Getting ready to buy my first Zastava. Although Zastavas seem to have a better selection of left handed calibers than a lot of other manufacturers the only calibers available right now that interest me are the 9.3 and 30/06. The 6.5 swede is available as well but I have no experience with the 6.5s. Rifle will be used for general purpose hunting here in the Yukon....moose, caribou, sheep, bears. Which caliber would you choose and why??

Another question is how does the swede stack up against the creed ?

Anyone have an opinion on the best pivot mount for the Zastavas?

Thanks

.30/06 it will handle anything you want to hunt in the Yukon.

I have both and either will work for you but I've come to prefer my CZ 9.3x62 when in the deep bush for moose and bear.
The cartridge seems very friendly to load for and I have a surplus of new brass should you go that way. I'd be glad to share
my load with you.

Your awful close to the 9.3 X 62 guru Ted ! He will probably sway you to the 9.3 ! But for all around use tough to best the 06. Either will do just fine. I would have the 6.5 and the 9.3 ! You could load the 9.3 250 gr for long range and 286 for Bear and Moose and Bison.

I would buy a LH Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor and the LH Zastava in 9.3 X 62 if I was in your shoes. Wish it was easier to sell a LH rifle to our neighbors in the Yukon have several you would love. Kurt

Just saw Stockys will finally ship stocks to Canada!

How do you handle Recoil?
I didn’t think I was sensitive as I could shoot my 06 what seems like all day, until I shot my 9.3.
06 for the win.

FWIW, I have owned rifles chambered in 9.3x62, 9.3x64 and 9.3x74R. I used them almost exclusively for hunting elk, both here in New Mexico and in Colorado. I have let them all go on down the road, and I am once again hunting just about everything with a revitalized pre-64 Model 70 .30-06 that I bought new when I graduated high school in 1961.

If you hand load, the venerable '06 can handle anything in North America. I have used it to take "big game" ranging from pronghorns and Coues whitetails up to elk and bison. You can also find factory ammo for the '06 in just about every venue that sells ammunition.

I have a 338 RCM that I shoot well, not sure how the 9.3 stacks up in recoil to that? I had a 375 Ruger and the recoil was enough that I didnt enjoy shooting it. Have a 444 that doesn't bother me at all....

Im going to order the rifle tomorrow, think you guys have convinced me to get the old 06. Havent had one in years, but my wife does so I already have everything I need to reload for it.

Anyone know where a guy could get a good aperture sight for a left hand zastava? Good to know about Stockys Kurt. I want a short forearm stock. This style used to be pretty popular with European hunters back when I first started guiding. Dont see them much anymore.

These fellas may be able to help you.
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/products.php?cat=338

Would be interested where you net out on the aperture. Working on same/similar for a LH Win M70...

Tough decision but in the end I went with the 9.3 . Thanks for all the input.

I think you will enjoy that rifle. Lefty '06's are pretty easy to find relatively speaking.

yukon254,

GOOD CHOICE imo, though there are "no flies on" the venerable 30.06 for Western Hemisphere game.
(I own/shoot/hunt with both calibers in the Remington Model 760. - The circa 1968 Model 760 was reformatted by Jessie at JES.)

Additionally, BOTH calibers are EASY to reload & both are great for hunting with JHP/solids/GCCB. - Fwiw, I use no other brass for loading both calibers other than M2 LAKE CITY "once fired cases" that I get free from a local Garand match shooter, who doesn't reload.
(9.3x62mm is easily formed from surplus Garand brass.)

just my opinions, tex

Nice! I hope you like it and that it's a shooter!

Hard to beat the versatility of the '06. Tons of factory ammo options and even more if you hand load. No flies on the 9.3 though. Load the 286grn Partition for the big stuff and the 250grn Accubond for the smaller critters. My brother has a LH Zastava in 9.3, the stock is a bit clunky and could use some work, but otherwise it's a decent gun. Go forth and fill an ark!

ryoushi,

The ONLY real advantage (IMO) of the .30-06 Springfield over the old-school 9.3x62mm is that the "Ought Six" factory ammo is available in almost every city/town (and even at some very small stores at rural crossroads) all over the Western Hemisphere.

Btw, as NO nation ever used the 9.3x62mm as a "service rifle cartridge", the 9.3x62 is LAWFUL in virtually every Worldwide locale that allows hunting with rifles.

yours, tex

Tex,
Respectfully, I disagree that the ONLY advantage of the '06 is ammo availability. Less recoil and flatter trajectory factor in as well. And the non-military chambering issue, isn't, for the majority of hunters. I own both and the '06 goes hunting more often than not.

