9.3x62 load

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi wswolf,

Yes, the Winchesters 748 and 760, both excelent for 250 and heavier bullets, respectively (my second favorite 250 and lighter bullets is the W 748), are somewhat temperature sensitive.
The thing is they are, or were...one of the few powders imported here!
Good luck!

CF

 

[RayAtkinson]

I use only use RL-17 anymore and get highest velocity and best accruracy with with :

61.5 286 Nosler 2533 fps
59.0 320 Woodleigh 2377 fps
66..0 270 Speer 2629 fps
63,5 286 Hornady

61.0 BalC(2) 250 gr. bullets 2620
RL-15, 16, H414 760 and others, the 9,3x62 is an easykeeper/ I have tested it throughly or rather extensively may be a better term..Keepng in mind the USA has always loaded their ammo at 40,000 PSI with most MM ammo..My rifles will handle up to 65,000 and I work at near 55 to 60,00 as they do with the 270 and such..

THESE ARE MAX LOADS IN MY MAUSER 98 AND 640 HUSY (98) SO CUT 10% AND WORK UP.

 

[Karakolev]

Нi, is there any one who use RWS KS 247 gr and is it ok for small game like roe deer ?

 

[RayAtkinson]

I get and easy 2700 FPS in my Ruger Hawkeye African 9,3x62 and a FN..My hunting load gets 2600 FPS as thats where my best groups show up..I only use RL-17 as faster and less pressure..in my guns, but other powders work for some, such as CFE223 and RL 16, 15.

 

[sgt_zim]

Maybe someone has covered this in the prior 10 pages and I missed it...

One of the things I finally learned about my 9.3x62, and indeed seems to be quite common in rifles chambered for it, they have a REALLY long leade. I have 2 of these rifles, one a Zastava and the other a JP Sauer (actually a gift for my son, but I still have it here).

Measure your max COAL - either with Hornady's tool or the old fashioned way with a wooden dowel. I finally did that for my Zastava and my son's JP Sauer, and found to my great surprise that I could set my COAL to nearly 3.38" for both 286 gr A Frames and Hammer Bullets Shock Hammer, when SAAMI says 3.29"

I'm not a huge fan of trying to make a 9.3x62 into a 375H&H, but there's no reason not to if you have a long enough throat and can end up with a longer COAL than SAAMI spec says.

I'm getting 2475 fps with 286 gr A Frames, 3.32", and 2503 fps with 258 gr Hammers, 3.30"

I don't have any doubt I could get another 100 fps out of both of these with a bit more bullet sticking out of the case and another grain or so of powder. But I'm pretty happy where I am with both of them.

 

[WAB]

Maybe someone has covered this in the prior 10 pages and I missed it...

One of the things I finally learned about my 9.3x62, and indeed seems to be quite common in rifles chambered for it, they have a REALLY long leade. I have 2 of these rifles, one a Zastava and the other a JP Sauer (actually a gift for my son, but I still have it here).

Measure your max COAL - either with Hornady's tool or the old fashioned way with a wooden dowel. I finally did that for my Zastava and my son's JP Sauer, and found to my great surprise that I could set my COAL to nearly 3.38" for both 286 gr A Frames and Hammer Bullets Shock Hammer, when SAAMI says 3.29"

I'm not a huge fan of trying to make a 9.3x62 into a 375H&H, but there's no reason not to if you have a long enough throat and can end up with a longer COAL than SAAMI spec says.

I'm getting 2475 fps with 286 gr A Frames, 3.32", and 2503 fps with 258 gr Hammers, 3.30"

I don't have any doubt I could get another 100 fps out of both of these with a bit more bullet sticking out of the case and another grain or so of powder. But I'm pretty happy where I am with both of them.

Your magazine must have plenty of room as well. Good stuff!

 

[sgt_zim]

Your magazine must have plenty of room as well. Good stuff!

I measured the mag, as nearly as I can measure, it's around 3.39 or maybe 3.4, certainly longer than I can seat the bullets.

muledeer recommends seating the bullets to where they'll just fit the mag, then fill the case with powder - as I recall, he goes to about 64 or 64.5 gr of Big Game for 286 gr bullets. That's easier done with spherical powder like Big Game or 2000MR.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Indeed so.

