Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles W748 in the 9,3x62

Hello,

Down here we are very limited in the variety of reloading powders. For handgun and rifle as well. There are two locally made rifle smokeless extruded powders: A27, in the range of the IMR 3031, and the A19, excelent one, very, very similar in burning rate to the R25. We miss locally made powders with burning rates between these two....
Now, the ONLY imported rifle powders are the W748, W760 and the H100v. I don´t know wich was the importer (only one with the facilities and permission to import and sell gun powders) decision criteria but this is what we have. Period.
Anyway, I have a good supply of some other formerly imported powders, Reloders 15,19,22. With these I am covered for my uses.
I am totally satisfied with the R15 in the 9,3x62 with light and medium weight bullets, 220 to 250 grs, mostly monometalics. In my rifle, a BRNO ZKK 600 with 60 cm (23,6") barrel length, with this R15 I can reproduce almost exactly the loads published by Mule Deer, here and in the Big Book of Gun Gack I, with 250 grs Barnes TSX and TTSX, and the Hornady GMX. With 285/286 grs bullets (Hornady Interlock and PRVI I have) the W760 shines!
I am rather surprised to find almost nothing with W748 for the 9,3x62. But there are lots, and promissing, loads for cartridges of similar expansion ratio as the 9,3x62, like the .308 W, 35 Whelen and .350 Rem Mag. So, last week end I tried it with the Hornady GMX 250 grs. I prepared a small serie of three round each with 1 grs increment, with loads like I use with R15. With NORMA cases and CCI 250 primers. What a nice surprise!!! I find the loads almost match the performance of the R15 with this bullet!!! In velocity and in the pressure indicators. Included, yes!, PRE and CHE! Being aware of their shortcomings. I use them TOGETHER with velocity and any other pressure indicator. Knowing the brass, primers and specific rifle, I find them useful.
I have to make some more experimentation but the start looks promising!!!

Best!

PH

I've ran W 748 in the 338/06 with 250 grainers...it did well...

W 748 is an old school powder in USA.. not a lot of people use it, it seems..

The 338/06 is close in performance to the 9.3 x 62 and the 35 Whelen...

it should serve you well...

I used to use WW748, but I've found it to be very temperature sensitive. I stopped using it along with WW760 (H414), & WW785.
Where I hunt the temperature could be in the 50's or way below zero. Temperature sensitive powder does not work well for me.

Hi Bugger,

Thanks! I am aware of that. Where I live there are less temp. variation in a day. I think winter and sumner loads can be developed and use without to much trouble.

PH

not much an issue in western Oregon....

When I lived in MN I didn't hand load, so I just used factory ammo...

even at 30 below, up south of International Falls, the ammo always worked just fine...

biggest two bucks I shot back there, were both shot on 30 below days....

but factory ammo... so couldn't tell ya what the powder used was....

this is the load I found on Hodgdons website: looks like it would be worth a try, and could probably be exceeded a little bit within reasonable pressure limits -


Case: Norma Twist: 1:10.000" Primer: CCI 200, Large Rifle Barrel Length: 24.000" BULLET 286 GR. NOS PART
Winchester 748 0.366" C.O.L. 3.225" Starting Load 52.0gr. 2,056fps 34,300 CUP Maximum Load 57.0 2,241fp 43,200 CUP

I used W748 in my 308 for years and never had a problem. Same as W760 which performed trouble-free in my 7mm/08. I never experienced any temperature sensitivity with either powder regardless of temp. The only time you will have problems with W760 & W748 is if you leave your ammo on the car dashboard on a hot summers day.