9.3 x 62 Mauser Journal, Waitati (2026)

04/06/2026

Subject: Verdigris PPU 9.3x62 ammunition
by Laurie Colgrave

Following Dayne Horrigan having serious problems with his rifle, I took on board warnings about propellant breaking down, [Posted 12 July 2025 & 26 July 2025]

Initially I contacted the distributor, however I was redirected to my Gunshop. They took my PPU 9.3x62 ammunition off me with a proposal for credit once the distributor looked at the ammunition.

I had previously dismantled one box of 20, LOT 1303, based on the corrosion evident on the outside of my cases. My ammunition had not deteriorated to the level shown by Dayne though, however every case had had telltale green corrosion at the case head on the inside as well as corrosion at the shoulder which impacted on the base of the bullet.

Additionally, most of the cases had a cloudy white covering on the inside of the case.
After nine months of inaction from the gunshop, I requested my ammunition back & I began dismantling the cartridges to save both cases & projectiles. I have two Lots 1303 & 1604 the 1303 showing plenty of corrosion on the outside of the cases. I have dismantled 140 cartridges with the following findings:
• 98.0% of these cases were impacted by green corrosion
• the propellant was dull (as opposed to the usual shiny) to view & a percentage of the hulls were breaking down to smaller pieces with colour variations of propellant in each cartridge
• every single projectile was impacted with significant green corrosion
I retrieved 110 cases from the 140. I culled all cases where the corrosion had penetrated to the outside of the case & every case where the case head showed outside corrosion even minor. To clean these cases after projectile/primer removal, I found a battery drill with an oversize nylon barrel brush the most effective as the corrosion coating was well stuck to the case walls.

I have cleaned up the projectiles with a well worn 1000 grit sanding belt, although there are much better projectiles around they will do a job on lighter animals.

I expect the Lot 1604 ammunition to be less affected based upon external appearance.
Greetings
Laurie Colgrave

26/04/2026

By: the late Rob Forrester

250gr Nosler Accubond
60grVihtavouri N540

We were going to just check my 9.3 loads for my CZ 9.3 before we start hunting this year. We were early, so I decided to just drive by and check the fields, as the renegade eland have been around creating damage to the crops. Lo-and-behold there were two bulls, the same two problem eland [that was causing trouble in the orchards]

They took off up the mountain but stopped to look back for a second or two. They were on Scott's side of the truck so he jumped out and took a rest on the door with my 9.3. We didnt have time to range so I told him it is about 250m; and as they turned to go, he sent a 250 gr Nosler Accubond through the rear one's shoulders; end of story. The bullet passed right through and we saw dust further on, where it had hit the slope. It was a good size mature bull.

RELOADING:
For reloads, SAKO and PMP cases are used. I get 60gr off Vihtavouri N540 behind a 250gr Accubond for 2550fps. The bullets are just touching the powder in PMP cases. PMP cases has the bigger volume for 9.3 x 62.

I have never used Somchem S341[IMR 4895 equivalent], I didn't feel it was good for the 9.3x62.

Vitavouri N540 is a much better and efficient powder than Somchem S341, I believe; it easily pushes 250gr bullets to 2600 with slightly compressed loads.

I seat the 250gr Nosler Accubond to cannelure and crimp with not even 1% compressed.
-
POST SCRIPT:
Prior to his passing, Rob and son Scott were hunting problem animals for farmers in the Bethlehem/ Fouriesburg regions.
This recount depicts a day in their lives. We hope you enjoyed it.

10/02/2026

The 7x57 Ma**er might be regarded "out of fashion", but I am proud to have been able to "rescue" this old hunting rifle.
"7x57 Ma**er is the definition of elegance with power. Accuracy, authority and comfort can live in the same cartridge."-
Gunman Ballistic

06/02/2026

Friends, this is the 2nd last post of Laurie Colgrave's adventures with the 9.3x62. We hope you are enjoying it so far and find useful information out of his valued contributions.

My Custom 9.3x62 Journey
[CONTINUED]
By Laurie Colgrave
*Trials

Photo included was provided by Dayne Horrigan - Scrub Bull hunted with 250gr Atomic 29 Monolithic bullet.

After reading about these bullets in the ‘9.3x62 Journal’, following Dayne Horrigan’s fantastic adventures in Cape York up north, I have recently trialled Atomic 29 monometal copper projectiles made in Australia.

The Oz Atomic 29 250gn bullets seem to perform on par with Woodleigh 286gn bullets. I use these bullets for heavy hoofed game like Water Buffalo and Scrub bulls (feral cattle) with great effect.

Like the similar Barnes X bullets (which I have not used) I have found the 250gn Atomic 29 bullets very reliable penetrators on heavy game at all practical ranges.

