Torn between two calibers

[doodsangel]

In SA, people love their 375H&Hs. So, chances are, ammo availability is much better.

 

[tarbe]

Well bro, did you make a final, final decision?

I have to admit, practicality only played a small part in my decision on what to take on my trip.

I took a No 1 in 300 H&H because I wanted to hunt Africa with a "classic" rifle/cartridge combo. I can't afford an original Farquharson...so No 1 it is/was.

The 30 Super worked super on everything up to Eland, with the 180 TTSX.

 

[Catahoula]

Well bro, did you make a final, final decision?

I have to admit, practicality only played a small part in my decision on what to take on my trip.

I took a No 1 in 300 H&H because I wanted to hunt Africa with a "classic" rifle/cartridge combo. I can't afford an original Farquharson...so No 1 it is/was.

The 30 Super worked super on everything up to Eland, with the 180 TTSX.

I have. I have completely switched gears and buffalo will be the focus of the hunt. I picked up a Ruger No 1 in 416 Remington for that portion of the hunt. I also picked up a Remington 700 in 8mm magnum on the classifieds here. Still working on load development, but if I can get it shooting to my satisfaction it will be going along for plains game. That is my non practical choice. It's probably overkill for plains game, but I have always been enamored with the cartridge, and the Remington is a beautiful example out of the custom shop.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I am going on my first plains game safari next year. Zebra, wildebeest and warthog are on the menu. My Howa 30-06 is making the trip and is more than capable of taking the targeted game. However, I am enamored with the Ruger number one, having owned and hunted with several. I had planned on picking up a .375, (Already purchased a big lot of bullets from Tarbe) but the one I had my eye on has sold. It's probably overkill anyway. I was also offered a 416 Rem. at a great price, but that is definitely more than needed. I've got my eye on two, a 9.3x62 and a 405 Winchester. I know that either is more than enough for my planned hunt. Either is also usable for all manner of North American game. So.....

1) 405 Winchester- Limited options in ammo and bullet selection, especially heavier than 300 grains. Brass and ammo are pricey. Trajectory makes it a ~200 yard gun. But....the one I'm looking at has a beautifully figured stock. Should be a winner within it's limitations. Teddy took it to Africa! (I'm a nostalgic old guy) It's a discontinued caliber that had limited production. It is slightly more costly than the 9.3 and definitely more costly to feed.

2) 9.3x62. Good availability of brass, bullets and ammo at reasonable prices. Trajectory suitable for longer ranges. Available NIB at reasonable prices. proven over and over on all manner of African game. But.... all that I have seen have plain jane wood on them, as do most (Not all) of the recently produced number ones. These are readily available so I could shop around to find one that catches my eye. I do admire nicely figured walnut.

What to do? I know, get both. Probably not happening. If I purchase two, one will be a .375 or .416.

@Catahoula
Maybe you should have just got a good 35 Whelen.
Bob

 

[Professor Mawla]

I personally admire both the .405 Winchester and the 9.3x62 mm Mauser . However , ( taking your particular context into account) the 9.3x62 mm Mauser makes for the more practical choice . These is no plains game , which a 286 grain Nosler Partition soft nosed bullet cannot safely bring down ( assuming reasonable shot placement , of course ) .

 

[BeeMaa]

@Catahoula
Maybe you should have just got a good 35 Whelen.
Bob

Are you on some "old thread resurrection" crusade?
If so, you made a good choice.

 

[bruce moulds]

I personally admire both the .405 Winchester and the 9.3x62 mm Mauser . However , ( taking your particular context into account) the 9.3x62 mm Mauser makes for the more practical choice . These is no plains game , which a 286 grain Nosler Partition soft nosed bullet cannot safely bring down ( assuming reasonable shot placement , of course ) .

if you get a 9.3, almost any bullet is better than the 286 partition.
don't ask me how i know this.
i tried the 9.3 to see how it compared to the 375.
first attempts were with the partition, and i thought that the 9.3 was almost a useless calibre.
luckily i tried 300gn and 286 gn swift and found out that the 9.3 can compete with the 375.
the partition would be an ideal bullet for small to medium antelope.
decent bullets for anything bigger.
the swifts will also handle smaller game too, so you only need one bullet in reality.
same problems in 338 with partitions, even on a big pig.
in fact speer cup and core bullets proved better and more reliable than partitions there.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

single shot falling blocks have a lot of appeal visually.
however in the real world, if you want to hunt with a single shot, you can use a bolt repeater and load it with 1 round for the same effect.
then if you want a repeater you can load the mag as well.
a more versatile choice.
bruce.

 

[CBH Australia]

Bruce , all I’m hearing is .375 is still the better option.

 

[WAB]

single shot falling blocks have a lot of appeal visually.
however in the real world, if you want to hunt with a single shot, you can use a bolt repeater and load it with 1 round for the same effect.
then if you want a repeater you can load the mag as well.
a more versatile choice.
bruce.

There goes the romance!

 

[Professor Mawla]

if you get a 9.3, almost any bullet is better than the 286 partition.
don't ask me how i know this.
i tried the 9.3 to see how it compared to the 375.
first attempts were with the partition, and i thought that the 9.3 was almost a useless calibre.
luckily i tried 300gn and 286 gn swift and found out that the 9.3 can compete with the 375.
the partition would be an ideal bullet for small to medium antelope.
decent bullets for anything bigger.
the swifts will also handle smaller game too, so you only need one bullet in reality.
same problems in 338 with partitions, even on a big pig.
in fact speer cup and core bullets proved better and more reliable than partitions there.
bruce.

