9.3x62 vs 338 Lapua for African plains game

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New2Milsurp

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Hello everyone!

My brother and I are planning a trip out to Africa to do some plains game hunting. This trip won't be for a while and we would each like to bring our own rifles along with us. We are trying to decide between the 9.3x62 and the 338 Lapua. My question, for those who have used these calibers either in Africa or around the world, is which would you prefer? I'm in the 9.3 camp myself, I like odd cartridges and I hear it kicks a bit less but may suffer from a range deficiency out there because I'm not sure how far the shots will be. My brother favors the 338 but I've heard horror stories about the recoil and I'm not sure how good the ammo availability is out that way (South Africa). We want to get these fire arms this year and practice with them because we both believe we owe the game a clean kill, we just differ on which would work best for that. Any tips or thoughts on this would be appreciated, thank you all!
 
Never been to Africa and never will but most of the people who hunt that type of game do just fine with 7X57, 270, 30-06 class cartridges with some using 7mm and 300 magnums. I don't even see the 338 WM offering any advantage. The 338 Lapua is in it's niche as a 700+yard cartridge for elk size game. It isn't needed at typical ranges for anything.

Your 9.3 makes a lot more sense. At least in some countries it would be technically legal for even the largest game. The 338 caliber is not. Although if there were the possibility of needing to defend myself from dangerous African game I'd go straight to 375 and skip both.
 
Thank you

Thank you for both of your answers! I'm a little confused about why you wouldn't use the .338 for "traditional hunting" but it's a point I'll mention to my brother anyway. The 338 can reach out to 700 like you said, but I think the 9.3 only shoots reliably to 250? 300? Anyway any more info would be great and thank you again for your replies!
 
I am amazed. Savage makes a .338 Lapua Long Range Hunter that only weighs 9.25 lbs bare. Figure 11 lbs with scope, ammo, and sling. It will "only" kick about 25% more than a .338 WM of the same weight. And you can get the Win Mag lighter which means it will recoil more, so the gap is smaller.

Have at it.

P.S. Your PWH will strongly discourage you from taking any 700 yard shots at game. Or 300, probably.
 
Three years ago I worked with a guy who owned an Ultralight Arms chambered in .33 G&A which is a wildcat cartridge that is basically a .338 Lapua Mag. He bought the rifle from a very wealthy individual who has hunted in Africa many times and who had used that rifle for plains game over there. I got to send one round downrange and it was brutal since the rifle and scope weighed less than 7lb and closer to 6lb. According to the original owner the rifle was devastating on everything out past 700 yards. Personally I'd take a .30-06 Sprg or .300 Win Mag.
 
Thank you for the replies and the anecdotes! I have thought about a 30.06 for myself and he has considered a 300 WMG but we both view this as our chance (read: excuse :rolleyes:) to buy a bigger gun. I've looked into some other Euro rounds and he is pretty much a solid U.S. shooter himself. We have both considered the .375 but neither of us think we can handle the recoil very well. Four or five shots? Yea, sure, absolutely but that wont get the gun sighted in, little own let us get proficient with it. As it stands we will probably be modifying whatever rifles we do get, I'm thinking of going with a mercury recoil system, I'm not sure what he has decided on.
 
All I can tell you is when I was planning my hunt, the outfitter said - "Just bring your 30-06, it will take any plains game".
 
If you're gettin a new gun anyway, why not 375 H&H? It's a classic, available in a variety of great rifles, and it'd work great.

Other than that, I'd rather take the 338 Lapua, even if it's a bit less practical for the particular application.
 
Yea, I strongly considered the .375 but from all of the research I've done I think I'd be recoil shy with it. I know you can do some things to mitigate that, one of which is to have a muzzle break but I heard those have to come off on the hunt as most PH's don't want to risk hearing loss.
 
The 9.3x62 will only recoil a little less than the .375, which is about like a 12ga with a heavy duck load, whereas, the .338Lap will recoil like 2x the .375. That's why you only see it in milspec stocks with longish barrels, and muzzle brakes. Typical rifles weigh 16-18lbs intended to be carried by 20yr olds as part of a team...