 

[dougfinn]

I also have a Husqvarna in 9.3x62. Just started load development. Was doing a ladder test and the three mildest loads had almost no velocity difference. They should be in the most accurate zone. Their velocity was 2218 give or take a fps. I will load some 3 shot test loads in this range and see how they come out. Accuracy is the most important thing for me so I’m not worried about the slow velocity. I put the data in an online computer and with mpbr it’s still a 242 yard rifle. Plenty good enough for hunting elk in the timber. Oh almost forgot, I’m shooting 250 grain TSX.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I also have a Husqvarna in 9.3x62. Just started load development. Was doing a ladder test and the three mildest loads had almost no velocity difference. They should be in the most accurate zone. Their velocity was 2218 give or take a fps. I will load some 3 shot test loads in this range and see how they come out. Accuracy is the most important thing for me so I’m not worried about the slow velocity. I put the data in an online computer and with mpbr it’s still a 242 yard rifle. Plenty good enough for hunting elk in the timber. Oh almost forgot, I’m shooting 250 grain TSX.

@dougfinn
Hopefully it works for you.
Those Barnes bullets need velocity to work well and don't open up real well at slower speed and may act like a fmj.
In my humble opinion you would be well served with just a plain old cup and core at those speeds. More reliable expansion and still great penetration. The old 286gn soft points has been killing game since the birth of the 9.3 and is still doing it. You will still end up with dead elk and it will cost you a lot less.
Bob

 

[sgt_zim]

I also have a Husqvarna in 9.3x62. Just started load development. Was doing a ladder test and the three mildest loads had almost no velocity difference. They should be in the most accurate zone. Their velocity was 2218 give or take a fps. I will load some 3 shot test loads in this range and see how they come out. Accuracy is the most important thing for me so I’m not worried about the slow velocity. I put the data in an online computer and with mpbr it’s still a 242 yard rifle. Plenty good enough for hunting elk in the timber. Oh almost forgot, I’m shooting 250 grain TSX.

Have you measured the full seating depth? Hornady makes a pretty good tool, or you can do it the old fashioned way with a 5/16" dowel. Close the bolt, drop in the dowel, use an engineer pencil and hold on the dowel at the crown, then spin the dowel to make a circle. Take out the bolt, drop in a bullet, then put the dowel back in until it just touches the meplat. Take out your pencil again, twist the dowel. Measure the delta between the 2 lines. That's your true COAL.

Barnes #4 COAL of 3.205 for that 250 gr TSX is ridiculously short. At that length, I'd bet you have a jump of 0.3 or so. And I say that as a dude who followed the books on COAL for my 9.3x62 until the last couple months. I've been doing it the wrong way for about 6 or 7 years. Hornady, for 1 example, shows a COAL of 3.125 for their 286 gr bullet. That's just stupid. I never went that short, but I was still under 3.2.

3.291 is the SAAMI COAL, and almost none of the manuals specify that length, they're all shorter. I used to think hand loaders chasing 375H&H were daft. Until a couple months ago, that is. I wasn't really trying to make my 9.3 into a 375, it just happened to work that way when I did some honest testing.

The problem with that TSX is with MV of 2218, you're already below 2k fps by about 150 yards, assuming 1 mile altitude. That isn't a 250 yard load, it's a 150 yard load. Apart from Barnes' real DG caliber bullets, they aren't known to expand much, if at all, where impact velocity is below ~2k fps.

If you want to go light for caliber, I'd recommend either the 240 gr or 258 gr Shock Hammers. Shoot a 10 shot ladder, starting at about the middle of the range for your powder, set the bullets at no shorter than 3.3", move up in half grain increments. With the both of those Hammer bullets, you're going to find an accurate load north of 2500 fps, and with the 240 gr, probably north of 2600 fps.

If you use GRT, I can PM you my load data for the 258 gr Shock Hammers.

 

[John Wasmuth]

I load so that there is just a hares breath between the tip of the bullet and the front of the magazine. Best velocity I’ve gotten with big game and a 286 gr bullet is 2610 but honestly there is no need for that speed unless you are using some really heavy duty bullets. Hornadys tend to pretty good size holes in deer size game. Haven’t tried the swifts on game at that speed but they’d probably be better.

