Hornady recently added this grand old cartridge to its family of top-quality ammunition, and ammo loaded by Norma is also available. I have not tried the Norma ammo, but the Hornady 286-grain load averaged close to MOA in the test rifle and exceeded its velocity rating of 2300 fps by enough to get my attention. When it comes to handloading the 9.3x74R, most of what I have already said about suitable primers, powders, and bullets for the 9.3x62mm applies here as well, so I won’t repeat myself.

The 9.3x62mm Mauser round was designed for use in bolt-action rifles.

I do not own a rifle in 9.3x74mm, but a friend who does came to my rescue by allowing me to shoot various loads in his rifle for this report. His is a Browning B-78 single-shot. It left the factory sometime during the early 1980s in .30-06 and was later rebored and rechambered. He bought the rifle at a gun show and has no idea what gunsmith did the work, but it proved to be more accurate than my Sako with a couple of loads, so there is no question about the quality of the work.

Both extremely expensive and entirely affordable rifles in 9.3x74R are available. Starting at the top of the price range are the Beretta Express SSO and the Rizzini Express over-under doubles, the Merkel side-by-side boxlock, and various combination guns from the same company. Available single-shot rifles include the Blaser K95, the Ruger No. 1, and the Model 1885 High Wall from Ballard Rifle & Cartridge. SSK Industries offers barrels for the T/C Encore rifle, and I plan to add one of those to my battery in the near future. Another option is to rebarrel a Browning 1885 or Ruger No. 1.

9.3 x 74R LOADS
BULLET	POWER (Type	POWER (Grs.)	VELOCITY (fps.)
	Rechambered, rebored Browning B-78
Norma 232-gr. Oryx	N-202	60.0	2518
Barnes 250-gr. Triple Shock	IMR-4064	58.0	2464
Nosler 250-gr. Ballistic Tip	Varget	57.0	2568
Swift 250-gr. A-Frame	Reloder 15	60.0	2634
Swift 250-gr. A-Frame	Reloder 15	58.0	2538
Lapua 270-gr. Naturalis	H335	59.0	2543
Speer 270-gr. SS	H380	60.0	2531
Barnes 286-gr. Triple-Shock	H380	57.0	2319
Nosler 286-gr. Partition	VV N140	55.0	2210
Swift 300-gr. A-Frame	Reloder 19	62.0	2274
Hornady 286-gr. PSN	Factory Load		2376
Notes: Velocity is the average of five or more rounds measured 12 feet from the muzzle of a 24-inch barrel. Hornady cases and CCI 200 primers were used in all loads. Powder charges are maximum and should be reduced by 10 percent for starting loads.

Of the few rifles in 9.3x74mm I have examined through the years, the one carried by a Finnish moose hunter was one of the more interesting. A Bockdrilling built during the 1920s by the German firm of Heym, its barrels were in 16 gauge, 5.6x36R (or .22 Hornet as we call it), and 9.3x74R. Originally fitted with open sights at the factory, it had later been quipped with a low-powered scope of Russian manufacture. According to that hunter, the 16-gauge barrel and Brenneke slug loads had accounted for a couple dozen wild boar. The 5.6x36R barrel had bagged more capercaillie than he would admit to. And the 9.3x74R barrel had bumped off at least one moose every year since he bought the rifle just before the outbreak of World War II in Europe.

When I asked him how he managed to sight-in three barrels chambered for cartridges of such varying velocities to a common impact point, he said the rifle was already zeroed when he bought it, so he had never touched the adjustments of the scope. Silly me for asking—the very next day he dropped a moose at about 90 meters with a single shot.

If you haven’t given the 9.3 cartridges much consideration, maybe now is the time to do just that. Any versatile hunting cartridge that is as popular in Africa as the .30-30 is here certainly deserves a serious look. After all, there’s not a game animal in North America that stands a chance against a well-placed shot with a 9.3.

NOTE All load data should be used with caution. Always start with reduced loads first and make sure they are safe in each of your guns before proceeding to the high test loads listed. Since Shooting Times not the various firearms and components manufacturers assume any responsibility for the use of this data.