Cheers!

Yukon,
Congrats on your upcoming 9.3. There are many, many hunters in the Yukon and Alaska, who made the switch from a heavy 375 H&H, down to an equally effective chambering in a lighter rifle. With PRVI brass and PRVI 286 grain bullets, it makes for a very affordable cartridge to handload for. This brass is cheaper than domestic brass, and the bullets cheaper than speers or horndadys, with jackets that are twice as thick.

I too have owned a 375 Ruger. Though I respect the cartridge and rifle combo, the recoil was far more than a 9.3x62. The rifle was also heavy. I didn't keep it.

Keep in mind though, a full power 300 grain 9.3 load will still be quite healthy and require a scope with sufficient eye relief. During prone shots, the ocular lense ever so slightly reminds me it's there, if I my cheek creeps too far forward on the stock.

Alot of rifleman and gun writers get into this habit to romanticize and sensationalize the 30-06. It's some sort of brown-nosing, group thing. Irregardless of who's in that group, I'd never be without a 9.3, no matter how many boxes of 30-06 ammo are on the shelves. The 30-06 is one boring cartridge. Great for deer and humans, but marginal for everything else.

You lost all credibility your last sentence

Wish I knew this before using it on a zebra....

I have had and am again making up a LH Zastava in 9.3x62. It is a highly useful caliber for general purpose hunting. What did the late Bob Boatman say? The 3006 was designed to kill small men while the 9.3x62 was designed to kill big animals. It's also very pleasant to shoot. I strongly recommend you reach out to Gentry and get a LH 3 pos safety.

I came pretty close to buying one of those LH Zastava 9.3x62 rifles form Tradeex a couple of years ago. Apparently they are pretty light but accurate. I ended up with a friend's 358 Win and really like it too. Be neat to see how it works for you and what your impressions are when you shoot it a bit, still have that one in the back of my mind just because it's there.

ryoushi,

At my age & with (at least somewhat) failing eyesight, I wouldn't even consider shooting at a game animal anymore beyond 250M, so (for me at least) that's not a consideration.
( I wonder how much difference in trajectory that there is between the 2 calibers, if the 9.3x62mm is loaded with the 232 grain "Oryx" spitzer.)

Also, I don't like chasing game in the dense brush, so the old-school 9.3x62mm with the 286 grain JSP anchors even a BIG boar, moose, elk, etc. quickly & often (presuming a decent hit with the 286 grain bullet) they fall/expire quickly.
(Fyi, I'm a "heavy bullet guy".)

Note: Back in my youth, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth (CHUCKLE), I got a chance to take a IIB Hirsch/Red Deer in BRD, with a borrowed 9.3x62mm Husky. - I was IMPRESSED with how well that one 285 gr bullet did at 132 long steps from the tree-stand. = He took 2 steps & COLLAPSED, as if "pole-axed"..

yours, tex

I bet the 232 gr Oryx shoots pretty much as flat as the typical 30-06 load to your 250 meter limit. The 250's would too. I always thought that those 232 gr bullets at around 2700 fps would be a real hammer for everything from deer to moose. Kind of like the typical 225 gr load from a 35 Whelen at the same speed.

gerry35,

I wish that someone who KNOWS would "check-in" & tell us about the trajectory of the 232 grain load.
(Fyi, I was GUESSING when I said that I suspected that .30-06 & .232 grain spitzer "fly" about the same.)

yours, tex

30-06 with 200gr partitions is anything but "marginal" and will do anything a 9.3x62mm will. Btdt. Id pick the good ol 06. Hard to beat its versatility.

Late to the party, but my $.02.


Either is a good choice,
basically recoil and trajectory against, a bigger bullet and a little more punch.
Neither swings too far in either direction, and they can be loaded to come close together.



The Swede compared to the Creed

Oh boy!


Take a 100 year old cartridge, shorten it, jack up pressure, tighten tolerances and use
modern knowledge to enhance accuracy.......Creed!

If you want a short action or only shoot factory ammo, Creed.

If you load your own, and tailor the ammo to the gun, the Swede can exceed
the Creed. In velocity. It is an accurate cartridge, but the dimensional issues
give the Creed an accuracy advantage when you are discussing a random rifle,
shooting an unknown bullet.

