Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 9.3x62 with 250 gr accubond seating depth?

Pretty conservative but accurate load (obviously all the usual disclaimers apply - work up, look for signs of pressure etc.)
Bullet: Accubond 250gr
Powder - Norma 203-B (very, very similar to RL-15)
OAL - 3.325" (84.4mm)
Brass - Norma
Primer - Fed GM210M large rifle
Barrel length - 23.4" (595mm)
Muzzle Velocity (Magnetospeed) - 2560fps

I'm sure there's plenty more velocity available but this puts me on an accuracy node so I don't see any point in pushing any further.

Well today I tried 62 grains of RL15 with the 250 accubond. It clocked 2,575 fps with an SD of 7 fps. Groups were decent for hunting rifle coming in at 1.07" and 1.31" and these were three shot groups. Also shot one five shot group with the Norma PH 230 ecostrike. this load clocked 2,623 fps and put five rounds into .390" . Gonna have my work cut out for me beating that factory load lol. Have my name on the list for varget and N540 since none are local, hopefully both will come in soon.

For those who may not have seen it.

DF

With my custom Pre 64 M70 Redneck built for me, loading an OAL of 3.255" put me .01" off the lands. FYI. With Varget in Lapua cases the 250 Accubond was exceptionally accurate; sometimes sub .2 moa for 3 shots.

Alan

My CZ is most accurate using MD's load data for Varget and 250 gr AB's. I finally settled on an OAL of 3.290. I don't have a chronograph so I'll defer to his 2,600+ fps number.

Biggs,

It might or might not reach that number in your rifle, though not necessarily because of the rifle, but the lot of powder. Have since used batches of Varget that got under 2600 with the same powder charge--but also easily reached 2650-2700 with around 62 grains, again without the slightest sign of excessive pressure.

Which is within the 2-3% variation normally found in different manufacturing lots of canister (handloading) powder.

MD, thanks! I stopped at 60.5 grains of Varget. I'm on my 2nd lb of Varget (different lots) and both have provided consistent accuracy and virtually the same POI. For me, I'm more than willing to give up a 50 to 75 fps for the consistent accuracy I'm getting. I'm also using your older load data for my 358 Win using TAC and 225 gr Sierra GK's and it too, ended up being my most accurate load, and I've tried several with different powders. Thanks for doing the grunt work for us on these particular loads.

Biggs,

You're welcome! Glad the loads worked out in your rifles.

I can’t get my accubonds over 2550 with big game or varget.
I also hate how varget measures compared to big game

I've never found Big Game to be among the best powders for 250-grain bullets in the 9.3x62, because it's pretty slow burning.

Am guessing that TAC would work better, due to it being my powder of choice for both 250s and 286s in the wildcat 9.3 Barsness-Sisk, the .350 Remington magnum necked up, which has a very similar case capacity to the 9.3x62. Charlie Sisk, the co-inventor and gunsmith for the 9.3 B-S, uses Ramshot X-Terminator, another spherical powder that's a little faster burning than TAC.

Thanks mule deer. I have 2lbs of tac I can try.
Do you know max load? I like to start mid way and not waste powder and bullets.
I’m waiting on some 286 partitions or 250 E tips to come up on SPS to try with big game, but no luck last 6 months.
I’ll try Tac. I Also have hunter on hand.
Thanks

Hunter would be way too slow.

I use 58.0 grains of TAC in the 9.3 B-S, which has a little less powder capacity than the 9.3x62. This gets right around 2625-2650 with either the 250 AccuBond or Barnes TSX from the 23" barrel. I would suggest starting a little lower, say around 55 grains. Possibly accuracy won't be all that great, which is common with TAC when using starting loads, but tends to get better with more powder.

Ramshot doesn't have any actual pressure-tested load data for the 9.3x62, but has some calculated data, probably using QuickLoad. That lists 56.0 grains of TAC as maximum with the 250 AccuBond, for a little over 2500 fps, but I am sure that's calculated at the antique low pressures used by SAAMI for the 9.3x62. I have loaded the round up to 60,000 PSI, as tested by strain gauge, which is the SAAMI maximum average pressure for the .30-06, with zero indications of high pressure even when hunting around 100 degrees F. in Africa.

Sometimes TAC and Big Game work better with magnum primers, but I have always used CCI 200s in both the 9.3x62 and 9.3 B-S with excellent results. I would look for at least 2600 fps when working up, and am pretty sure your rifle will get there, and probably 2650, with no problems.

Thank for the detailed info, Much appreciated!
I have a sauer with 24” tube and also using CCI 200 primers.
If I don’t find any partitions soon, I’ll get more AB to test out.
You should see if Nosler would make some 286 accubonds .

Found this
http://blog.westernpowders.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/9.3x62-Data.pdf

Try RL-15 with the 250 grain Accubonds, MuleDeer has some great published loads.

Works quite well with the 250 TTSX as well.

I use 70 grains RL-17 under the 250 AccuBond (load density approximately 109%) at +2700 fps. Very consistent three shots into .44." Shot a nice bear with that load at 85 yards from a tree stand. Shot angling downward through lungs, taking out the heart and made exit with a blood trail a blind man could see, ending at 20 yards with a very dead bear. A great bullet. Though I've also used the 286 Partition on bear with great success, also employing RL-17 and WLRM primers, nothing more is needed, in my view, than the 250 AB. COL from my rifle is always 3.37" due to the clip of my TIKKA T3 with a 22.44" barrel.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Hey guys, sorry have not been able to post lately. I've bumped up RL15 to 62.5 grains and groups opened up considerably. Also did a velocity ladder with CFE 223 stopping at 65.5 grains with no pressure signs still. Have not grouped any of the CFE 223 loads yet. I may drop back down to the 62 gr load of RL 15 and try some different seating depths, but my sauer 100 has a pretty short magazine. My work is off for two weeks due to the corona virus, so i should get to do some further testing. Also neither of these two powders have broke 2580 fps. Also varget is a no show so far locally, maybe i can get my hands on some eventually.

Hi Cleveland. In my 9.3 Ruger African I'm using 61.0 RL 15 which I think is .5 gr less than muledeers load with Fed 210m primers and either Norma or Nosler brass which weigh so close to each other that I think one brand or the other makes both.

That load gives me an average of 2639 fps and great accuracy. The bonus is poi is dead on from 100-400 yards on the aiming dots on the Leupy 6x36 with the LRD reticle.

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I have five different seating depths loaded to try this weekend. I went back to 62 gr of RL 15 mainly due to low ES and single digit SD's. And with muzzle velocity of around 2575 it's more than adequate for any deer I'll ever face in Mississippi lol.

I have five different seating depths loaded to try this weekend. I went back to 62 gr of RL 15 mainly due to low ES and single digit SD's. And with muzzle velocity of around 2575 it's more than adequate for any deer I'll ever face in Mississippi lol.