The additional benefit of these bullets is the flatter trajectory due to 800m/s (2624Fps) starting velocity. I have been told by the manufacturer of Atomic 29, Cameron Strachan, that these bullets will reliably expand at longer ranges, which until recently, has been restrictive for the Barnes X bullets.

*Cartridge Comparisons
338 Win Mag
Hunting scrub bulls and donkeys, I have used my 9.3x62 in tandem with my Sako AV .338 Wi******er Magnum. As you know, preference is a personal thing, I found that the rifles were quite close in weight, however the .338WM exhibited significantly more muzzle blast and felt recoil, which more than offset the advantage of slightly flatter trajectory out to 300m.

The cartridges performed similarly when using Woodleigh projectiles (.338 Win Mag 250gn vs 9.3 286gn) however, the 9.3 may bump them a bit harder in close. Consequently the .338WM has been moved on.

*308 Norma Magnum
When comparing the 9.3x62 to a .308 Norma Magnum on a recent hunting trip with a friend, the comparison had very negative outcomes for the .308 Norma as the bulls always took several back up shots to anchor them. These shots were taken 0-100m mostly on moving bulls using 220gn Woodleigh bullets which were penetrating adequately however, the impact reaction and the follow up run, took them hundreds of metres away. I thought the 300 Magnum class cartridge was insufficient for this sized animal in all but perfect shooting situations.

*416 Taylor
In addition, I use my ’98 .416 Taylor on water buffalo and scrub bulls occasionally. I find the .416 Taylor generally more decisive, however my lighter 9.3x62 supports the old 9.3 vs .375 H&H argument, as it [9.3] handles more fluently for quick, running shots.

At 0.5 kg lighter, it is less of a burden to carry all day.

31/01/2026

My Custom 9.3x62 Journey
By Laurie Colgrave
[CONTINUED]

*Heavy Bullets
My new 9.3x62 is accurate with almost any ammo I use. I am a handloader and experience that the rifle loves the Woodleigh 250gn, 286gn & 320gn pills made here in OZ. The Speer 270gn also shoots very accurately in my new 9.3x62.

When shooting buffalo bulls or big wild scrub bulls (‘bos taurus’) I mostly use the Woodleigh 286gn Protected Point (PP) at about 740m/s (2424fps) or the 320gn PP at about 720m/s (2362fps).

Pe*******on of the 286gn bullet is adequate in close (50m-) with bullets getting to the opposite side of the chest cavity, I have not achieved full pe*******on on any of these bigger blokes to date.

The Round Nose soft point Woodleigh bullets are tremendous, however they prefer lower impact velocities which can limit my flexibility if I am encountering brumbies or donkeys where ranges in open country can be as far as 300m.
I have loaded some FMJ & Woodleigh Hydros for back-up however I have not needed this insurance to date due to the effectiveness of the Woodleigh Soft Point bullets.

*Light Bullets
When shooting smaller animals like brumbies & donkeys a shot on the shoulder(upper leg) is very emphatic. They drop at the shot and expire almost immediately.
As the 9.3x62 is more than sufficient for boar, any shot to the central chest area has immediate effect. Of course, these fellas are often encountered on the run where a shot is landing a bit further back, it will anchor them in 20-30m. When using lighter soft nose bullets in 232g - 250gn weights the results on boar is very dynamic, they just get clobbered.
[TO BE CONTINUED]

24/01/2026

My Custom 9.3x62 Journey
By Laurie Colgrave
[Continued]

In a reasonable weight rifle less than 4.0kg, loaded with scope & sling the 9.3x62 Cartridge offers effective dispatch of large bovines right down to boar.
IN THE FIELD
*Shot Placement
I have [since] adjusted my shot placement after previously shooting for behind the shoulder.

Where shots behind the leg (through lungs) result in more back-up shooting as well as the animal travelling hundreds of metres before going down. I now find that big buffalo and scrub bulls taking shots through the upper leg rarely move more than 10m after the shot, generally circling away from the injured leg and going down quite quickly. Additionally, quicker dispatch means less likelihood of an unfortunate confrontation.

In terms of shot placement, I now shoot directly above the front leg, just above the position of the heart and below the scapula when shooting bovine. This allows some insurance if my shot is not perfect whilst delivering a bullet to the vitals when shooting side on (preferred).

However, if the side on shot cannot be achieved, the 9.3x62 delivers plenty of pe*******on and whack with front-on lower chest shots to allow for quick kill.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

14/01/2026

My Custom 9.3x62 Journey
[Continued]

By Laurie Colgrave

I used the old Tikka for many years. It was reliable with plenty of notches and was only sold recently. But having had occasional feed problems with the Tikka, the Tikka was not an ideal rifle for hunting dangerous game however. It eventually lead me to building a purpose built rifle in my new favourite calibre, 9.3x62; so the custom-build emerged with the goal of an African Safari.