Build a custom with a chamber and throat cut for accuracy, anything can be made to
be accurate. The creeds claim to fame, is that it was designed that way.

I would like to put a 3 position safety on it. What happens to the original safety when the switch is made? Is it just removed?

Gerry, the 358 is a tough one to beat. My thinking was similar, left hand rifles are hard to come by in some calibers so I was interested in the Zastava 9.3 one I knew it was available.

On another note, I saw one of the nicest rifles I've ever seen last night. A friend of mine collects pre 64 model 70 Winchesters. He sent one down to your neck of the woods and had Martinni do all the metal work. New barrel, barrel band front sight, barrel band sing swivel stud, action blueprinted, and the whole thing re-buled. After Martinni was done the rifle was sent north to Dawson Creek for a new stock. Apparently there are two guys there that build stocks, and they are both world class. My buddy supplied the wood and had the stock built from scratch. The rifle is a 458, and truly a work of art. He has just over 5k into it all in. I didnt know about the stock makers in Dawson Creek, but will contact one of them about a new piece of wood for the Zastava.

I love both cartridges, but the Far North with Moose and Bear is a fine place for the 9.3x62! If you gather up components, it doesn't matter if 'zero" grocery stores have any ammo on the shelf. right? I've travelled a little bit, and always took my ammo with me and even it had been lost, I could borrow a good rifle, no big deal. I have had 3 9.3x62 through the years. My first was back in the late 90's and I had a time scrounging up dies, components, but it was fun doing it! I had a Mod 70 FWT (PF) rebarreled with a Lothar Walther 24" barrel. It was a great shooter, had zero issues with headspace problems (that round shoulder). I shot the Speer 270 for an all around and the then new 286 partition. I gave that rfile to my Youth Minister who had been using a 30-06 for elk all his life ( he was around 30ys old). He shot a big spike bull that fall. He said the bull was behind a light screening of buckbrush about 75yds away.. He could see him fine, but would never have taken the shot with his 30-06/180s. He thought, "hey, I have this big gun" , lets see what it will do...so wham! He was hooked. ha. The next one was the one I bought for my Marine Son In Law on his return from 2bd tour of Iraq. A CZ 550 FS. The Vortex 286 TSX factory ammo gave about 4 failures to fire. The Privi did fine. Fireform cases, of course, are just fine. My last was a beautiful Mod 77 African with nice wood (no brake) and it was barely in spec for headspace, gave me many (too many) FFs so I just sold it outright. All this time I had a pet 35 Whelen Ackley Improved ( which is more like the 9.3x62 than the standard Wheln is, in my opinion) that I took for everything, so the 9.3 was like having a red headed step child, ha. I loved him, but he was alot of trouble. I was already fireforming my 35 WAI, wasn't going to do it for the ruger or send it back. It shot some ammo fine, but not others. But the 93x62, Its a fine round!

Comes right out. Perfect time to have the trigger tuned as well. If you get a real hankering you can use new bottom metal at some point, too along with a new bolt handle. Pretty soon you'll think about iron sights, and a new stock, and a... well, you get the idea. I got the first one shooting a 286 NP over 58.5 gr of RL 15 < 1/2 MOA which speaks more to the quality of the douglas barrel than my trigger finger.

Dre,

Perhaps I have the "recoil sensitivity" of a mule but I own essentially identical Model 760 rifles in both .30-06 & 9.3x62mm (that Jessie at JES reformatted) & I can tell little/no difference in the "kick" of the two calibers.
(Actually, I have 3 Model 760 rifles in .30-06, as the Model 760 rifles seem to "keep falling into my lap" at estate/garage sales. = Right now I have 8 Model 760 rifles/carbines in .223REM to my treasured 9.3x62mm.)

Note: One of my "garage sale" pump-rifles is a .30-06 that has a badly pitted barrel.
(The PO shot a lot of cheap/corrosive/surplus service ammo in it & evidently W/O ever cleaning it properly.)

That pitted rifle will soon head to JES to be "reborn" as a .400 Brown-Whelen Improved, which is the most powerful wildcat cartridge that can be formed from .30-06 cases. - The "BIG .400" is the "ballistic twin" of "the well-regarded in Africa" .404 Jeffery, that has been used very successfully on every species of big/dangerous game there. - The .400 B-WI uses the same cast/SP/solid bullets as the .405WCF does.
(Truthfully, I don't need a BIG-bore rifle; rather I just want one & a reformatted 760 in that caliber is A-OK with me for anything that I'll ever hunt in this life. - The .400 B-WI "pushes" rather than "kicks", in the one 9.5# rifle that I've shot in that caliber.)

yours, tex

Tex, the factory loads are very mild, as is a 286 grain over 58 grains of reloader 15. Work up a full power 300 grain load using Alliant 2000mr. I top out at 64 grains of powder. At this level, the recoil is far more than a 30-06, you'll notice it.

