For some reason the date within my computer was wrong when the time change took place over the weekend. Becuase of that I could not log onto this site. It did not seem to effect anything else except that a number of sent Emails did not show up in logical order when I was looking for them. In anycase this was the intended reply now a bit late since it took me so long to figure out the problem
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There are a number of 9.3's out there. not all have the same case capacity. The 9.3X62 is the middle range case size, there is also a 9.3X74. As you point out, it's very much like a metric 375HH. But now here's the crux of the situation.
Few Americans come with a 9.3 but most Europeans split the choice with a 9.3 using a misc case size, and a 375HH. Another part of the puzzle is that in most cases the PH you have with you will have never met you before and knows nothing of your shooting skills or firearm knowledge. Something that is a bit strange to many American hunters is the low level of experience with ballistics that most African Professional hunters have. I've met less then a handful in my whole career that reload, or really care about the cartridge differences. They know cartridge X works with Bullet X and they use it on everything without another thought. It's not something they dwell on or give any time too. 99% of their experience is from first hand hunting time with clients shooting game and using the rifle, and ammo they bring. Not a bad level of experience, but you certainly have to dig deeper into the science of ballistics and loading ammo to make some fair comparisons.
So keep this thought in mind when I spill the next bit of detail.
Most of the hunters that arrive from Europe with a 9.3 will have Factory ammo. Reloading is no where near the common event in Europe that it is in the USA. Factory 9.3 ammo is much like factory ammo in the USA. Loaded for function in any age rifle from 1906 through today in the case of a 30/06 for example. Getting Factory ammo in many European countries does not involve Swift A Frames, BarnesX Partitions, TBBC, etc Etc. They can come loaded with typical Cup and core European generic Ammo loaded to some limited liability level for any rifle chambered in this cartridge. There are some Premium Euro bullets, but it's a roll of the dice whether they are used!
Now the PH see's you arrive with this cartridge and has the past history of seeing it used by a dozen or more prior hunters.
He's also seen several dozen hunters from America show up with a hot handloaded 375HH's using a premium bullet.
This is where the mind set comes from on the performance he's seen. He has no idea what has gone on inside that case, or what the details are on the loading. He simply does not care and has no functional knowledge of the ability to create additional performance in a case, or with a bullet choice. ( Hence the reason so many PH's still prefer solids, they have seen way to many cup and core bullets break up)
Now compare the basic load from a factory cup and core 9.3 to a custom tuned handload with a premium bullet in a 375HH. It's not that the handloaded 9.3X62 will not work. It's the mind set and the knowledge of the past events that put this PH into this mental state or backup shooting mode. It's not at all that the 9.3 loaded as well cannot work equally, it's the past experience that he's going on. It also will not matter what you try to explain to him ahead of time with your loads and bullet choice. He's heard the line's from countless hunters in the past about how great they shoot, and how fine their rifles are. The great majority of hunters coming to camp have this need to boast about the rifle, scope and ammo they have as if it were their own child.
Shortly after these amazing stories about skills and equipment the first shot at 80 yards freehand is a miss. No credibility is given to a single hunter until the game is dumped 3-5 times or so. Then he may ask about the rifle, scope or load. Prior to that he's heard the same line of crap about handloads and equipment 100 times before.
So at the end of the day the credibility of the hunter is only known after the hunt, never prior to seeing him shoot. Raving about custom handloads is not going to impress or sway the opinion of any PH. They only know what they have seen in the past. You and I and many readers here may know what is possible, and we know what the results will be. ........But,....... It's being averaged against lots of others with the same choice that may not have had the same exact load or equipment.
