Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer's 9.3x62 data

John,

What was your reasoning for stopping at 60 kpsi rather than 65 kpsi (270 Win)?

Looking back at my notes 9.3x62 LH Win 70 22" Pacnor worked in my rifle dont use in your rifle. Very interesting the accuracy difference
as has been pointed out before. RS Big Game seems to work best at pressure. Was trying to find a 250 gr load and a 286 Gr load that shot
to similar point of impact.


CCI Std Lapua Brass 65 Gr Big Game, 2485 FPS, 286 NP 31.8"
" " " " 65.5 Gr BG 2476, 2498,2496 FPS 286 NP 32.5" "
" " " " 66 Gr BG 2517, 2539,2521 FPS, 286 NP [email protected]" 9-16-15 2.5" Hi 3/4" R

I bought an old Sauer & Sohn '98 in the early '70's when the 9.3 was a pretty rare bird over here, no dies, no bullets etc. so the kicker was 5 boxes of RWS factory 286 gr. I was happy with that for years...but then Barsness reported getting some speed, 2500 I think, so I thought, I should do that too...wrong, I couldn't handle the recoil. The original steel buttplate and stock drop at heel didn't help. So, I duplicated the old RWS load velocity, 2150 I think, with Hornady bullets and 4895 until I sold it 5 years ago. Elk cows didn't even know the bullet was going too slow.

That's where most loads grouped the best--but also wanted to leave some safety margin for hunting in really hot weather in Africa.

Sounds like you tried 65K. What did you see in velocity going to 65K vs. 60K?

Not as much as many handloaders would assume.

The general rule-of-thumb for single-based powders is that velocity increases at half the rate of the in pressure. This means around 100 fps in a load that gets around 2500 fps at 65,000 PSI. It's also about much velocity as a typical 286-grain 9.3 spitzer loses in the first 50 yards.

With double-based powders the increase is a little more, but not a vast amount.

Kurt, i noticed my load load of 65 grains B.G. out of 22" Pac-nor was only 2405 avg. Could be the powder lot, barrel, my throat, who knows but each rifle is different.
I'm not going to add anymore powder.

85 grains has to be typo. Am guess you meant 65.

Will also comment that velocity varies with barrel length, though again sometimes not as much as many assume. My CZZ's barrel is 60cm (23.6") long, but for a while I also had a CZ 550 Stutzen (which Americans would call a Mannlicher) in 9.3x62 with a 20.5" barrel. With most load it "lost" 24 to 88 fps compared to the 23.6" barrel on the 550 rifle, when shot on the same day using the same chronograph. But it actually gained 38 fps with one load.

Bullets also make a difference. I first tried Barnes X-Bullets in the CZ 550 rifle in 2004, using the 286-grain X-Bullet, before the 286 TSX appeared. It only took 64 grains of Big Game to get approximately the same velocity as with 66 grains using 286 Partitions, in the mid-2400s.

That's interesting, because with my rifle the 286gr TSX's were much slower than the partitions. I couldn't get them to an equivalent speed if I wanted to.

That's because you tried TSXs, which tend to produce less pressure than Partitions.

As I stated, was "using the 286-grain X-Bullet, before the 286 TSX appeared." The plain X's resulted in more pressure, due to full contact with the bore.

Oh yes, I misunderstood you. I wish they wouldn't put so many grooves on the new bullets. Sometimes pressure is a good thing. Aside from my .416 with 400s, the TSX and TTSX have been consistently the most emotional bullets I've tried to get to shoot. They are good performers and accuracy can be found, but not easily for me.

Also the brand of cases we use can contribute to higher or lower psi than what John was getting or I get. The data for my load of RL-17 for the 286 Partition was tested by a friend using QL. I told him I was using 64,000 psi as a max load because Tikka was making a .338 Win Mag T3 identical to mine in 9.3 x 62, except with a 2" longer barrel, and, of course, the SAAMI max for the .338 is 64,000 psi. Then the brass must be capable of handling that psi. There was no doubt in my mind that the TIKKA T3 was capable of handling 64,000 psi. My friend tested that load from a 22.5" barrel at just under 64,000 psi = 2619 fps. My chronograph was reading 2622 fps average corrected to MV. That was in using Hornady brass. A correspondent said he couldn't load nearly that amount in his Lapua brass.