Yukon, one thing about the common sense, 9.3 mauser:

It's the original bolt action dangerous game rifle. It's older than the first bolt action 30-06 and every cartridge based off the 30-06. That means: it's not a rip off or a knock off.

It's the grand daddy. In the beginning, it never became a German export to the United States or Canada. It became a German export to Africa and Scandinavia. John Moses Browning ruled the north country back then.

I just saw a massive grizzly on Friday night, nose to a 50 mph wind (probably running down moose calves. He looked like a cow moose with shorter legs and a bigger head. Dark brown legs, a hint of blonde guard hairs along the shoulders and neck. He left a high-bank of the Gulkana River. As I took after him, taking advantage of the noisey black spruce, the 9.3 felt right at home in my hand. He left one ft deep impressions in the moss. As the woods got tight and I lost his track, I actually took the scope off the rifle........

mainer, you're a bad influence on guys like me ! I hadn't really paid much attention to the 9.3 until I read one of your posts on AO about the round. I didnt know the Gulkana was your neck of the woods. Seems like we crossed the Gulkana River a week or so back. We went down to Kasilof and picked up a bear dog.

Both great chambers for the field. 30-06 is by a long shot much more versatile in range and loads to support any type of game or terrain. If large heavy game is the majority hunted and 250 yards is your long range, the 9.3 is a fine choice.

You should run some numbers Ross. a 250 NAB at near 2700 fps will do everything out to any sane distance as an 06 will do. Zero the scope appropriately and watch it go. the simple fact is the 36 caliber imparts more shock and awe than does the 308 caliber.

I own both. And I REALLY like my 9.3s.
The only down side to my 9.3s (I own 4 of them) is that fact that bullets cost a LOT more then 30 cal bullets do, and because I shoot a lot, that adds up fast.

So I recommend ..............get both.

I shoot my 30s a lot more then I shoot my bigger bores, but if I add up all the 9.3s all my 375s and all my 404s I shoot each year I come up with about 1000 divided by those 3 calibers.

I shoot 2000 to 4000 thousands each of 224s and 308s each year.

I also fire many thousands of rounds of 7.62X39 and 5.45X39 every year.

Add to this about 1000-1500 rounds of 6.8SPC, and then add in all my other cartridges I shoot, (222, 25-06, 6.5X54, 270 Win, 30-30, 300 Savage, 30-06, 300 H&H, 303 Brit, 7.62X54R, 8X57) and you get the picture.

Safe to say I do a lot of shooting.

The one things that makes a man a very good game shot is --- shooting a lot in the field and hills, and leave the bench rest alone after you get zeroed. I truly enjoy shooting in the field for practice, and I do it about 5 times a week.
So for a man that wants to shoot a lot, enjoys shooting, and may fire 500-1500 rounds from a rifle for every round he kills a game animal with, it is good advice to get a 30 cal.
I like my 9.3s and I shoot them enough to keep proficient to be sure, but I could not afford to fire them in the same numbers I can fire a 308 or 30-06

Rossimp; bluefish,

AGREED 100% - As I said, at 72YO & with "not the best" eyesight, even with a scope, I wouldn't even attempt a shot at a game animal beyond 250M, especially given that you cannot SEE an animal, in the area where I usually hunt. = The brush IS thick enough that 100M is a LONG shot (other than an occasional shot down a powerline right-of-way).

In some places on "the lease" you cannot clearly SEE an animal beyond 40-50M.

yours, tex

Sure thing a 150 or 165 load out of a 30-06 at 500 yards is quite the same as a 250 gr 9.3. Dream on.

Yukon,
I'm all over the state. Was up in Northwest Arctic working in all the region's villages and hunting/fishing/training the dog team around the area. Now that the snow pack is gone, I'm back full time in my boat shop in Delta Junction. By late August, it'll slow down, and off into the woods I go.

I just had Jim Kobe (JKOB) build a custom LH 6.5x55 for me starting with a LH Zastava action. I went the route of using a Timney Mauser trigger w/o a safety. And then had Jim Kobe fit a Gentry LH 3 position safety to the rifle. He did an excellent job. Operates smoothly with minimal effort. No issues or glitches.

