i've a few questions regarding this caliber and the available bullets....i see that Nosler has a new 250gr. accubond with what looks like the highest BC available for this caliber,when run through a ballistics calculator it would appear that this loading at even 2500fps. would make this cartridge a real performer on moose,elk,grizz etc. out to 300yds. but would the accubond be within it's limits between 2500fps. and 1900fps.? secondly..would there be an advantage to the Barnes 250's or 286's or N.P. 286gr.? and lastly, how much velocity loss would you expect to see from the bulk of published velocities down to a 20.5" barrel? ......thanks in advance.....bearit....

In the 9.3 X 62 rifles I have reviewed, which include a Steyr Luxus with 20 in barrel and Tikka Model 65 with 22 inch barrel, one common load I chronographed was the Factory Norma 232gn plastic point bullet.

In tthe 20 barrel I got 2489 fps
The 22 inch barrel read 2557 fps which equals 34 fps per inch.

AGW

AussieGunWriter....thanks for the reply....i read somewhere that the case was efficient or the shoulder was in the right spot that the round does not lose much fps per inch of barrel reduction....all info on this cartridge and it's best uses much appreciated.....bearit.....

what is the optimimum barrel length for this caliber?

The reality is that you would not be handicapped by a 20 inch barrel over the 22 inch so it becomes a matter of balance and asthetics and perhaps a little more muzzle blast in the shorter barrel.

FYI: It was this Steyr Luxus and a Weatherby Vanguard rifle chambered for the 7mm Remington Magnum with factory 20 inch barrel that influenced me to do some tests on powders back in the late 80's, whereby I determined that the often quoted comments relating to the use of faster burning powders in shorter barrels was an old wives tale. Totally inaccurate.

I found that the best powders were the same ones you would normally consider for the chambering, as most powder was burned in the first few inches of barrel. All the additional barrel length did was reduce muzzle blast and generate a little more velocity due to the gasses generated being able to expand a little more before the bullet exits.

I personally liked the 22 inch barrel in the 9.3 X62 chambering and would consider a Winchester Featherweight in this chambering again, with 22 inch barrel, to be a very valuable hunting tool for any game in the US.

AGW

ohiohunter...all i know is what i've read and it would seem that 23"-24" is about average...i think some sako's and husquavarnas[sp] are 22"-24" and CZ's are 20.5" or 23.5"....the 20.5" is the one that interests me the most.....bearit......

bearit
I am about to purchase a 9.3X62 with a 20in barrel for all my hunting while in Europe. (I wanted a 6.5X57, but couldn't get it in the model I wanted.) With the right loads, the 9.3 should be flat enough for all the hunting I'll be doing over here and will make a great bear rifle when I get back to the states. I'm not too worried about what 2 or 3 inches gives up.

Here is what I'm getting:

kodiakisland...thata's one fine looking rifle....what manufacture is it?.....i'm thinking about a CZ550FS,changing out the front sight for a fiber optic,putting warne or talley QR rings on a leupold 1.75X6 or 2.5X8....are you going to scope that rifle?......regards...bearit.....

I have published a few articles in HANDLOADER mentioning the same conclusion Aussie came to: the top-velocity powders in any round are the same at any barrel length. This is because almost all the powder burns in the first few inches in front of the chamber--or at least it does if the load is working at the pressure the powder is designed for. At correct pressures over 99% of the powder is burned just beyond the throat.

I also recently published a piece in HANDLOADER (6 months ago?)on velocity gain or loss in barrels, with a pile of data from various sources. One comparison was shooting the same loads in two 9.3x62 CZ's I owned, a 23.6" barreled covdentional rifle, and a 20" barreled Mannlicher-style. I tried two (Nosler Custom) factory loads and two of my handloads worked up the 23.6 inch barrel. Do not recall the exact statistics, but do remember that 2 out of the 4 loads either lost maybe 30-35 fps in the shorter barrel, another lost about 80 fps, and one actually GAINED a little velocity.

In the 23.6 inch barreled rifle I normally load 62-64 grains of RL-15 with 250's, depending on the lot of powder and bullet design. I just keep adding powder until muzzle velocity is around 2650 fps. Have had this load pressure-tested and it normally gets 60,000 psi or a little less--one reason I don't use the .338 Winchester anymore. The 9.3x62 kicks less, kills at least as well, and allows two more rounds in a conventional magazine.

