To avoid this, ensure that you only fire the appropriate ammunition in your rifle. First, find out if your rifle is a .223 Remington or 5.56mm NATO.
On an AR-15, look on the top of the barrel near the muzzle. On most other rifles, look on the receiver or the side of the barrel near the chamber. If it says “.223 Remington,” then you can be pretty sure that is what you have.
However, if it says “5.56mm,” that does not necessarily mean that it is safe to fire all variants of 5.56mm NATO out of. Unfortunately, not all 5.56mm rifles are created equal, and the only way to be 100 percent sure is to either measure the throat size yourself, or get a reputable gunsmith to do it for you. Until then, it is best to only fire .223 Remington ammunition in the rifle.
How do you determine if a particular type of ammunition is .223 Remington or 5.56x45mm NATO? If the ammunition is packaged as M193 or M855 (or a variant of those), it is definitely 5.56mm.
If you don’t have access to the packaging, or it doesn’t say, look at the headstamp on the base of the bullet. If the headstamp says “5.56x45mm” or is 2-3 letters and 2-3 numbers (such as “LC 13” in the photo below), and has a cross inside a circle, then that ammo is 5.56mm.
If the headstamp says something like “Hornady 223 Remington,” then it is .223 Remington. If you are still not sure after looking at the headstamp, treat the ammunition as 5.56mm just to be on the safe side.
Don’t fire this ammunition in a .223 Remington chamber.
In summary: .223 Remington ammunition may be shot safely in either a .223 Remington or a 5.56mm chamber. However, you should only shoot 5.56mm ammunition in a rifle with a 5.56mm chamber or you are risking a potentially catastrophic (and dangerous) incident.
As a result, if you’re looking for a rifle to shoot the widest variety of ammunition, get one chambered in 5.56x45mm (and verify that it does indeed have a 5.56mm chamber) as this will let you shoot both cartridges safely.
The American Rifleman and Guns & Ammo Network were both used as references for this article.
The myriad selection of rifle cartridges today has a metric ton of overlap, duplication, and some downright silly designs. Some of these designs boast wonderful claims, but not all of them measure up. In order to be overrated, you have to be rated at all, so that leaves some of the more obscure designs off the menu.
I’m well aware that I’m going to be taking a lot of flak for this article, no matter which cartridges I were to pick, so let me give you some details to start with. When you sit down to make your voodoo doll of me, you need to be as realistic as possible, I’m six feet tall, bald, blue eyes, and the goatee is graying. Accuracy counts in the voodoo-curse world as well.
That said, I have to pick five, and I know someone will come away with hurt feelings, but I’m going to throw caution to wind and do this anyway. “Overrated” is a tough term. It doesn’t mean that the cartridges I’m going to pick are bad, or even that they don’t work, it means that I feel that the glorification of them may not live up to the actual performance. Let’s roll.
1. .300 Weatherby Magnum
I can feel the hot needles already. Roy Weatherby had a passion for the pursuit of velocity, and in some instances it made for a fantastic cartridge. However, the .300 Weatherby, based on a blown-out .300 H&H case, and featuring Roy’s signature double-radius shoulder, may have been the hottest on the market in the 1950’s, but it has been pushed off the stage. In my opinion, you can get field performance out of a .300 Winchester Magnum that is so close the game animals will never know the difference. Add in the costly ammunition and component brass, as well as the ramped-up recoil, and the scales lean even harder toward the Winchester case. If you want to really move .30 caliber bullets in a magnum length action, look to the .300 RUM or .30-378 Weatherby, just don’t shoot anything you intend to eat at close range.
2. .270 Winchester Short Magnum
Why do my feet feel like they’re on fire? When you have a cartridge that is as flat shooting and hard hitting as the venerable .270 Winchester, improving upon it isn’t easy. The Winchester Short Magnum series of cartridges have their own unique set of issues (they’re very finicky to reload for, not to mention the feeding issues), but to try and push the bullets even faster, out of a shorter and lighter rifle with more recoil, doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. The .270 Winchester is a fantastic long-range cartridge. The longer bullets start to eat up case capacity, and the caliber is generally limited to bullets that top out at 150 grains. The .270 WSM is too much of a good thing, in my opinion.
3. .220 Swift
Yes sir, that was a needle in my eyeball. Good thing I have a spare. How dare I insult the .22 centerfire velocity king? Well, here’s my thinking. The .22-250 Remington, which performs around 150 to 200 fps slower than the Swift, will hit distant targets very well, with less powder, a shorter action, and is every bit as accurate as the Swift cartridge is. Not to mention, the .22-250 doesn’t have that rim, which can make for feeding problems in a magazine rifle. I know, the Swift hits that illustrious 4,000 fps with 55 grain bullets, but the 3,800 fps generated by the .22-250 is more than enough for me.
4. .458 Winchester Magnum
The idea of replicating the ballistics of the .450 Nitro Express, in an easy-to-produce bolt action rifle, was a very sound one. However, Winchester’s claim has historically fallen short of the mark. The engineers shortened the blown out .375 H&H case to fit in a long-action receiver, and in the same stroke reduced case capacity to the point that it became a problem. If you’ve ever tried to handload for the .458, I’m sure the thought of compressing powder with a pogo stick (please DO NOT try this, it’s humor) has crossed your mind. Look to Jack Lott’s full-length design, as it’s much easier to achieve the velocities that Winchester intended when handloading, and there are more than enough factory loads available. Almost all of the African Professional Hunters I’ve met re-chamber their .458 Winchester into a a .458 Lott, or are saving up to do so.
5. .223 Remington
Yes, I said it. Look, the .223 works, and works well for most of its intended purposes. But, I truly believe if the U.S. Government hadn’t smiled upon it, the cartridge would have a small fraction of the followers it does today. I hear shooters tell me all the time about how it is a miracle-wrought-in-brass-and-lead, and proceed to boast of its heretofore unheard-of capabilities. I feel, for the hunters, that a .222 Remington is more accurate for close ranges, and the .22-250 Remington has a huge advantage in the velocity and accuracy department at all ranges. The .223, with the right twist rate, can use the heavier 69 and 77 grain bullets, where the slow twist of the .22-250 limits it to 55 or maybe 60 grains tops, but for me, the .223 isn’t the Holy Grail of cartridges that so many profess it to be.
There you have it, take it for what it’s worth, and let voodoo curses and author-bashing commence.
Editor’s Note: Don’t worry, Phil’s already covered the industry’s most underrated rifle cartridges, too. Check that out right here!
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