While Gentry is the most common LH 3 position safety, I "think" Jim Wisner may be working on a LH 3 position safety for Mausers as well. Not sure if he is "production mode" yet ?

Rossimp,

I suggest that you look at the trajectory of the 232 grain spitzer vs. the 150 grain .308 caliber bullet & SEE which one hits HARDER at 500M. = Compare apples to apples, instead of bananas to oranges.

yours, tex

Again, sure the 9.3 is a big hitter, but shoots no where near as flat in open country as the 30-06 with 150 and 165 loads for sheep, goat, antelope, mule deer, etc. that is what my initial comment was stipulating in the comparison. If you’re trying to tell me the 9.3x62 is as easy to utilize at 500 yards on those game with a 232 grain load (lucky to break 2,600 fps with an easy carry 22-inch barrel) than a 30-06 (with 22-inch barrel) with the lighter bullet loadings that would mean the 9.3 shoots flatter than the 338 Win Mag with 225 grain loads, again dream on. Could it be used at that distance, yeah, but it still doesn’t make it near as versatile in open country as the 06, which was my initial point.

Why is it the “excessive drop” applies only to the 9.3? Aren’t we allowed to use dots or turrets on it as well?

My M70 9.3X62 (22 1/2” barrel) wears an FX-II 6X36 with LR reticle. It works pretty well.

In my rifle both the 250 Accubond at 2650 fps and the 286 NP at 2475 fps have the same point-of-impact at 100 yards, and are zeroed to be 2 1/2" high at that range. The zero is roughly 225 yards.

With that zero, they are never more than 3" above line of sight. With the 250AB the dots are on at 300 and 375 yards,the post at 475. With the 286NP the dots are on at 275 and 350 yards, the post at 425.

How exactly is that setup helpless at 500 yards?

FWIW my 30-06 wears the same scope. One is as easy to hit with at 500 as the other.

So which one would you grab for sheep, goat or antelope and why?

They both get carried. Grizzlies are normally found on the trails leading up to the alpine, a lot more than in the alpine. For those walks, and for soothing me in a tent at night, I prefer the 9.3X62. And living in BC I get to do that annually.

It weighs 7 pounds 8 oz, only 3 oz more than the 30-06 (old M70 Fwt in a Brown Kevlar stock) so one is as easy to carry as the other.

For antelope, not that I have hunted them much, I would be more likely to take a 243AI or 280. But the 9.3 is beyond proven to 500 yards.

Check the ballistic coefficient of that 9.3 Accubond, and run some numbers for yourself. It is impressive.

That 9.3 is a great idea down your way. You guys have more bears than we do, and now that they are not being hunted, human/bear conflicts are already up. Sounds like a nice rifle.

Rossimp,

Actually NEITHER. = My "usually reached for rifle" is my treasured 1954 Model 760 in .300SAV, as it shoots beautifully & will make a single, ragged, 5-shot hole in the target at 200M (IF I do my part) IF I'm in a place where I can SEE an animal at that range, using my 150 grain handloads.

Other than an "old-school"/"garage sale" Redfield scope/mount/rings, a good sling & a 40-buck "trigger job" by a smith in PA, it's just as it left the factory. = I trust it to do the job, IF I do my part even acceptably.
(I have about 300.oo total in the whole rig.)

Otoh, IF the game animal is over 200KG, it's one of my 3 Model 760 rifles in .30-06 OR the 9.3x62mm that I reflexively reach for. - For BIG/tough game, it's the 9.3x62mm with the 286 JHP/solid, without doubt.

IF I still had a good 760 in .270, that would also be adequate for sheep/goats/deer, too.

yours, tex

That's exactly why I carry my 35 Whelen a lot, it is under 7 1/2 lbs all loaded up and has a bit of bullet size when it comes to the grizzlies here. I even got my stone ram with my old Whelen which worked fine. Your 9.3x62 with those 250 gr Accubond's would work at least as good and has some size for bears when needed.

To each his own, but for me the 06' with 200 grain partitions traveling at 2600 fps is a formidable package, and I can do a better job of hitting what I'm aiming for when I don't exceed that amount of recoil.

I've seen people shoot much bigger rounds with the same ease and demonstrate good marksmanship, but the normal guy starts developing some bad habits. (as I would)

So the ought-six is my logical "big rifle".

