9.3x62 plains game

Bert Reynolds

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Hi all. A friend has invited me on my first plains game hunt in South Africa later this year. I will most likely hunt Eland, kudu, wildebeest and maybe 2-3 smaller species. I have a 9.3x62 sako that I’m quite familiar with and shoot well. It has a 1.5-6x42 Zeiss Diavari with asv turret. I have loads for 250 grain Woodleigh round noses and 250 grain Nosler that group well. I have just ordered a 300 weatherby with a 26 inch barrel for for long range sambar shooting that will arrive before my trip. What rifle would you recommend?
 
Ok, so far it is unanimous, what's more I agree. How does your rifle handle the "normal" 286 gr. bullet?
 
Another vote for 9.3x62.
 
9.3 would be best, especially considering Eland is on the menu.

One question for you...why did you choose the 300WBY over other .30 calibers?
 
9.3 would be best, especially considering Eland is on the menu.

One question for you...why did you choose the 300WBY over other .30 calibers?
A few reasons. The weatherby comes in a fine rifle, the MKV deluxe which I’ve always liked. It has good long range reach out. And the double radius, belted case looks sexy!
 
I’ve had 286 grain partitions. It shot them ok, but they did not feed. My next question, is the 250 grain Accubond good for impala?
Good for impala and just about anything else you might want. I used that very bullet in my 9.3 in Namibia, no complaints at all. One shot kudu bull, couple of oryx, hartebeest. Used it on another hunt for blue wildebeest and waterbuck but with the 250 Barnes Triple Shock which is a tougher bullet and shot well in my rifle with the same load. Load was 61.5 grs of IMR4064 for just over 2500 fps.
 
I would highly recommend a 9.3 × 62 Mauser . With the 286 grain bullet , it is the perfect intermediary between a plains game cartridge and a dangerous game cartridge ( not counting the .375 Holland & Holland magnum ) .
I am not saying that .300 Weatherby is a bad cartridge . Certainly not. However , l am personally not a big fan of Weatherby cartridges or rifles . Their maker seems to prioritize velocity above every other factor without taking other elements into consideration , which has produced some counter productive results in the field , especially during the 1960s when l was guiding clients for shikar in Nagpur , India .
The 9.3 × 62 , on the other hand is a time honored classic which is perfect for your application. All the best.
 

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