My .375Ruger HAS been to Africa, and according to previous owner aquited itself very well. It should be at home as well if I ever get to go back to Alaska.
No responsible PH will allow you to plink at big-game over 300yds. His job is to get you into range to safely and efficiently take game humanely.

I'm not even sure most of the African countries would allow you to bring in a .338 Lapua. A known and recognized sporting cartridge is different than an established military specialized weapon. Might not even be allowed to take it out of the country ( U.S. Export laws regarding military application equipment).
I'd get and shoot extensively something less exotic than a .338 Lapua.
An acquaintance who is a MD, and avid duck hunter also goes to Africa every two years with an association doing benevolent work. He combines that with a hunt (enables him to deduct costs of travel, expenses too!); he owns and frequently shoots a MkX Whitworth .458winmag. It weighs 10lbs and recoils less than a Rem. 870 Police 12ga with 1oz. slugs.
Forget the Lapua!

Added; .458 has iron sights. Most shots on big-game in Africa are 50-100yds. Guides and Game agencies frown on wounded/lost animals, and bitten/clawed/stomped hunters!
 
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If you can shoot a 12ga with heavy field loads you can shoot a 375H&H. In a good rifle with a decent stock the recoil is very manageable. In fact in Africa the 375H&H is considered a ladies or youth rifle compared to the big bore rifles. My 375H&H comes in right at 10lbs and is a dream to shoot. The recoil is more like a big shove than a kick. From the bench it can get old but from field positions it is fine.

That is one of the biggest misconceptions about the 375H&H. People think it is punishing on both ends when nothing could be further from the truth.
 
Thank you for your replies! I'll admit, I was not aware that the 375 was considered a "youth or ladies" gun, now I feel sort of silly lol. I guess I like the idea of the 9.3x62 because it's also a neat round, not something everyone has shot or is familiar with. Sometimes it's fun to have the "hugh, what's that?" factor at the range if you know what I mean. Also even if it's just a bit less recoil that might still be worth it to me. I'll pass on what you have all said about the 338 to my brother though, it seems like he really needs to consider a different rifle altogether.
Another question I had, has anyone here had any experience with mercury recoil reduction systems or recoil reducer hydraulic butt plates? I screwed up my back overseas and then when I got back had the misfortune of dropping my motorcycle at about 70mph, sufficient to say my body has done it's duty and then some in the "dents and dings" department and left me pretty shy of heavy recoils.
 
In cases like yours where you don't have any experience (not that I do) ask a local. If the local says 30-06, then that is what I would do. And if I went 30-06 I would take a Ruger American, with a good scope. I assume 30-06 ammo is available there. Does the outfitter have loaner guns? I've read where safari people recommend using loaners just to make the transportation/travel easier, or if that's not an option, bringing a decent yet not overly expensive gun due to the rough environment of a safari. If I brought a Ruger American to Africa, I would also think about selling/trading/gifting it rather than bringing it back, if that was a legal option.
 
I've been fortunate to make 4 hunts in South Africa and Namibia. I used a .35 Whelen Ackley Improved ( with both 250 and 200X bullets) a 300WM ( Barnes 180 xbt) a .340W ( 210 xbt) .375 H&H (with 270gr Failsafes) My 35 Whelen Ackley did the same thing as all of them, even out to 350yds. I did take a springbuk and a gemsbuck in Namibia at 375yds with a 300wm, but only because the goofy people I was with hunted them wrong ( rat patrol style, dive like crazy and get them running!) I had to wait until they stopped and looked back, the ones that did! So yeah, a 9.3x62 will do just fine. A .375 H&H is fun, especially on zebra. But shoot that zebra on the base of the neck with a .270 win with 150gr Partition will drop him too! ha I agree about the 338 lapua, "too much sugar for a dime". I love my 35 Whelen AI, but it has a 22" barrel. A 24" barreled standard 35 Whelen will do the same with good ammo. As will the 9.3x62. Personally, I like the way a medium bore ( 338 cal on up,especially with Barnes bullets) hits heavy game. A good 35 Whelen with Barnes 225x would be just awesome, as a 9.3x62 would be. Unfortunately, as far as factory ammo goes, I have had failure to fire in three 9.3x62 rifles. Handload would be different as the brass would have been fireformed and loaded right. Factory ammo seems to be pretty irregular in the shoulder area. I never had that issue with any 35 Whelen ammo, even standard. A 300WM with 180gr TTSX would be awesome and a true, proven killer. Of all the magnums I used, the 300wm was the most versatile. But again, my 35 WAI did the same with the 200gr X bullet at 350yds! If you use a muzzlebrake, use the quietest one you can find, skip the "holes all around" type! I would use only Barnes TSX, TTSX or Partitions, period. Lots of other good bullets, for sure, but I KNOW what they will do. Have a ball man!
 
