9.3x74r for buffalo?

[Brian]

That may be true, but when it comes to cartridges for this type of hunting, opinions vary greatly. It certainly stems from the fact that we are hunters from very different countries with different game species and different hunting traditions. As far as the cartridge 9,3x74R is concerned, it is understandable that if you hunt in countries where this cartridge is primarily used for shooting wild boar during driven hunts or heavy deers from a Hochsitz, when it comes to buffalo hunting, you would consider a slightly larger cartridge for this purpose.

You could take a survey on the subject in any big local gun store in the USA and you would get the same wide variety of opinions .

 

[UpNorthMI]

Some great views here as well as many hunting reports confirming that buffalo are real tough animals. I shoot a 9.3x62 but would not consider taking it on a buffalo hunt as I am lucky enough to own several larger calibers that are more suited in my opinion.

I think Grand Veneur makes a good point in that 9,3x74R has a long history in primarily being used for shooting wild boar during driven hunts or other large animals such as moose in Europe. It may be capable of killing cape buffalo reasonably well but is on the lower end of effective / approved calibers.

My first time in Africa hunting buffalo with my son, I was placed as the "back gun" of our small group on our first outing. While walking in the wild bush buffalo country my mind started to wonder, it's at this moment that you really ask yourself if you have enough gun and can you shoot it well enough should you have to actually deal with a life threatening situation. I have a lot of respect for Buffalo and never want to find myself trying to wrestle one .....lol

My personal choice for future buffalo hunting will be one of my guns that I feel I can shoot competently with with reasonable multiple shot ability in a short time. For me that is either a .375 H&H., .416 Rem Mag or a .500/416 NE. I'll also be carrying plenty of ammunition.

On the other hand if 9.3x74R is your only gun and your PH is happy go for it.

 

[Brian]

Some great views here as well as many hunting reports confirming that buffalo are real tough animals. I shoot a 9.3x62 but would not consider taking it on a buffalo hunt as I am lucky enough to own several larger calibers that are more suited in my opinion.

I think Grand Veneur makes a good point in that 9,3x74R has a long history in primarily being used for shooting wild boar during driven hunts or other large animals such as moose in Europe. It may be capable of killing cape buffalo reasonably well but is on the lower end of effective / approved calibers.

My first time in Africa hunting buffalo with my son, I was placed as the "back gun" of our small group on our first outing. While walking in the wild bush buffalo country my mind started to wonder, it's at this moment that you really ask yourself if you have enough gun and can you shoot it well enough should you have to actually deal with a life threatening situation. I have a lot of respect for Buffalo and never want to find myself trying to wrestle one .....lol

My personal choice for future buffalo hunting will be one of my guns that I feel I can shoot competently with with reasonable multiple shot ability in a short time. For me that is either a .375 H&H., .416 Rem Mag or a .500/416 NE. I'll also be carrying plenty of ammunition.

On the other hand if 9.3x74R is your only gun and your PH is happy go for it.

How about if your only rifle is a nice 9.3x74R and the Ph realizes that you really want to use it for buffalo. Is he going to say "no it's not good enough for cape buffalo" and risk loosing your business to the next outfitter who says "Yes, bring it"?

The one significant point here is that the 9.3x74R is marginal on cape buffalo in the hands of a client with limited buffalo hunting experience. I am very thankful that I didn't use a 9.3 for my first few cape buffalo.

Better to have something like a .416 Rem Mag or a .458 WM. Practice off of sticks with light loads and cheap bullets, ( now that's what Hornady bullets are about.) then just a week or two before you go to Africa, load it with the best bullets available like NF expanding or CEB Raptors and load just south of maximum and practice a bit off the sticks, but not too much, 10 rounds are plenty, just enough to get it sighted in at 50 yards and then go and have the hunt of your life with a rifle that will look after you. When you are shooting a mighty cape buffalo you won't even notice the recoil.
That is a promise!

When I am buffalo hunting and after I get to know the PH a bit, I always ask him some specific questions and the answers can be very revealing.

My favourite question is this,
"Marius, tell me the truth, how well do most clients shoot when hunting cape buffalo?"
This is usually the answer,
"50% of them cannot hit the shoulder and 50& of them want to shoot off the back of the truck".

Can you believe it !?
In other words half of the cape buffalo hunters cannot hit a basket ball at 50 yards from the shooting sticks. Unbelievable! Being a DG PH is not for sissies.

Final note.
When you are lining up on your cape buffalo for your first shot visualize a golf ball sitting on the top and a bit on the front of the heart, then put your bullet through that golf ball, no matter what the angle is. "Aim small, hit small. " Do that with a good bullet, .416 or bigger and the PH and tracker
will sing your praises all the way back to camp. And nobody will get hurt.

Happy hunting.

 

[Altitude sickness]

IMHO the 9.3x74R is plenty on a broadside calm feeding bull.

It’s the same discussion concerning DR with iron sites.

You may have to pass 50% of the shot opportunities using iron sights. Compared to an accurate telescopic sight.

I had a very accurate DR in 9.3x 74 that I would use on Buffalo. Because it was amazingly accurate. But I don’t shoot iron sights nearly as accurate as a scoped rifle. So would need a perfect Buffalo scenario. Which would most likely frustrate a lot of PH’s. Which would eventually lead to me feeling pressure to take a no go shot.

I chose my .416 Taylor so I could take a shot at quartering to me. Frontal shots. Shots in dark thick brush.

years ago I chose to hunt Buffalo with a bow. No water holes or feed piles. It had to be on the track. Well that choice of weapon and criteria severely lowered my odds.

My first hunt was a bust. Not one legit shot opportunity. I held out and didn’t grab a rifle.

Second Buffalo with a bow, it took five days. When the PH asked if I wanted to sit water. I said before that I would borrow his double rifle and hunt them by tracking and get close.