doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Sellier & Bellot 9.3x72R?

I am just curious, is Sellier & Bellot's 9.3x72R suitable for old BP proofed cape guns and drillings? Or is it for Nitro-proofed guns only? At $2.50 a round it's nowhere near cheap, but I still might want a box of it to try before I have to start loading my own cartridges.

If it's not suitable, is there any other 9.3x72R there is that I can buy? (Hopefully less expensive!)

Thanks,
Chaz

IMO I won't try it thru my BP Proofed DR's! Get some Norma brass and build some loads. Buffalo Arms has cast 193 grn bullets and most supplies needed.

Chaz, RWS and I think Norma still make it. I would suspect that the S & B will be the cheapest. You can always pull the bullets and reload with black powder. It is a matter of working out the cheapest and best option. The 9.3X72R sounds impressive but was a relatively low power round. It was intended for use for small deer such as the European Roe Deer. It is commonly found as the under barrel on older drillings. Lagopus.....

Thanks everyone, if S & B is too "hot" for a BP gun I guess I'll have to load some if I want to shoot it.

So, what are some BP loads for the 9.3x72R?

S & B says around 1,950 fps for their loads, what fps would be reasonable to get with a BP hunting load with the 193 grain bullets?

Thanks again,
Chaz

http://gadcustomcartridges.com/


Chaz, this guy is a custom loader, and will load/reload practically anything you need...Geo

Thanks for the link Geo! He also has a great price on the lead balls and mini's I've been needing to get.

Thanks again,
Chaz

As loaded by S&B (and RWS) the 9.3x72R is essentialy a Nitro for Black loading and I have been using it in my BP guns for years. IMHO of course.
With kind regards,
Jani

http://www.starsandstripesammo.com/index2.html Stars and Stripes has it on their custom ammunition list. They might be willing to keep to requirements for a BP rifle.

Thanks Jani, it makes sense that they would be loaded to BP pressures, seeing as most 9.3x72R guns were BP proofed, or at least a lot were. In fact I searched around and found this to be the consensus, and several mentioned "hot" Nitro-only loadings of 2,200-2,300fps that used to be made.

And at standard 1,950fps loading it's still not exactly what I'd call weak in my book. The 30-30 and especially 35 Remington are regarded as great deer cartridges out to 100-150 yards, and the S&B 9.3x72R is very similar to the 35 Remington as to power and bullet weight and size. If I ever start hunting I don't anticipate taking any shots at over sixty yards, so it should serve me well.

I guess it's this day and age, really. The 44-40 when it came out, was considered great for large game, which was a 200 grain bullet at 1,200fps. And from what I read, at will go in one side of a deer and come out the other reliably. Cast hollow point 30-30's at 2,000fps are said to be too much for deer at 100 yards (too much ruined meat). So I guess we must ask, "just how much more dead can dead be?", and "how much is actually gained by having the bullet go another three miles and through two trees and a house after exiting the animal?".

Anyway, enough ranting...

Thanks again,
Chaz

Thanks for the link, I'll shoot them a message and see what their price is for it.

Chaz