New Ruger Hawkeye African in 9.3x62

I was looking at some SHOT Show videos on GUNBLAST and Jason from Lipsey's was holding a Hawkeye African in 9.3x62. The audio was not very good, so I could not make out everything he said, but they are bringing back the African in 9.3x62. It's on their website now. No photos yet, but its a 24" barrel with sights, barrel mounted swivel, blued bolt handle, and the other features one would expect. Bob!! :mrgreen:

Oh my, I have a case of the vapors!
Here's a link.
https://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=RUHM77RSB9.3X62


I need to list something in the classifieds.
Bfly

It would go nicely with my custom #1B in 9.3x62 with the Tiger maple stock.

Picts to your email sent to me via PM.

wunbe

Why? I have never even seen ammo in this caliber. Surely there is another caliber that is easier to acquire that would do the same thing?
gramps

While the 9.3s are kind of the new midbores here in the US, they've been one of the standard cartridges in the rest of the world sine the early 1900's. They were built for African and Asian game and red deer and moose in Europe. I've been shooting the 9.3x62 and 9.3x74r for about 12 years and the Whelen and 375 a while longer. The 9.3's give near 375 power with a less recoil. They give a bit more than the Whelen. They give good trajectory for heavier bullets, without belch and blast of the belted magnums. For me, the 338 and big 300's are pretty uncomfortable to shoot, while the 9.3's are shootable.
I have hopes of one more African trip with some larger plains game. I'd like to do a moose hunt, too. I have shot deer with the 9.3's. I dont shoot big game over 250 yards. That is their sweet spot.
If I shot at longer range, it wouldn't be a good choice. But for bears and bigger things, it is pretty good stuff. Ammo is not hard to find.
The Hawkeye package makes a nice solid, shootable midbore at an affordable price, made of new steel, I only wish it had the tang safety.
Bfly

I have the Ruger African in the 9.3x62 from its first run several years ago. This is a fine rifle. Ammo has not been hard to find. Cheaper ammo from Previ Partizan works just fine and produces good brass for reloading. High end ammo from Nosler is available and they run specials from time to time. Other ammo is available if you do a search on the internet. I can pick up ammo at my local Cabelas and my normal small gun shop will get it stock for me. I reload for all of my guns and Hornady brass is available for this cartridge. Nosler bullets have worked well.

Going to see my dealer right away to see if he can get me one.

gramps said:

Why? I have never even seen ammo in this caliber.
Surely there is another caliber that is easier to
acquire that would do the same thing?

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I'll bet on that. The one that comes to my mind is the .300 H&H.

A guy I used to work with bought a .300 H&H and we went out to the range.
He fired six rounds that day. Next time I talked with him he mentioned he
had sold it. :roll: . :wink:

He surely did not sell the .300 H&H because of recoil! It is a pussycat compared to any of the 300 mags on offer and delivers nearly equal down range impact. And my 1B is accurate as any I own. I no longer even have a .300 WM.

wunbe

As black fly mentioned, the 9.3 x62 was developed as the largest cartridge that would fit in the standard 98 Mauser action, which was the standard commercial bolt action in Europe, at least Germany and Belgium. Hunting rifles were easily made from those actions and sold to settlers in Africa and Asia. Of course, these folks were not trophy hunters, but needed a powerful rifle to put meat on the table and self protection for their self and their livestock. It was like the Winchester in the frontier days. The 9.3x62 compares to the 35 Whelen in the US and is more or less a 36 Whelen. Midway had 9 different loadings when I checked. Bob!!

I was lucky enough to have picked up the 275 Rigby African a while back, such a fine rifle. Just
a few weeks ago I bought a model 46 Husqvarna in 9.3x57. Looks like the 9.3x62's little bother.

double tap........

Pressonregardless said:

I was lucky enough to have picked up the 275 Rigby African a while back, such a fine rifle. Just
a few weeks ago I bought a model 46 Husqvarna in 9.3x57. Looks like the 9.3x62's little bother.

