Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 9.3x62mm/286 gr. Powder Charge Capacity

Getting ready to start load development for the Ruger Hawkeye African/9.3x62mm.

Given the 24" lightweight Bbl. and minimal recoil pad of this rifle, and the chance of shooting Large African game < 0.0%, have set the spec. for MV at ~ 2400 fps/286 gr..

Looking at Hodgdon's "VARGET," as it is a single base powder of their "Extreme" line, so it is fairly temp stable, and should also work well for reduced loads for the Speer 270 gr. at the same 2400 fps. velocity.


Hodgdon's Reloading Data Center - lists 59.0C grns./VARGET for 2350 fps., so maybe ~ 60.8C grns. would get it to 2400 fps.

Nosler's Load Data site - shows 55.5 grns./VARGET having a 99% Load Density.


My question is: How much VARGET can the case hold under a 286 gr. bullet?


TIA




GR

I have the same rifle but in the Lipsey's version.

I've not yet messed with Varget, but my GRT indicates Hodgdon's max Varget load for the 286 gr. bullet is waay beyond 2,350 fps and beyond .270 Win pressures.

My 54.3 grains load of H4895 chronies 2370 fps for me and under normal pressure.

My 58.0 grains load of RL-15 chronies 2375 fps, but stays just under .30-06 pressures.

I'm currently working up a 5,300 Joules ME load using H4350 for a 300 grain A-Frame. It's looking like the MV will end up right around 2,425 fps, but I'm not done tweaking yet.

Pud

RL-17 will get you to 2450 fps easily

But the lack of high temperature stability will rule RL-17 out.

41

All very different.


Hodgdon data, 286gr Partition, 3.225" COAL, 59.0C Varget, 2350fps, 24" barrel, 47500 CUP.
Nosler data, 286gr Partition, 3.220" COAL, 55.5 Varget, 2356fps, 26" barrel, 99% fill.
GRT data, 286gr Partition, 3.225" COAL, 54.8 Varget, 2426fps, 24" barrel, 94.7% fill, 56882 psi, 76grH2O.

from the ADI website - 286 GR. NOS PART AR2208 Maximum59.0 grain 2350 fps 47500 cup, as the makers of Varget I would trust them to be pretty accurate.

http://www.adiworldclass.com.au/data-rifle/9-3-x-62mm-mauser

Could be, don't know as trying to come up with Rl-17 is the trick..mb

I load 58.5 grains of RL15 and a 24 inch barrel. Have not run the chrony but assume 245p or so. I'd prefer accuracy over straight velocity.

I've loaded for 3 9.3x62s in the past and I've always found a good balance of accuracy and power with 58grs of both Varget and R15. the 286 "carries up" very well to 200yds. It is "not" a round one would pick for long range shooting, but works very well indeed in the elk mountains! Have fun pard, I sold my African 9.3 because of a sloppy. cut too deep chamber.

I have some prvi 285's and s&b 286's factory loads they both shoot good in my cz 550. Have some 250 Accubonds and scored some 270 gr Speers. Thinking 2500 fps won't be a problem. Don't think a guy needs to hotrod it either...mb

#1 reason I'm going with H4350.

+1

250 gr. NABs @ 2500 fps - easy peasy with a number of powders, and no need to hotrod.

Go to Accuratereloading.com. Guy by the name of Atkinson has data for RL15 and Varget. Those are my go to's for my 9.3.

I hadn't responded to this thread because Garandimal generally asks questions like this one that are kinda odd--and then often argues with the suggestions he receives. In this instance, he hasn't logged onto the Campfire since the day he posted the question--the 20th.

"How much VARGET can the case hold under a 286 gr. bullet?" was his original question--NOT which powder to use.

How much Varget will fit under a 286-grain bullet depends VERY much on the particular 286-grain bullet--whether it's round-nosed, monolithic or whatever. Plus, there's plenty of Varget data for 286s available on conventional websites, such as Hodgdon and Nosler. You don't have to ask on the Campfire, or go to Accuratereleading.com.

But since some responders decided to suggest other powders I will too. Have been handloading the 9.3x62 for 20 years, in several rifles, and while I eventually ended up preferring Varget for 250-grain bullets, I use Ramshot Big Game with 286s, because it provides fine accuracy--and is just as temperature-stable as Varget. For me, that means getting the same velocities and point of impact from zero to around 85-90 Fahrenheit. All powders gain some velocity above about 85-90, how much depending on the powder--but "temp-stable" powders gain less. Have not had the same consistent results with some other powders suggested, such as Reloder 15.

Generally I load 65-66 grains of Big Game, again depending on the bullet, but its a very dense spherical powder and fits under any 286-grain bullet I've tried, including Barnes TSXs. Have used this load in the field up to over 100 degrees in Africa, and in fall hunting temperatures from Montana up through western Canada to Alaska.

Garandimal might want to use Varget because he has some, and powders are often scarcer these days. But I just checked several websites for Big Game, and only one didn't have it in stock--and in fact one of the sites that did is offering a sale price.

Thanks, John, as usual, topnotch practical advice based on real experience. Dewey

Hi John, a bit off topic but we can’t get Ramshot powders here in Australia, what would be your second choice for the partition? I usually use 250 ABs with your load of 2208/Varget but have some partitions I’d like to use up, also am I right that ADI and Hogdon share a ballistics lab?

2208/Varget would among my second choices for 286s, whether Partitions or others. But in my experience the 9.3x62 is very flexible, and a bunch of powders work reasonably well--including either of the 4895s, whether AR2206 (H4895 here) or IMR4895.

Dunno if Hodgdon and ADI "share" a ballistics lab--but they certainly share data.

Ad Hominem attack.

Hurt feelings, John?



Extraneous information that obfuscates the question.

"I don't know," would have at least been an acceptable answer.




Reading for Content is a skill.



The question was RE: a specific powder/bullet weight/muzzle velocity, for a specified reason.

Just asked about the net powder capacity.



Specified exactly why it was selected.


Thanks for nothin', John.




GR

Hunting in their hot season rules Africa out. Almost all the hunting there occurs during their winter...our summer. R-17 is a great powder for the medium bore 9,3X62.

Isn’t it the crux of the matter?