9.3×64mm Brenneke - The 9.3x64mm Brenneke in Field Use

The 9.3x64mm Brenneke in Field Use

The 9.3x64mm Brenneke is a powerful cartridge and one that's been highly praised by famed outdoor writer Craig Boddington as easily being equal to, if not better than, the 375 H&H. Like every other big-game cartridge it presents a stout recoil. An appropriate fitting stock and an effective muzzle brake will help to reduce recoil induced problems. An advantage of the short stocky 9.3x64mm Brenneke is that it can be chambered in standard sized bolt-action rifles.

German big-game hunters often use 9.3x64mm Brenneke rifles in Africa for hunting plains game and Big Five game, where British or American hunters would choose the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or similar cartridges. As a pure civil cartridge it can be used in countries which ban civil use of former or current military ammunition. The 9.3x64mm Brenneke has a good accuracy reputation i.e. it is not hard to develop or find loads that will shoot 1 MoA (0.3 mrad) or better out of decent standard mass-produced rifles.

There are not many factory loads available. After World War II only the 19-gram (293 gr) TUG was produced by the Brenneke Company and later a 18.5-gram (285 gr) round nose and a 16-gram Torpedo Optimal Geschoss (TOG – Torpedeo Optimal projectile) bullet were added to the Brenneke factory load pallet. With these loads the 9.3x64mm Brenneke gained a good reputation amongst German hunters on their big-game safaris.

The German ammunition manufacturer RWS also offers two factory loads. In America A-Square offers the 9.3x64mm Brenneke loaded with 18.5-gram (285 gr) lion load, 18.5-gram (285 gr) dead tough and 18.5-gram (285 gr) monolithic solid bullets.

Due to its good field reputation, efficiency and flexibility, the 9.3x64mm Brenneke is often used by reloaders. They have used this cartridge extensively to create powerful loads by handloading. Whilst staying within the 440 MPa C.I.P. limit a 9.3x64mm Brenneke rifle with a 610 mm (24 in) long barrel and appropriate modern gunpowder can be handloaded to propel bullets ranging from 5.8–20.7 grams (90–320 gr) for all kinds of hunting.

Reloaders realized that bullets with different characteristics can be utilized to produce varying effects on game. They also realized that from 8 mm calibre upwards the rise of sectional density and penetrating capability of practical spin stabilized rifle bullets (bullets up to 5 to 5.5 calibres in length) tends to flatten out.

This means that loaded with light, short and soft-nosed 9.3 mm bullets the 9.3x64mm Brenneke can be used on remarkable small game. Loaded with heavy, long and hard (solid copper) bullets the 9.3x64mm Brenneke offers enough weight and speed-derived power to penetrate heavy and dangerous game. The 9.3x64mm Brenneke is suitable for hunting any game animal on the planet, though certain sub-Saharan Africa countries have a 9.53 mm (.375 in) minimum calibre rule for hunting Big Five game—i.e. leopard, lion, cape buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant. In the growing number of countries where the 9.3x64mm Brenneke can be legally applied, it is used successfully for hunting elephant, making it a flexible safari cartridge.