Sighted in 2" high at 100 yards, this load is about 7" low at 300 with 250 AccuBondsand about two feet low at 400--in other words, very similar to the 180-grain .30-06.

John Barsness

Its a sauer 90. I plan to scope it with something European with a 50mm objective or bigger. I'll get to hunt a few pigs at night and need the big scope.

I would put a small leupold or Kahles on it so it does not upset the balance which is the primary reason for the design. Any low powered scope will be fine of pigs in low light.

AGW

Mule deer how much RL-15 would you start with behind a 250 in a CZ 9.3 x 62?

Here's mine, a CZ 550 FS in 9.3x62:



Here's a close-up of the action. Note the Talley QDs... and the El Paso Weaver K4 60-B...



The balance is excellent, recoil very manageable (like a heavy loaded '06), accuracy very good. The trigger is superb, and easily adjustable. The action is a bit rough, but that will get polished up this summer. I plan to have the factory rear sight replaced with a 3-leaf express sight from a Whitworth. Eventually, the safety will get replaced with a M70-style 3-position. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything at all.

The only personal issue I had with the full stock CZ's was the drop at comb as I had a tough time getting eye alignment along with a good cheek weld on the stock. The American fits me better. It might make sense to get the full stock/short barrel and put it in a synthetic stock if one were made for it however!

From information on the Reloader nest:

300 grain A frame....... pitched at a 90.0% case fill for all powders and with a barrel length set at 23.5", to see what velocities are attainable with the heavier bullet and its resultant pressure levels - the CIP maximum pressure level is 56,564 psi:-

Powder Case Fill Load Velocity Pressure
S 335 90.0% 53.6 gr 2,243 fps 52,746 psi
Norma 201 90.0% 53.9 gr 2,297 fps 52,214 psi
IMR 3031 90.0% 52.4 gr 2,319 fps 51,980 psi
Rottweil 90.0% 53.9 gr 2,286 fps 51,569 psi
N135 90.0% 52.4 gr 2,215 fps 47,478 psi
H414 90.0% 59.6 gr 2,232 fps 40,862 psi
H414 92.7% 61.3 gr 2,300 fps 44,864 psi

Somchem's S335 is not the most ideal powder for the calibre, as it yields too high a pressure at the top end, whilst S365 does not produce near the required velocity. To achieve 2,350 fps with say Woodleigh's 286 gr. SN by using S335 it would yield a pressure of 55,039 psi. I believe Somchem are in the process of developing an 'in-between' powder(S355) in extruded form which will be more suitable for the 9,3 cartridge. Hodgdon powder gives the lowest pressure and it is also the first choice in Speer's reloading manual. It provides the reloader with the highest velocity for the lowest pressure ... absolutely ideal for the calibre - a 300 grain bullet can be pushed to 2,300 fps with a low pressure of 44,486 psi.

It looks to me is if they are trying to say the pressure limit is 56,564?? I suppose this is due to problems with older rifles??

I would start with around 58 grains of RL-15 and a 250, and work up. If desired, you sheould be able to get 2600 fps in about any barrel length, at safe "modern" pressures. Or at least that is my experience, and that of Charlie Sisk, in a number of 9.3x62 rifles.

The CIP pressures for the 9.3x62 are quite low, very probably due to the number of old rifles still around. The only rifles I have worked with have been modern (post-WWII) commercial rifles, or custom jobs built on actions such as the M70 Winchester and Remington 700.

JB

How are your CZ's equipped (optics/mounts), do they pitch the 250 pretty good at 2600?? Cheers..Mike

I sold the Mannlicher stocked model after doing my experiments with it, but used the same mount/scope as on the longer-barreled rifle: Talley rings and 4x Leupold.

Partly I sold the "Stutzen" because it did not have one virtue of the conventional rifle: putting all bullets pretty much to the same point of impact. In the 23.6" barelled rifle, all of my handloads using bullets from 250-286 grains strike, as far as I can tell, in exactly the same place at 100 yards, and loads with the 232 Norma Oryx about an inch higher.

This rifle has always shot remarkably well with any bullet at about any velocity. Normal 3-shot groups run under an inch, and with the 250 Ballistic Tip (I stil have some) or AccuBond well under an inch.