It so happens that last year I needed some new 9.3 x 62 cases, and with the shortages only Lapua cases were available (at an extreme price!) in a box of 100. And what that correspondant said, I've found to be true. I'll have to cut back my usual load of RL-17 in Hornady cases by 3 -4 grains in Lapua with its thicker and heavier cases. And that will, of course, significantly reduce MV.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

N140 gave equal velocity and accuracy as the same charge of Varget.
N540 is great with 286 Hornadys.
Have found nothing as good as Big Game with 286 Noslers.

Have also found Big Game works very well even with heavier bullets. Another load I developed later used 61.5 grains with the 320-grain Woodleigh Weld-Core, which averaged 2343 fps with 3-shot groups right around 2350 fps--which was not pushing it hard. Would guess it would work just as well with the 325-grain Norma Oryx--and have generally found Oryxes work very similarly to Woodleighs.

Did you ever test the 320s against the 286gr partitions in the wax tubes? I’m curious if the 320s penetrate more or less given their likely larger expanded diameter.

I recently got a 9.3x62, but I have not hunted with it yet. The local game is almost entirely white tails. I am aware that the 9.3x62 is way overkill for white tails. I still intend to take it out at least once this season, since the Husqvarna I got handles like a dream and shoots pretty well even with a truly terrible batch of Hornady factory ammo (seriously, no two bullets in any given box are even seated to the same depth, but I am still getting 1.5 inch 5-shot groups at 100 yards). But, down the road, I would love to try for elk and moose. I am curious what bullets are most effective for these animals out to say 400 yards. I am particularly intrigued by the 250-grain and lighter bullets.

What are some good suggestions? Assume that for the past 35 years I have been killing white tails with the same old rifles (.257 Roberts, .25-06, .270, 30-06) and haven't followed "the latest hotness" when it comes to anything. My "go-to" bullet for the past 30 years has been the Sierra Gameking, which has always been more than adequate for deer. Someone gave me a box of Nosler ballistic tips for my .25-06 about 20 years ago, but I never bothered to load them up since the other bullets were doing just fine. But, when I get the opportunity to go elk or moose hunting, I think I would want a "better" bullet to ensure the best possible outcome to what would probably be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've never had a need to consider a "premium" bullet before. But, since I picked up this 9.3x62, I would like to use it and get the "practical most" out of it. By that, I mean I am not looking to push the outside of the envelope. I want to work up a load that shoots well and whose limits I understand.

I have a large supply of the 270-grain Speer semi-spitzers (which we have used on white tails for years in my dad's 9.3x74R drilling - but which is unlikely to ever again leave the safe since someone finally bothered to tell my dad what his Luftwaffe drilling is worth). I currently have plenty of 285/286 grain factory loads, since I bought a couple of hundred rounds of factory ammo because the price was cheaper than empty brass - but, as mentioned, the quality control is really bad. I am currently considering pulling them and then reloading them to uniform depths. Or I may just use them on white tails in my woods, where most shots will be within 100 yards and a long shot would be about 200 yards.

I wanted to get some 250-grain Nosler Accubonds, since some of the old posts here praised them, but I cannot find any available. What about the Nosler E-Tip?

How well do the Barnes TSX and TTSX perform? What's the "real" difference between them? All I can see is that one is a boat tail. Is one a better choice than the other for my desired game?

I am also intrigued by the 200-grain Cutting Edge bullets. Anyone have experience with them?

Any other options I should consider?

Edit - if someone has current loads and "probably the best powder" for their recommended bullets, I'm interested in that as well. Understanding of course, basic precepts of "safe" reloading and etc.

You are asking for load information on page 44?
Sertoriusly?

I haven't finished reading the first 22 pages... and the first posts here are over a decade old. It does no good to consider a load for a bullet I cannot buy.

Q,
Read what you can find, including here.
Mule Deer's loads (the whole subject of this thread) will serve you well.
Regarding bullet availability - if you want a very tough premium bullet that is currently available for cheap, you should buy a couple bags of the Nosler 250 g E-Tips that are still available as factory seconds on SPS (Shooter's Pro Shop). 10% veteran/LEO discount if you qualify. They're very well priced and will handle any of the big game you described wanting to hunt in the future. They shoot well in my rifle.

Good luck,
Rex

EDIT - also find and read Mainer_in_AK's thread on (I think) 13 years with the 9.3x62 in Alaska.