Wow, thank you for that in depth analysis! So would you say the 35 Whelen might be better than the 9.3 with factory loads? I don't reload at all (yet, all things are yet lol) and I read it didn't have the same power as a 9.3 but it was only off by a little bit. I didn't really consider it, just didn't interest me, but if they ammo for the 9.3 is not reliable then maybe you put that one on my list. Anyone else have any experience with the 35 Whelen? As a side not that is one of the things I love about these forums (long time lurker) you get so many different answers from people that have actually done things and sometimes it takes you in a completely different direction that where you had started!
 
I've hunted Africa numerous times. "Plains game" is a very broad subject. Depending on where and what you're hunting shots could range from very close to extremely long range. Your 9.3 with a low power variable scope will be perfect for the tight fast shooting stuff and your .338 would be perfect for your open country long range shooting. If you are hunting in the Kwa Zulu Natal which is very much jungle and thick tropical forest your 9.3 is going to get all the action. If you are in the Karoo which is high plains desert then something with some reach is going to be your Huckleberry.

My personal choice for plains game in South Africa are a .308 or a .30-06 and a .375H&H. A lot of the locals I hunt with in South Africa use .308's, .30-06, 7x57, 7mm-08 and everybody seems to have a .375H&H as a second rifle. Remeber that "plain" game can include anything from a 20lb Dikker to a 5,000 lb Giraffe.
 
Oh yea, for a secondary rifle I'm either going with a 308 or one of my 6.5x 55 swedes. I love the swede but around these parts the ammo is more available for the 308.
 
If you are going to Africa, I bet you could stock up on 6.5 in time.

If you think a .375 H&H kicks
I strongly considered the .375 but from all of the research I've done I think I'd be recoil shy with it.
Click to expand...
then I don't think a .338 Lapua is for you, especially not in a sporter weight rifle.

Do you know the difference between .338 Lapua and .338 Winchester?
 
A 9.3 is similar to a .30-06. You can even use .30-06 cases to form 9.3x62 I believe.

When I hunted plains game in Namibia, most shots were between 60 and 200 yards and all I used were a 7x57 Improved and a Model 29 S&W in .44 mag.

I killed 12 animals with the 7x57 and one (a steinbok) with the .44.
9.3x62 ammo is relatively common over there.
 
Sorry, the 338 was for my brother, not for me. Your right, that thing is way outside of my comfort zone recoil wise. Also I need to get hold of him, he said Lapua but he may have been thinking of the other one!
 
So let me ask this, for everyone that has used the 9.3x62 and/or the 35 Whelen and a .375, is the 375 significantly more in the "kick" department? I do not think I would have a problem with a "push" kick but I owned a Ruger 300WM and that things kick frankly hurt, it was very sharp and I ended up selling the gun and picking up a Tikka in 308 which is, to me, far more comfortable. Also, thank you again for all of your replies, I'm really grateful to have such a wide knowledgeable audience to bounce these questions off of!
 
I'd go with the .338 Lapua. It's a more modern round that has superior ballistics not only in range, but also in power. Ammo availability and aftermarket supplies would be much better for it. The sheer energy of the .338 Lapua is simply phenomenal. It would serve you well in Africa.
 
300wm is way more "kick" than a 375. The 375 will let you know it left the building but it is a big shove. Like I said, off the bench is not fun for extended periods of time. I usually check zero with 5 rounds and then move to field positions off the bench. Heck even prone is pleasant. And here is the great thing about 375, it really lends itself to hand loading. From 200gr cast bullet plinking loads to 300gr solid full house loads it can be tailored to fit almost any situation. One world, one 375H&H!
 
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