9.3x62

[AZDAVE]

@One Day... yes I am in arizona. I sent you a DM

 

[Hyde Hunter]

I love Varget for a lot of applications - my 308, my daughter's 7mm-08, my 404 Jeff, my wife's 375 H&H. But for 9.3...seems like you need about a 50' drop tube to be able to get enough powder in the case. I imagine all-copper like Barnes and Hammer would just be worse.

258 gr Hammer on the left, 286 gr A Frame on the right
View attachment 675024

That said, I think Varget would probably be a good choice for a 250 gr like Accubond, Woodleigh, or Swift. For longer bullets, go with fine ball powders life 2000MR or Big Game - I've never tried CFE223 with my 9.3, but based on my own experience with 308 and @Bob Nelson 35Whelen 's with 35W, I don't see why it wouldn't work well.

CFE223 gives phenomenal velocity. I'm getting a skosh under 2900 fps with 168 gr Gold Dots, no pressure signs.

Just loaded up a couple cartridges with the CFE223 and was very surprised how much space was left in the case 60 gr and the 250 Barnes looks like it will not compress any powder. can't wait to shoot it when I get back home. LEAVING IN 2 DAYS!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Just loaded up a couple cartridges with the CFE223 and was very surprised how much space was left in the case 60 gr and the 250 Barnes looks like it will not compress any powder. can't wait to shoot it when I get back home. LEAVING IN 2 DAYS!

@Hyde Hunter
The max load with a 250 in the Whelen is 64.4 grains.
With the 9.3s bigger case you should be able to increase this SAFELY. Just work up until you get what you want. As soon as you see pressure signs back off 2 grains and call that your safe working load.
Bob

 

[dchamp]

Dang I am late to this thread. I like many of you have a affinity for 9.3x62 and believe it is much more capable than allowed. It seems the authorities, like most authorities like to be official, especially when it involves the regulations written by the beaurocrates. Must be some kind of power trip, I don’t know.

I mostly shoot 9.3 bullets in the 250gr range. I have one load I developed, mostly out of curiosity, in the heavy range and that is with the 325gr Norma Oryx. I don’t know if I would want to use this Oryx on buffalo or not, maybe someone with more experiance would chime in on it. Anyway, to start, my 9.3x62 is a Blaser R8. My COAL is 3.35”. I used GM215M and RL17. Sixty three grains, my top load, got me too 2376fps. Temp was 86ºf. That calc's out to 4056 ft-lbs energy and a chamber pressure of 57,657psi according to QuickLoad.

One thing I have done when traveling with firearms and ammunition (hand loads) is to brand/name my cartridge box(es) with a label indicating the data that I think is important. It makes it look official. To keep it ethical I keep it honest.

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen If my memory is correct W760 is the same as H414. I think Hodgdon has canceled H414 since they now own the Winchester Brand of powders, I think.

 

[One Day...]

Dang I am late to this thread. I like many of you have a affinity for 9.3x62 and believe it is much more capable than allowed. It seems the authorities, like most authorities like to be official, especially when it involves the regulations written by the beaurocrates. Must be some kind of power trip, I don’t know.

I mostly shoot 9.3 bullets in the 250gr range. I have one load I developed, mostly out of curiosity, in the heavy range and that is with the 325gr Norma Oryx. I don’t know if I would want to use this Oryx on buffalo or not, maybe someone with more experiance would chime in on it. Anyway, to start, my 9.3x62 is a Blaser R8. My COAL is 3.35”. I used GM215M and RL17. Sixty three grains, my top load, got me too 2376fps. Temp was 86ºf. That calc's out to 4056 ft-lbs energy and a chamber pressure of 57,657psi according to QuickLoad.

One thing I have done when traveling with firearms and ammunition (hand loads) is to brand/name my cartridge box(es) with a label indicating the data that I think is important. It makes it look official. To keep it ethical I keep it honest.

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen If my memory is correct W760 is the same as H414. I think Hodgdon has canceled H414 since they now own the Winchester Brand of powders, I think.

It is good to see you again dchamp, it has been a while

 

[mgstucson]

@jruby
Fortunately I live in Australia and have access to the Woodleighs 310 RNSP and solid just a phone call away.
Bob

Bob in Oz can dial'm up from Woodleigh, Mike in AZ can swage'm up at home. I swage my own jacketed bullets for the 358's and the 366's. I only have a roundnose point form die for the 366's, but have several point forms for the 358's. I love being able to make any weight or configuration of bullet I want usually for under 10 cents. Make bullets one day, reload them the next day, and shoot them the next day. Ain't life grand. I shoot the 358's in the Whelen and 366's in a 9.3x74r. I don't have a 9.3x62, although I nearly bought one last year at a local gun shop for $800. It was a CZ with a B&C stock on it and looked new. It was a great rifle and fit me great, and the price was great. It is just so close to the 358 Whelen, I just couldn't convince myself I would use it much. The 9.3x74r I justify to myself based on the fact that it is a double rifle. The 9.3x62 and the 358 Whelen and the 9.3x74r are practically identical ballistically, with a slight edge to Whelen for SD, and slight edge to 366's for frontal area. I don't believe the frontal area is significant, and I don't believe the SD difference is significant either. I find you could get any of them with similar weight bullets to within less than 50fps of each other. At identical speed, I don't think the increase in frontal area is very significant in terminal ballistics. The next step up is the 375 H&H or Flanged. The 375's are superior to the 9.3's (and of course the 358's) not just because of greater frontal area, but because the 375's can best the 9.3's by more than 100-150fps with similar bullets, plus more frontal area. Of course there is a price to be paid with increased cost and recoil with the 375's. Financial cost increase is significant here in the US for factory ammo, less so for reloaders, and significantly less so if you reload and swage your own bullets.