 

[dougfinn]

Thanks for the informative replies. Much appreciated. I had to keep the coal short as anything longer will not fit in the magazine, which is too bad as there’s a long throat in this rifle. The low velocity does concern me a bit around the expansion issue. I used N150 in those loads. I have some RL 15 that might give me a faster load with good accuracy, as well I am going to try heavier loads with the N 150. The ladder test showed some promise of good accuracy at max load. I think I read somewhere that the Barnes need at least 1800 fps for expansion to happen, and the load that gave me good accuracy reached 1800 at just under 200 yds according to the ballistic calculator. I have a box of Swift A-frames in 286 gr. They will be next to work up a load.

 

[sgt_zim]

Thanks for the informative replies. Much appreciated. I had to keep the coal short as anything longer will not fit in the magazine, which is too bad as there’s a long throat in this rifle. The low velocity does concern me a bit around the expansion issue. I used N150 in those loads. I have some RL 15 that might give me a faster load with good accuracy, as well I am going to try heavier loads with the N 150. The ladder test showed some promise of good accuracy at max load. I think I read somewhere that the Barnes need at least 1800 fps for expansion to happen, and the load that gave me good accuracy reached 1800 at just under 200 yds according to the ballistic calculator. I have a box of Swift A-frames in 286 gr. They will be next to work up a load.

I know you like the N150, but I'd encourage you to try a spherical powder like Alliant 2000MR or Ramshot Big Game. The problem with extruded powders and 9.3x62 is you run out of case capacity before you can get to full charge. Using a drop tube with those extruded powders will help, but you'll still have a hard time getting to full load without it being compressed. But getting a compressed load means you need to set a roll or taper crimp with the seater die, and I've just never had good luck trying to do that.

N150, Varget, and IMR4895 and similar are fine for 250 gr Nosler or North Fork, or Norma Oryx 232 gr. For longer bullets, like even 250 gr TSX, and especially the 286 gr and heavier, you will get better MV from ball powders.

On the left is a 258 gr Shock Hammer, on the right is a 286 gr A Frame. Your 250 gr TTSX is only slightly shorter than that Shock Hammer, but still longer than the A Frame. 286 gr A Frame is 1.304" (sitting here looking at one in my caliper), Barnes shows TTSX at 1.485"

Powder Valley and Republic Ammunition both have 2000MR in stock for $60. Nobody seems to have Big Game in stock.

Given your magazine size, I'd say your other option is the 240 gr Shock Hammer. It's still longer than the common lead core 286 gr bullets, but Hammer shows it at 1.387". Given the design of their driving bands and the much lighter engraving you get from their bullets, you'll get more velocity at lower pressures. A 240 gr bullet coming out the muzzle at 2500 fps will give you an identical ballistic arc to any common 180 gr .308 bullet coming out at the same speed.

I've used 4 different powders for my 9.3, and hands down, 2000MR and Big Game gave me much better velocity and accuracy than I got out of Varget and IMR4895. I settled on 2000MR because of availability. Big Game has just always been hard for me to find.

 

[dougfinn]

Thanks for the info. Sgt Zim. If I don’t have any luck with the two powders I’m trying I will see if I can find the ones you use and give them a try.

 

[sgt_zim]

I am a recent convert to Hammer bullets. They're pretty easy on LD, and should get you about 100+ fps faster than what you think you should expect. Kind of hard to gauge with the 9.3 bullets since nobody else makes a 240 or 258 gr.

 

[shootist~]

Norma makes a couple of 235s, Oryx and Vulcan. Oryx is bonded and Vulcan is conventional cup and core.

RL-17 is another powder that works in the 9.3x62. Extruded small grain that's somewhat denser than 4350.

 

[hs01jowe]

I Like North Fork 286gr with Norma 203B in 9.3x62. At around 2370 fps you have safe pressure and very good performance in my Sako.

 

[hs01jowe]

(Norma 203B is very similar to RL15)

 

[Puddle]

The 300 grain A-Frame loaded to ~2,360 fps and used in 100+ degrees F with a stout hit of humidity thrown in as extra works really good on Cape Buffalo.
Especially when festivities commence at ~30 yards and then only get closer from there.