@bruce moulds
You have repeatedly gone out of your way to make it very clear that you have had negative experiences with the Nosler Partition . Likewise , I have repeatedly highlighted my successful experiences with Nosler Partitions on all manners of game . For upwards of 40 years .

As I have said before , you do not recommend the Nosler Partition because you encountered failures with it . I recommend the Nosler Partition especially because I have had very successful results with it .

 

[bruce moulds]

professor,
the things you hunt could mean that you are a dead man walking.
when you try better bullets in a fair way, you will see what i mean.
the killing effect is more profound than with partitions.
bruce.

 

[BeeMaa]

There goes the romance!

We all knew that @bruce moulds wasn't about to change his stripes.
Thing is the NP is long in the tooth to be competing with the SAF.
Or any other modern bonded premium or mono-metal soft.

I'm not saying it doesn't work on game.
I'm saying it doesn't work as well as others do on game.
This is of course assuming the same game, caliber, bullet weight & speed.
And the mother of them all SHOT PLACEMENT.

 

[bruce moulds]

Bruce , all I’m hearing is .375 is still the better option.

chris,
we should go hunting camels or donkeys together, you with your 375 and i with my 9.3 using equivalent quality bullets.
the casual or experienced observer would not be able to tell the difference.
come to think of it, we should invite bob as well to see how the 35/06 stacks up.
bruce.

 

[Graham Hunter]

@bruce moulds
You have repeatedly gone out of your way to make it very clear that you have had negative experiences with the Nosler Partition . Likewise , I have repeatedly highlighted my successful experiences with Nosler Partitions on all manners of game . For upwards of 40 years .

As I have said before , you do not recommend the Nosler Partition because you encountered failures with it . I recommend the Nosler Partition especially because I have had very successful results with it .

I couldn't agree with you more Prof. 45 plus yrs of use in all calibers except 22cal. Kinda sounds little the fable about the sky is falling or the Boy who cried Wolf!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Are you on some "old thread resurrection" crusade?
If so, you made a good choice.

@BeeMaa
Nah not on a crusade but trying to pick threads everyone might be interested in.
Bob.

 

[Professor Mawla]

professor,
the things you hunt could mean that you are a dead man walking.
when you try better bullets in a fair way, you will see what i mean.
the killing effect is more profound than with partitions.
bruce.

@bruce moulds
I know you mean well . But if it has not happened to me in 40 years of hunting these things

then , I rather doubt that I am going to get mangled anytime soon . I am not saying that no one has ever had Nosler Partition bullets fail . However , it has never ever happened to me .

And yes , I also own 500 grain Swift A Frame soft nosed Norma factory loads for my .458 Winchester Magnum .

They work commendably well , but I do not find the Nosler Partition’s performance to be unsatisfactory in anyway .

Many hunters these days are so mesmerized by the performance of modern bullets , that they tend to dismiss older designs as completely unreliable . I can understand this view , but I personally do not agree with it .

 

[bruce moulds]

wab,
if you are trying to take down a mob of donkeys or camels, you get to see a lot of things.
you can pour lead into donkeys and get the lot.
upon inspection, some of them still have life in their eyes when shot with partitions.
you hear some hits and nothing appears to happen, but they collapse later.
swifts just drop them in mid stride, dead before they hit the ground.
in 375, the sierra 300 gn spbt does this absolutely reliably, with a big mushroom and 75 to 80% weight retention under the skin on the other side with raking shots, dead before they hit the ground.
the 300 gn partition cannot do this reliably even when it works well, let alone when it performs a circus trick.
a 286 gn version of that bullet would be worthwhile in 9.3 for many applications.
the partition was a noble attempt to do a job, and it is good to make big guns shoot small game, but even woodleigh is a better bullet.
bruce.

 

[Professor Mawla]

I couldn't agree with you more Prof. 45 plus yrs of use in all calibers except 22cal. Kinda sounds little the fable about the sky is falling or the Boy who cried Wolf!

@Graham Hunter
Thank you very much . I have no doubt that Mr . Moulds actually had some seriously disconcerting experiences with the Nosler Partition . But I can only say that I have yet to have even one Nosler Partition bullet fail me , in the last 40 years .

 

[bruce moulds]

@bruce moulds
I know you mean well . But if it has not happened to me in 40 years of hunting these things
View attachment 372913
then , I rather doubt that I am going to get mangled anytime soon . I am not saying that no one has ever had Nosler Partition bullets fail . However , it has never ever happened to me .

And yes , I also own 500 grain Swift A Frame soft nosed Norma factory loads for my .458 Winchester Magnum .
View attachment 372914
They work commendably well , but I do not find the Nosler Partition’s performance to be unsatisfactory in anyway .

Many hunters these days are so mesmerized by the performance of modern bullets , that they tend to dismiss older designs as completely unreliable . I can understand this view , but I personally do not agree with it .

again i say, pictures of dead animals or trophies prove nothing.
the fact that you are still posting proves that you are still alive.
when you stop posting, i will suspect that either a tiger or a bovine and a nosler partition have come together in an unsatisfactory manner.
if you have trouble with a swift it will most likely only be due to porr shooting.
bruce.