I met a fussy gunsmith called Charlie Curley. He runs Custom Rifle Co. in Townsville. Charlie guided me through the extensive custom build process and we agreed that we both liked the classic ‘Rigby’ style rifles of 100 years ago with the Ma**er ’98 action as the platform. The stock is English walnut, grown in Victoria, Australia. The work was done by Tasmanian artisan Gordon Cusens.

As I wish to eventually pass on the rifle to one of my sons the details of the build were developed jointly as the build progressed; but with focus on practicality for hard use with the desired aesthetics.

LEFT: A Water buffalo that fell to a 250gr Atomic 29 bullet

*Sights
I have used my rifle with its express sights, with a 1.75-6x32 Leupold scope as well as an Aimpoint red dot when chasing hard running feral boar. My recently acquired side by side Merkel 140 in 9.3x74R does most of the open-sight work.
Each sight has its strength however my aging eyes prefer the scope. I use the Talley quick detachable mount system to interchange scope whenever the environment changes & the red dot is more suitable (ie. running game in thicker cover).
[TO BE CONTINUED]

03/01/2026

My Custom 9.3x62 Journey
By: Laurie Colgrave

[During a culling exersize] A mob of three young scrub bulls trotted into the waterhole, but we were all set up with the [270 Speer bullet] “donkey load”.

Three shots later to the lower chest (heart) behind front legs, three similar sized Bulls [were down]. None moved more than 40m. About 20 days culling for a large pastoral property yielded 193 donkeys, 91 brumbies, 3 bulls, 2 pigs (boar) 1 dingo (native dog) all with 9.3x62’s.
I have culled more than 300 large animals using 9.3x62 and now 9.3x74R, ranging from feral pigs weighing about 100kg, to feral donkeys 200+kg, feral horses 350+kg, scrub bulls 700+kg & water buffalo 800+kg.

In northern Australia feral horses smash fences and attack property livestock on farms of disgruntled graziers. Finding that my trusty 270 Win was not up for quick dispatches when culling feral horses (brumbies), after some research, I bought a 2nd hand 9.3x62, Tikka Model 65 rifle in 2005.

Previously, the smaller calibres had performed adequately with undisturbed animals and precise shot placement. However, constant hunting pressure has changed this ideal conditions. Now alert and moving, the animals are more difficult to kill effectively even when shots are good; often, after receiving a shot, they will travel up to 200m before expiring.

Shooting distances on brumbies are now consistently around the 200m mark, which seems to be the comfort zone for them as they primarily use eyesight for defence.

With the change to the 9.3x62, the immediate reaction was noticable and was a big step-up with stopping power on these animals, weighing about 350+kg. I find the 9.3 also crunches feral donkeys at all practical ranges too.

Additionally I have found that with careful shooting at close range, the 9.3x62 is also more than capable of handling large feral cattle (scrub bulls) and water buffalo weighing 600-800kg.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

02/01/2026

SPOOR
By: Dayne Horrigan

SCRUB Bull (Feral cattle)
LOAD: 62gns of 2208

I was very fortunate to get my hands on a box of 250gn Spoors. These bullets have a solid shank with a bonded lead core frontal section, similar to Northforks and Rhinos.

I was lucky enough to take a heap of boars, 2 scrub-bulls, 3 brumbies and quite a few dingos.

Regarding the 2 bulls taken. One was broadside at roughly 120m, the Spoor hit him in the shoulder which dropped him on the spot but a finishing shot was needed to kill him. I recovered the bullet under the skin on the opposite side. The second bull was taken at about 80m with a point-of-the-shoulder shot, angling through his body. By the time I had got to him he was dead.

I think the South African made Spoor bullets are a great strongly constructed bullet.
Average retained weight: 213gns

17/12/2025

250gn SPOOR
By: Dayne Horrigan

BRUMBIES (Feral Horse)
LOAD: 62gns of 2208

I was very fortunate to get my hands on a box of 250gn Spoors. These bullets have a solid shank with a bonded lead core frontal section, similar to Northforks and Rhinos.
I was lucky enough to take a heap of boars, 2 scrub-bulls, 3 brumbies and quite a few dingos.

The 250gr Spoor projectiles fully penetrated all the brumbies as these were taken with broadside shots between 100 and 150m. I think the Spoors are a great strongly constructed bullet .

Average retained weight: 213gns

TO BE CONTINUED-

9.3 x 62 Mauser Journal

04/06/2026

26/04/2026

10/02/2026

06/02/2026

31/01/2026

24/01/2026

14/01/2026

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17/12/2025

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