thumb|From left to right 9.3×62mm, [[.30-06 Springfield, 8mm Mauser, 6.5×55mm and .308 Winchester cartridges.]]

thumb|Norma Oryx Soft Point cartridges in plastic holder (producer [[Norma Precision AB, Sweden)]]

The 9.3×62mm (also known as 9.3×62mm Mauser) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge designed in 1905 by German gunmaker Otto Bock. It is suitable for hunting medium to large game animals in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. At a typical velocity of 720 m/s (2362 ft/s), its 286 gr (18.5 g) standard load balances recoil and power for effective use at 250m (275 yds) to 300m (328 yds). The C.I.P. Maximum Average Pressure (MAP) for the 9.3×62mm is .

The 9.3×62mm was designed to fit into the Mauser 98 bolt-action rifle.

In England, Kynoch, the well-known cartridge manufacturer, produced ammunition, referring to the 9.3×62mm as "9.3mm Mauser". Typically it was loaded as "metal covered soft nose bullet", , with the base marked simply "Kynoch 9.3 mm". This is no longer listed by them.

Elsewhere

In several European countries, the 9.3×62mm remains a popular cartridge for hunting game like moose and wild boar, and it is offered as a standard chambering in rifles from most makers there. The CZ-USA CZ 550 rifle in 9.3×62mm chambering became available in North America in 2002, and both rifle and cartridge are gaining a strong following there, as the cartridge has a slight power edge over the popular .35 Whelen cartridge. In the US, several ammunition makers including Federal, Hornady, Nosler, and Swift offer factory-loaded 9.3×62mm sporting ammunition.

Since surplus Scandinavian and European Mausers were brought to Canada in 9.3 calibre in the early 1950s, Canadian hunters have used the 9.3×62mm cartridge to hunt large game including bison, all the deer species, and large bears. In recent years, CZ of Czech Republic, as well as SAKO and Tikka of Finland have imported many 9.3×62mm rifles to Canada and US where demand continues to be high.

Adequacy

The 9.3×62mm is considered ideal for hunting the larger and tougher African game species, such as lions, leopards, gemsboks, elands, and wildebeests. Most hunters consider it a viable all-around cartridge comparable to .338 Winchester Magnum, 9.3×64mm Brenneke, .35 Whelen and .375 H&H Magnum. The 9.3×62mm has taken cleanly every dangerous game species in Africa. Though it is of smaller bore than the legal minimum .375 calibre for dangerous game in most countries, many countries specifically make an exception for the 9.3×62mm. The 9.3×62mm is considered adequate for European and North American game animals that may become dangerous, such as feral hogs and bears.

Sambar hunters in Australia turned to the 9.3×62mm due to the Federal Government's 1996 ban on self-loading rifles. Thousands of deer hunters at once needed bolt-action rifles which delivered one-shot knockdown power on sambar, and the 9.3×62mm calibre has proven to be well up to that task.

Apart from hunting class 3 game, the 9.3×62mm is often used for last resort defense against dangerous class 3 game, particularly the great bears including brown and polar bears. It is often carried by fishermen, hunters, and guides in European arctic regions like Greenland for protection as encounters with these larger bear species can be common.

See also

  • 9.3×74mmR
  • 9.3×64mm Brenneke
  • .338 Winchester Magnum
  • .35 Whelen
  • .350 Remington Magnum
  • .358 Norma Magnum
  • .358 Winchester
  • .375 H&H Magnum
  • 9 mm caliber
  • List of rifle cartridges
  • Table of handgun and rifle cartridges

References

  • A Most Marvelous Metric – The 9.3mm holds the light heavyweight crown among European bore sizes and should be more popular stateside than it is – by Craig Boddington
  • Jagen Weltweit, Die Patrone 9,3x62 by Norbert Klups (German)
  • 9.3x62 – Otto Bock's Cartridge http://www.africanxmag.com/otto_bock%27s_cartridge.htm