Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 9.3 x 62 and big bear?

Just sent a heym mauser for a barrel install in 9.3x62, wanna work up a load w/ the 320 woodies for sub 250yd. brush hunting.

Question is a bud and me are planning a kamchatka bear hunt for next yr, the rifle will have a cerakote finish and a set of express sights to go w/ the 2x7 leupold in warne QR rings.

I have much larger rifles, but would really like to use this one, never hunted big bears and have never fired a 9.3x62.

Any experienced hands feel comfortable w/ a 9.3 and 320 woodies @ about 2400fps. some cover is thick, so the potential for a close shot is there. So how bout it, will that combo safely and humanley get it done?

Thanks in advance
Gunner

i like the 250 accubond in the 9.3

I would really be suprised if you can ge anywhere close to 2400fps with 320gr Woodleigh bullets and be anywhere close to pressure limits.
If you can though it should make a great rifle for big bear. I've use 286gr Partitions at 2400fps in mine and it works great.

Make sure you check out Midway's clearance on the 320 softs . They're about $15 off per box right now if someone else didn't get the last of them.

I could only get 2400 FPS with my 22" 9.3 X 62 with RL 15 .
When I used JB load recomendation of Ram Shot Big Game with 286 gr NP. I saw 2520 FPS with great accuracy.

Never loaded anything heavier.

Listen to Phil, he knows of what he speaks!!!

I've used his load twice and it worked twice.

Furprick, would you trust the 250 AB up close in the thick stuff?

458Win, Thought about the noslers, Bud shot his bear there last year and it squared a little over 10' my thought was for a bigger slug for a little insurance.
I believe I read here somewhere about a outfitter from Idaho that got 2400 w/ the woodies from his rifle pretty easy.
Anyway that was what I was gonna shoot for w/ rl-15.

Klikitarik,
Yes, midway sent me 4 boxes this week.
Thanks

ColeK,
What kinda penetration/wound channels did you get w/ the noslers?

Gunner,

I have used the 9.3X62 for more than 25 years, in two different rifles. It works quite well on everything we have up this way using various 286 gr bullets at 2400 fps.

Have killed tons, literally, of really big game, and almost always with a single shot. It will fix up any big bear you find, and do it in a hurry. It is essentially a 375 H&H with five in the magazine, if you ever need it!

Ted

I was thinking the same thing, but saw some load data from Woodleigh on 35cal.com; the data was for the 310gr bullet in the .35 Whelen and claimed velocity was from 2220 to 2435 fps. It seems optimistic but if the .35 Whelen can hit even 2350 fps then the 9.3x62 ought to be able to reach 2400. I think.

http://35cal.com/loading.html#1908

I thought the whole point of medium bores was using larger bullets so that velocity would not be so important. I get 2300 fps with 286's and RL15 in my 20" barreled 9.3X62 and I'm perfectly happy.

http://35cal.com/loading.html#1908


Loads listed with the 35 Whelen Imp are 4 grains over mine!
I run mine with 58.5 grains of RL 15 with a 250 gr bullet around
2580 FPS in 22" barrel! Good case life.

Yukoner,
Thanks for the information, starting to feel better about the cal. for big bear, main concern is stopping a charge.

Arac, I think I can reach 2400 fps w/ rl-15 or 17, chamber will be cut to allow a col. of 3.375.

husqvarna, I agree but, seeing my friends bear [full mount] FTF makes you want to hunt w/ something with a lanyard rope.

My 9.3x62 will be slinging 286gr. Noslers at somewhere north of 2350 should I ever decide to go tangle with a big bear.

Biathlonman,
That 286NP seems to be popular in the 9.3x62, I gotta get my head around the idea of a bullet that size, and its ability to stop a charge.
I familiar w/ the effects of .416/400gn .458/500gn. and up just no ex. w/9.3

I did some testing in wet phone books not to long ago and posted it in the reloading section. The partition penetrated far and away better then anything else including the 286gr. TSX and 286gr. Woodleigh protected point.

That being the case the 286Np will be second in line for testing.
So a 320 woodie rnsp should deliver a heavy punch up close, thanks for Your thoughts Sir.

Hornady now makes a 286g IL also now. Makes for good practice loads with the same POI as the Partitions in my CZ 550. They probably would do just fine hunting for all but the really big/tough critters.

10-4 djb,

Thanks