DanielOwenLynch
Member
I bought a 9.3x62 several years ago to be my do-all for Africa. I finally booked a trip to the Limpopo for this coming August. I'd never heard of Hammer when I bought the rifle, and worked up very good loads with 286 gr Interbond, 286 gr A Frame, and 285 gr Oryx.
Now the issue. I was doing some work lengthening the stock and noticed a crack just forward of the trigger. Well. Not cool. Ordered a Boyd's, but ended up having to take the rifle to Gordy & Sons in Houston to have the inletting finished (pillars did not line up between stock and receiver, beyond my kin to resolve that). They're also bedding it and polishing a high spot off the extractor. It's now mid-Feb, and no idea when the 9.3 is going to be finished. I need to get in a lot of practice off of sticks before I go.
Alternates - 404 Jeffery. I'm only considering this because I might have a chance at a cape buffalo, which my PH is fine with the A Frames out of my 9.3. Anyway, I have a good load for the 400 gr bonded DGX. They are, unfortunately, unobtanium. In any case, nothing else I'm hunting (wildebeest, gemsbok, zebra, bushbuck, warthog, impala, steenbok, common duiker) needs that much pill, and I haven't put that many rounds downrange with it. I corresponded with Steve Davis about the 400 gr Shock Hammers, and that's what I'll work on if I decide to bring the 404.
I'm really leaning towards my 280AI and just skipping the opportunity entirely for the buff this year. I already have 2 good loads worked up for it: 160 gr A Frames and 175 gr Partitions. My supply of both of those is very low, and they're also unobtanium.
My question is on the load data published by Hammer for the 159 gr SH. I use Gordon's Reloading Tool for non-published loads, and its calculations usually come up pretty conservatively on pressure/MV (if the calculation shows 2700 fps, for example, not uncommon for my magnetospeed to show 2550 or 2600). I've got a boatload of IMR 4831, but GRT shows Hammer's starting load of 53 gr at what I consider quite an anemic MV of only about 2650 fps. This is for a 22" barrel with a 9.5 twist.
I also have quite a bit of 2000MR (used for my 9.3), H4350, and Ramshot Magnum.
I originally bought this rifle to hunt out west for elk and mulies, so I want a load that'll easily reach 400 yards, preferably with about 2000 fpe left in the tank when it gets there. Said that to say I'm not overly concerned about MV for this trip - Limpopo shooting distances are usually between about 50 and 150 yards, maybe 200. But they don't call blue wildebeest "the poor man's cape buffalo" for nothing. Zebra and gemsbok are both likewise pretty tough.
Now the issue. I was doing some work lengthening the stock and noticed a crack just forward of the trigger. Well. Not cool. Ordered a Boyd's, but ended up having to take the rifle to Gordy & Sons in Houston to have the inletting finished (pillars did not line up between stock and receiver, beyond my kin to resolve that). They're also bedding it and polishing a high spot off the extractor. It's now mid-Feb, and no idea when the 9.3 is going to be finished. I need to get in a lot of practice off of sticks before I go.
Alternates - 404 Jeffery. I'm only considering this because I might have a chance at a cape buffalo, which my PH is fine with the A Frames out of my 9.3. Anyway, I have a good load for the 400 gr bonded DGX. They are, unfortunately, unobtanium. In any case, nothing else I'm hunting (wildebeest, gemsbok, zebra, bushbuck, warthog, impala, steenbok, common duiker) needs that much pill, and I haven't put that many rounds downrange with it. I corresponded with Steve Davis about the 400 gr Shock Hammers, and that's what I'll work on if I decide to bring the 404.
I'm really leaning towards my 280AI and just skipping the opportunity entirely for the buff this year. I already have 2 good loads worked up for it: 160 gr A Frames and 175 gr Partitions. My supply of both of those is very low, and they're also unobtanium.
My question is on the load data published by Hammer for the 159 gr SH. I use Gordon's Reloading Tool for non-published loads, and its calculations usually come up pretty conservatively on pressure/MV (if the calculation shows 2700 fps, for example, not uncommon for my magnetospeed to show 2550 or 2600). I've got a boatload of IMR 4831, but GRT shows Hammer's starting load of 53 gr at what I consider quite an anemic MV of only about 2650 fps. This is for a 22" barrel with a 9.5 twist.
I also have quite a bit of 2000MR (used for my 9.3), H4350, and Ramshot Magnum.
I originally bought this rifle to hunt out west for elk and mulies, so I want a load that'll easily reach 400 yards, preferably with about 2000 fpe left in the tank when it gets there. Said that to say I'm not overly concerned about MV for this trip - Limpopo shooting distances are usually between about 50 and 150 yards, maybe 200. But they don't call blue wildebeest "the poor man's cape buffalo" for nothing. Zebra and gemsbok are both likewise pretty tough.