JB

on Monday I will have one, would have had it today except the store wanted 3% for a credit card purchase. The target provided in the box said 50 m but the store owner said it was shot at 100 M? If it really was 100 m then the rifle can shoot better than I can...

I shot my 550 American/9.6X62 for the first time today. I had a box of 286 gr. Norma factory loads.

I was very suprised by how light the recoil was. I shot my 30.06 as well and the I couldn't tell much difference.

mule deer....did your short barrel CZ have good accuracy with any load in particular? was it noticeably less accurate than the 23.5"?.......regards.....bearit.....

I am gonna have to have a rifle re-barreled for this round! It's just an itch that needs to be scratched! Seems like a perfect thick timber elk stalking round!

It shot just about like my longer rifle. In fact, I have had remarkably good luck with Mannlicher-stocked bolt rifles over the years.

JB

in regards to the CZ550FS, what QD rings-bases do you guys have on your guns? is see that Talley has QD and Warne has them....i would like to go as low as possible....is see that they omly make them in medium and high....is bolt lift clearance an issue on CZ's?.....thanks in advance...bearit....

I think the real plus of the 9.3 x 62 is it burns less powder, and kicks less. With the 286 grain NP bullet their #5 reloading manual shows 2414 FPS with RL15, or +2.7, 0, and -11 inches @300 feet and a TKO of 28. The 338 WM 250 grain NP with 75 grains of RL22 at 2780 is 1.8, 0 and -8.0@300 and a TKO of 27. For my money the first I am going to try is the one that burns least powder and kicks less. I just cannot believe that a 286 grain barnes bullet at 2400 FPS will not shoot thru anything I am able to encounter in North America, and yes I know they do not sell 9.3 x 62 shells everywhere... in the endsSo you have to hold 3 inches higher at 300 feet...is that a lot of difference for me it may allow me to shoot the gun better.

Yeah, the bolt clearance is a little minimal, the reason the factory CZ rings are high. I use the "medium" Talleys with a 4x Leupold with no problem. I believe Leupold also makes rings for the CZ 550.

JB

That's exactly what I've done for my CZ550FS. McMillan AHR. Ordered it in late December, so I may have it on hand as early as the end of this month.

I just want to know from someone who has used it... will the 9.3 x 62 and 286 bullets at 2500 fps make a good wacking noise when you hit an Elk with it??

Have not shot an elk with it yet, but a big BC moose gave off a very good thunk when hit at 175 yards with a 286 Partition (and I do not have great hearing). The moose also fell down before I could chamber another round.

JB

sounds like more better than the 338-06! (grin)

That's all I needed!! Now I have to have one of these!! Hmm, lefty Model 70 action, Pac Nor barrel, McMillan........

Ahh, the futility of fighting this!!

Just for curiosities sake. What is the penetration like compared to the .338 Win Mag when we compare like weight bullets?

Obviously it has been enough to get the job done.

9.3x62 is a nice well-balanced thumper. I load Ramshot Big Game with a 286 North Fork, goes almost 2500 fps and will shoot under MOA. My kills so far were a big whitetail (145-150'ish) and a 7-ft. black bear. JustaHunter- Penetration with a good bullet and 286's w/over .300 SD will not be an issue unless you shoot into a herd.

In general the 9.3x62 will not penetrate quite as deeply, because sectional density isn't as much in the same bullet weights. But in the real world this doesn't really matter, as with any of today's deeper-penetrating 9.3 bullets, penetration is more than enough for anything this side of body shots on hippopotamus.

JB

Here is a picture of the bolt from a Sauer 90.


I have read that these lugs set back from high pressure loads?

You can't see the lugs as they are tiny little things that retract into the rear of the bolt. There is nothing at all that I like about that design.

Sauer 90

jstevens....what length barrel did you get those velocities from? this 9.3x62 is interesting in that the 250gr. and the 286gr. both seem to have good retained speed at 200+yds......i'm trying to find out what the low end velocities are for good expansion on the different available bullets...ideally i'd like to have a 286gr. iron-sighted in and a 250gr. for the scoped round....the gun[20.5" barrel] with QR scope mounts....any insight much appreciated......bearit.....

The 9.3x62 is a real thumper, if'n it can drop a moose before Mule Deer gets another round chambered.

I say, load up Partitions and go hunting!

BMT