My step down rifles are a model 94 win 30-30, and a 6.5x55 swede.

I am partial to my 308 Win for majority of game. I acknowledge there are a multitude of chambers that do an exceptional job in the field. Beside the 308 Win I enjoy shooting the 7mm Rem Mag for antelope and mule deer. Most elk hunts have been with 338 Win Mag and 444 Marlin, taken a couple with the 308 Win as well. Would like a 20-inch scout setup in 9.3 or 375 Steyr, or possibly 375 Ruger. Take care.

Of the last 6 animals I've taken over the past two seasons with a 9.3 carbine(5 caribou 1 moose), three of the shots were longer shots than my typical. I'm primarily a heavy woods and rivers hunter. But the last two seasons of hunting by dog team or canoe, it's been in very windy, open territory:
385 yds, Caribou, CZ open sights, 286 grain PRVI handload

400 yds, Caribou, 1.5-5 Leupold, 300 grain A-Frame handload

500 yds, Bull Moose, 1.5-5 Leupold 300 grain A-Frame handload

I don't get all hopped up on theoretical thinking out loud, ballistic coefficient, velocity, and bulky magnification.

Basic carbine rifle designed for big game or dangerous game. Open sights. Basic scope designed for the majority of situations, in QR rings for the close in situations. Scratches, rust, dents, missing blueing. Food cache always full, no grizzly bites in the rifle, or my flesh.

mainer_in_ak,

Have you tried hunting with the 232 or 250 grain bullets in your handloads??
(IF I reach for my 9.3x62mm rifle for hunting, it is always loaded with 286 JHP at about 2300FPS.)

As I said earlier, my "go to rifle" for most Texas hunting is a Remington Model 760 in .300SAV & almost always loaded with my 150 grain Speer JHP handloads at about 2600FPS, using 40 grains of Varget.

yours, tex

Tex, I've no experience with any of the lighter bullets.

I've only used 286 partition, 286 PRVI and the 300 grain A-frame here in Alaska.

mainer_in_ak,

Fwiw, I use NOTHING except 286 grain ammo in mine. = PRVI PARTIZAN or a very similar handload.

Fyi, I was just curious IF you had tried the faster/lighter loads & IF you had if you had had a GOOD/MEDIOCORE/BAD experience with those loads.

yours, tex

My late FIL loaded up some 250 NABs in his CZ 550 9.3x62 for an Oryx hunt on the White Sands Missile Range in NM in 2010. The bullets did not exit FWIW on thoracic cavity shots. I have about 500 285 PRVI bullets for shooting and a few hundred 286 NPTs for hunting. I am a big fan of the NP at moderate velocity.

bluefish,

THANKS for the info. ------- Most of my currently handloaded ammo for 9.3x62mm are my homebrew 285 grain GCCB, made from wheel-weights & in front of 38 grains of Varget.

The CBs work FINE for deer/feral hogs at about 2100FPS out well past the range that you can actually SEE game animals on our family's farm & deer lease. = Fwiw, I'm too CHEAP to use factory ammo for WT/Axis & hogs in the brush where we normally hunt.

yours, tex

300 grain A-frame @ 2400 fps muzzle velocity, 42" Racked bull moose:

500 yds, shooting down hill, quartering away. Wet hide.

Entry: Bullet hit low behind right shoulder at about 1500 fps. Bullet expanded immediately upon impact with the wet hide. Busted through the top of the brisket, diagonally. Because of the length of the shot combined with the shooting down hill, bullet continued through, traveling even lower in the bull moose. Bullet continued through the mid-forearm.

Offside:
If you look closely, you can see the mushroom protruding out of the mid-forearm. It was found rested against the hide of the forearm. The bullet gouged the big forearm bone, but didn't shatter it. It was expanded to 62 caliber. There was about one gallon of blood spilled all over shore, as he limped those last few steps, spanning about 20 feet, eventually falling over into the shallow slough off the main river.

Quite the demand of a bullet, it didn't disappoint. I took out a tape measure, and estimated 3.5 ft of moose the bullet traveled through. I'm not sure the allure of flatter trajectory, will have me switching over to light for caliber boat tail bullets.

mainer_in_ak,

IMPRESSIVE.
(One of my handloads, fired by a 2nd cousin, successfully did "the Texas heart-shot" on a large Axis buck up in the northwest part of TX at about 80M. - The hard-cast bullet exited the lower neck of the big buck . Robby said that he fell just about in the same spot where he was hit. = Fwiw, I've NEVER gotten a head that was nearly as nice.)

yours, tex

You have me thinking I should try a similar load!

