This is related to a comment on another thread. The poster claimed the bullet selection for the 9.3 was better than the .358 unless you count pistol bullets.
Pishposh thought I so I randomly picked Midsouth and counted 36 .358 RIFLE bullets available across brands and 25 9.3 offerings. Just sayin'
Thomas
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9.3 is uncommon in the US. I know many members here have them. But if you're not reloading you don't have one. 35 caliber rifles are extremely common. And so are the bullets to feed them. It may be different in other countries. There are no local stores by me that carry any 9.3 bullets.
Heck anymore, and less and less, the good old gunshop and stores don't carry nearly the inventory they once did. So I say to you that's why you buy off the internet with like Midwayusa, Mid South Shooters, etc.. Bullets can be gotten easy that way and more them likely cheaper.Originally Posted by dragon813gt
That little larger bullet diameter, in my opinion, makes the 9.3's better then the 35's.
They don't stock what they don't sell. They always have 22, 30, 35, 44 and 45 cal bullets. So it's not like they don't have any to sell. 9.3 isn't popular in this country. I would bet the common gun owner has never even heard of the cartridges.
I just checked Midway. The listing is 34 for the 358 and 28 for the 9.3.
According to the Sierra bullet site no bullets for the 9.3 at all
According to the Hornady site 4 bullets for the .358 and 3 for the 9.3
According to Speer 3 for .358 one for 9.3
According to Nosler 3 for the .358 and 2 for the 9.3
Last edited by tazman; 11-29-2017 at 06:27 PM.
But you do get all that added frontal area from a bullet that is wider by the thickness of 2 human hairs...
If you live on the razor's edge and slip, you will die in two pieces
I just checked Barnes.
2 for 358 winchester
2 for 35 whelen
2 for 350 Remington magnum
4 for 9.3x62
3 for 9.3x74R
for me I do like my 9.3x62mm Mauser it shoots good, I built with a friend, but I all ready have a .338-06 and a .375 H&H Mag. so it was some thing for grown men to play with, I would not build it tell Hornady offered brass and bullets, Factory ammo is easy enough to get with PPU and Hornady producing it. But there is many more offerings for the .35 Whelen from all component makers, I do want to hunt Africa so I am more worried about what is available on the other side of the world for a once in a life time hunt if part of my baggage was to get lost. As for the lower 48 I would stick with the .35 Whelen I don't see the need for the 285 to 300gr bullet here
I think that diameter is a worthy attribute in any rifle caliber, but when talking about the .358 vs 9.3 consideration of the usual case of powder behind it is still important. Other than the 350 Remington magnum (which more are either retired, or in a collection never to be shot again), only the 35 Whelen is left to carry the mantle of a "35" heavy hitter anymore as far as a practicle caliber found with any regularity in the field. As far as my opinion on picking a caliber weighted mostly in favor due to its collective fodder selection only makes me think I have become too specialized, or I am past that point where I attempt to have one or two guns cover all my hunting bases. Frankly the 35 Whelen is a great cartridge, considering it comes in a small non-magnum unbelted case, and for most needs here in America including Alaska it does a fine job with out kickin the snot out of you and therefore one's aim tends to be better. But, a 9.3 settled into a 9.3x62 case, also a non-magnum, unbelted is right up there in the power range of the 375 H&H which when fired is very, very impressive when considering it beside the three other calibers of rifle lineage of .358. The Winchester 358, 35 Whelen and the 350 Remington magnum. The only thing that counts to me is does it get the job done exceeding well.......and I think the 9.3x62 is very, very, tuff to beat.
Perspective is everything. If the .35 Whelen were loaded with a 300 gr bullet the 14 grs difference would offset that frontal area......
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Yup...I plan on trying out some 300grn Woodleighs in my 35 Whelen AI. It will be back from the smith next week. I don't think it will give much up to the 9.3.
If you live on the razor's edge and slip, you will die in two pieces
the 9.3x62 the has more muzzle energy and velocity then the regular 35 Whelen and the 9.3 can do it with a 310 grain bullet. I haven't checked out what the 35 Whelen AI can do.
What twist you getting the barrel in? With those longer 300 grain bullets a 14 twist may be the one to go with.
The advantage may be tiny but the 300 gr .358 bullet has higher sectional density and that is a big factor in penetration I'm told. The difference between the .35 Whelen and the 9.3 Bock is akin to the difference between the .300 Savage and .308 Win-not a lot.
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It is tiny, very tiny. This is from Woodleigh's website. The 310 .358 bullet has an SD of .346 and BC of .458. The 320 .366 bullet has an SD of .341 and BC of .458. But I'll tell you the .366 bullet is a PP SP, in a RN SP the BC is the only number that changes and it is .359.
A perfect comparison would be between a 170 gain bullet in a 30-30 and a 32 Winchester Special.
Last edited by vzerone; 11-30-2017 at 02:01 AM.
All I know is that various 9.3s have killed everything that lives in Africa.
A 9.3x62 edges a 35W, a 9.3x64 or 74 blows it away and a 9.3x66 (370 SAKO) ---- well you figure it out.
As far as boolit/bullet selection goes, yup there are more 358s like the Bear killing 148 gr wadcutter.
I own/owned both, they both work fine. It's a debate about as significant to boolit slingers as the 270 vs 280 debate or 7x57 vs 7mm08.
This one is a 1:14 Pac-Nor. Based on QuickLoad, I should be able to launch the 310 Woodleigh at 2400FPS, but that is beyond the design limit of the bullet. I think the 275 PP @ 2500 would be better (out of a 22" barrel). Most data I have seen for the 9.3 puts them neck and neck.
Last edited by 5Shot; 11-30-2017 at 03:08 AM.
If you live on the razor's edge and slip, you will die in two pieces
the 22 Long Rifle has killed everything in Africa, even buffalo and elephant under 'special conditions. What is legal and what works when conditions are 'normal' or 'not so good' is the real concern. How well do you shoot ? How icy are you when making the shot? Will your bullet get to the place you expect it to? How good is game anatomy? Mostly caliber discussion is quibbling. A 140 to 200 grain bullet 6.5mm, .270, 7mm, .30, .31, 8mm going 2000fps to 3000 fps will kill most 'deer-sized' game. Whatever makes you happy and does not wound or cripple game is fine.
You would be be better off with the 275PP. The 9.3 also would be better with the lighter bullet.
As Lucifers said the 9.3 is allowed to hunt big game in some areas of Africa, the .358 isn't. They have their reasons.
I'm not likely to ever go to Africa, so for me it doesn't really matter. I have nothing against the 9.3, but I surely don't buy into the argument that it is head and shoulders above the 35 Whelen. In fact, if you look at the Nosler load data, the Whelen bests the 9.3x62 (with a 250grn bullet), while using 1grn less powder. I am sure that the Nosler Data is just anecdotal, but a 0.04% increase in cross sectional area and equal velocity certainly doesn't make one a killer and the other an honorable mention.
Bullet selection here in the US is better for the Whelen, and it will kill anything in NA. If I was going to Africa, I would definitely get a 9.3, but there is no way you can convince me it is a superior round. For the bigger 9.3s there's always the 358 Norma Mag to compete against.
Last edited by 5Shot; 11-30-2017 at 01:44 PM.
If you live on the razor's edge and slip, you will die in two pieces
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