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I would call the Oberndorf Mauser Type A the Grandpa:

http://s1059.photobucket.com/user/DORLEAC/media/Mauser%20Type%20A/Mauser-type-A-93x62-2_zps95cf4eb2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6

Borrowing a term from animal husbandry, you might say the Mauser Type A is the "foundation stock" that these Ruger Africans and descended from. In the videos where the Lipseys rep describes these guns, he says that they have a short Rigby style forend. I would disagree, as most pre-war Rigby foreends are shorter, and most did not have a black top. The Mauser Type A was designed to appeal to the British market, and Mauser's in house factory designation was "Type E" for English style. To my eye the Ruger African and Mauser Type A look more like early Rifles built by Westley Richards and Jeffery. The Interarms Whitworth Express rifles took design ques from all of these rifles, as well. I'm glad to see Ruger and Lipsey's continue the Heritage of all of those fine rifles!

I would agree that the Mauser action defined the English term "magazine sporting rifle " as much as Winchester defined the lever action. The refined Mauser action with its claw extractor works every time. Being old school, I see today's Model 70 Winchester fits the same mold. I've never seen an aftermarket M70 or M77 extractor or firing pin assembly for sale, unlike the Remington counter parts. My problem, being a rifle loony and handloader, I'd want to rechamber the Ruger to 9.3 x 66(370 Sako) since I have a new unused reamer and gages, not to mention dies from my last 9.6x62 M77. I ought to just spend the money and get what I really want, a Sako M85 classic in 370 Sako and be done with it. Bob!! :wink:

rangerbob said:

I would agree that the Mauser action defined the English term "magazine sporting rifle " as much as Winchester defined the lever action. The refined Mauser action with its claw extractor works every time. Being old school, I see today's Model 70 Winchester fits the same mold. I've never seen an aftermarket M70 or M77 extractor or firing pin assembly for sale, unlike the Remington counter parts. My problem, being a rifle loony and handloader, I'd want to rechamber the Ruger to 9.3 x 66(370 Sako) since I have a new unused reamer and gages, not to mention dies from my last 9.6x62 M77. I ought to just spend the money and get what I really want, a Sako M85 classic in 370 Sako and be done with it. Bob!! :wink:

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We share similar taste, as I very much want, a very hard to find, Sako Bavarian in 9.3x62. However, I would buy this Ruger African first, and I wouldn't trade my Type A in 9.3 for either, value not withstanding. Sako makes a sweet rifle, though! I'm guessing that you can rechamber that Ruger to 370 Sako.

I wonder what the twist rate is in this Lipsey's 9.3x62. The barrel is advertised as 24". My older Ruger African 9.3x62, has an advertised twist of 10" with a 23" barrel. My gun shoots very well, under 1", and my heaviest bullets are 286 grains. Originally the 9.3x62 had a twist of 1 to 14.25" for their 286 grain bullets. If I were to have a 9.3 x62 custom made barrel, I might opt for a 12" twist. However, my Ruger shoots just fine with my lighter 250 grain bullets. Although it works, I still wonder why Ruger went with a 1 in 10" twist?

I wonder if the twist is really that fast? Misprint maybe? However, with the trend to plastic tipped monometal bullets, perhaps Ruger is just trying to cover all bases. I would prefer 1-12" as well. It is easier to work with cast bullets with slower twists. Not that I'm going to bother with cast in the 9.3.

I'm looking forward to receiving mine! It will make the near perfect companion piece to my 275 Rigby.

I do wish that a light, trim .375 H&H would be built on this platform. With a 375, 275 Rigby, .223, and my .22LR, I would have everything I need.

TREE 'EM said:

I'm looking forward to receiving mine! It will make the near perfect companion piece to my 275 Rigby.

I do wish that a light, trim .375 H&H would be built on this platform. With a 375, 275 Rigby, .223, and my .22LR, I would have everything I need.

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I like your taste! I agree that a light 375 H&H would be very nice. They would undoubtedly not make it on their standard action, as it is too short. Gunsmiths have been opening them up for 3.6" rounds for years, but Ruger would never do that. Their Express size action was just plain enormous, and I'd hate to see them try to build something svelte on that action. Perhaps their engineers could come up with something more minimalist for the 3.6" family of belted mags. Given the number of 404 Jeff based rounds out there, they would have to accommodate that crowd as well. Rigby made some nice and trim 350's and 375 on magnum mausers. If Ruger tried to emulate those rifles, I would find it hard to resist.

I looked closer at the Lipsey's ad. It too has a twist rate of 1-10 inches. So, I guess Ruger is sticking to it's faster twist rate for the 9.3x62.