I have 3 loads for my 9.3. The 250AB and 286NP, the third is a 200 grain flat nose Norma over Red Dot as a large 22LR grouse load.

Why not a fourth?

Now that’s the spirit Rick!

A 95 gr 9.3 Makarov bullet over enough Red Dot for 900- 1000 FPS makes for a dandy small game load too.

Anyone have any experience with the Privi bullets on big game?

No experience on game but I believe I read they are fairly heavy jacketed FWIW. I think those RNs are a hammer.

yukon254,

The biggest/toughest "game" that I've yet taken was a HUGE feral (& very dangerous) Brahma-X bull that a farmer in a nearby county wanted killed (several years ago) because he was tearing up his fences, chasing stock & had even severely damaged cars/trucks on the farm.
(I had no scales available to weigh him but would guess 1500-1700 pounds, live weight.)

ONE 286 grain RNJSP took him down & a pistol shot into his ear from a few feet away humanely finished him off, w/o any further possibility of hurting anyone.

The bull was dressed out & converted into hamburger/chili meat, which was donated to a local BSA summer camp.

My GUESS is that a rifle that will take out such a critter would kill most any game animal, anywhere.

yours, tex

… Alot of rifleman and gun writers get into this habit to romanticize and sensationalize the 30-06. It's some sort of brown-nosing, group thing. Irregardless of who's in that group, I'd never be without a 9.3, no matter how many boxes of 30-06 ammo are on the shelves. The 30-06 is one boring cartridge. Great for deer and humans, but marginal for everything else ..

What is this. Why need to wrote something like this that aint true at any point.

Just put down moose with my 30-06 T3x. One shot to lungs and it drop to it stands.
When TTSX hit to it look like big hammer hit it and it cant go anywhere. Bullet goes
throw, lungs was totaly destroyed.

Month ago i have in place where my hunting buddy shot little smaller moose with his 9.3.
Nice shot but moose keeps going not far but keeps going.

These two shots 30-06 done job better than 9.3 (no need to romanticize and sensationalize the 9.3)

Ridiculous to write 30-06 is only good for deer and humans.

That's what I'd pick. Having had both, I like the 30-06 more when its loaded with something like the 200gr partition....There's nothing in the yukon that that bullet is going to "bounce off of"...

You think?

I've had the good fortune to enjoy them both, and I would be hard put to choose one over the other.

I think if I did not re-load, I would go with the 30-06.

I handload both.


I typically shoot 168 gr. and 180 gr. bullets out of the 30-06. I shoot 250 gr. Accubonds out of the 9.3 x 62 and 286 gr. out of a 9.3 x 74R.

Not exactly an exhaustive example, I have shot a number of Aoudad. Two in particular were shot with a 30-06 and 180 gr. partitions and 250 gr. Accubonds respectively. Both were at +/- 90 yds., the Aoudad shot with the 30-06 weighed +/- 270 lbs., IIRC. The Aoudad shot with the 9.3 x 62 weighed in at 260 lbs on the dot. Due to the terrain where I hunt, I want an animal to be DRT. The ram shot with the 30-06 managed to run about 80 yds over the crest of a hill. Bummer. The Aoudad shot with the 9.3 x 62 and the 250 gr. Accubond dropped at the spot. Both died and were recovered

This has been the case with the hogs that i've shot with the 9.3 x 62 and the 9.3 x 74R. DRT.

I have also found that with the heavier bullets at say 2,200 to 2,500 fps, bloodshot meat is not as evident.

I can say I have become a fan of heavy bullets at moderate velocities.

ya!

GWB


PS: The 376 Steyr is a pussy-cat!

9.3x62 with 286 N.P. work great on dinks also.... very little bloodshot meat.

Mainer in ak has a lot of big game experience with his 9.3. Our experience is with the 06 and 200 or 220 partition. Either are good killers of big game for us. My neck most likely can’t handle the recoil of a 9.3 otherwise I’d be packing one. I mostly pack a Kimber in 308, 200 grain partition at 2525. There are times I wish it was bigger......grizzlies will do that to you

Look up what your dictionary says about the word irreguardless. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

A few years back, Doug the owner of the hardware store down in Talkeetna, shot a man with a 30-06 180 grain remington cor-lokt.

Doug mistaken Eric's brown gloves as black tail deer antlers in his rifle scope. He hit Eric center mass and the bullet exited. Eric Had enough lung left to breath-in and yell: YOU SHOT ME!

Eric didnt bleed out and made a full recovery. He's a late 50's Anchorage guy. Old Alaskan men are tough, but not tougher than big bull moose and bear.

I'm relieved it wasn't something higher velocity or larger caliber.

In Iraq, a guy in my squad took a 5.56 fmj through the gut. Almost killed him from the shock of 2900 fps. His organs shut down and he went in a two day coma. He lived.

Just saw this.
I ended up getting a slip Over limb saver for my sauer 100 and made a night and day difference. Now I can shoot a box and be fine with out getting punished.
I’m glad I got to scratch my thumper itch but I will take 06, 270 or 6.5CM for my deer or elk loaded with ttsx.
But..If was I further north, in bear country, the 9.3 with 286 NP would be on the menu. Right. So I have 250 AB at 2600

So in other words don't go hunting with Doug from talkeetna..

In big bear country I would be tempted by the 9,3 but where I live and hunt the -06 has won 4 times and I got another as a gift. Sent two down the road.but no 9.3's on the horizon.

Or if you do, stay immediately behind him.

All 4 will work and work admirably. It's purely a matter of taste and there's no accounting for taste. At my house, rifles chambered in two cartridges that will never be found are the '06 and the 6.5 Creed. I'd take the 9.3 and the Swede over the other two every time.

Dave {yukon 254] has serious bear issues in the area of his remote lodge and trap line not just the occasional sighting.

Last time I talked with him,, he was procuring more "bear dogs".

Try a 250 gr Barnes TSX at a decent velocity in a 9.3. See what it can do. If it isn't enough try the 300 gr bullets, bonded. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Only "problem" I had with the 9.3x62 was misfires with some factory loads. A Ruger African misfired with Vortex 286 TSX factory load 20% of the time. A CZ 550 FS I gave my SIL does it too. To be "99.9%" reliable , fireformed or once fired cases would be my choice. I had a Walther Lothar barrel put on a Mod 70 FWT and it was perfect. I had another Walther Lothar barreled custom 404 Jeffery ( again, that long sloping shoulder) that misfired with RWS factory ammo. Its a pain, but fireformed cases can save a hunt! I used a 35 Whelen Ackley for 20yrs, shot Plains Game with it and the 250x then the 200x...one hog with a 310 Woodleigh soft ( just for grins) and I always felt it was closer to a properly loaded 9.3x62 than the standard Whelen. Have a ball Pard!

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^

The 250 gr TSX over a charge of Varget is amazing!

I've had misfire issues with the last 3 Hawkeye Africans I've purchased. I now disassemble and clean the bolt, and add a 24lb firing pin spring as standard procedure - no more issues.

To add: I've only shot hand loads in mine...

Update on the PRVI bullets: I shot two WTs this year with them and both acted as one might imagine. Second one went through left lower foreleg (nickel sized hole), through chest (bad, bad damage) and through lower right foreleg (nickel sized hole) and is still going for all I know. And the deer died, too.

I have two 9.3x62's (ZG47 and CZ550FS). Both shoot the Lapua Mega's and PRVI bullets in my reloads exceptionally well. PRVI's are cheaper to shoot too. I like that. Was hoping to get out Whitetail hunting with them the last couple of years but life had other plans. I have read that the PRVI's are a "harder" bullet.

I like and use both the .30-06 and 9.3x62 for hunting similar game as the original poster. For me, and the way that I hunt, I prefer the 9.3x62 for Yukon game. It has all the range capabilities that I need, for the ranges that I choose to shoot game at. It has superior performance on very large game like moose and bison and grizzlies. In my lightweight rifle, the 9.3 certainly kicks a bit, but is manageable and very very accurate. I chose to carry my very tough stainless steel / synthetic 30-06 on my last hunt near the BC / Yukon border because of the expected poor weather. I didn't feel handicapped, but if I had a SS/Syn 9.3 I would have carried that.

mainer_in_ak
A few years back, Doug the owner of the hardware store down in Talkeetna, shot a man with a 30-06 180 grain remington cor-lokt.

Doug mistaken Eric's brown gloves as black tail deer antlers in his rifle scope. He hit Eric center mass and the bullet exited. Eric Had enough lung left to breath-in and yell: YOU SHOT ME!

Eric didnt bleed out and made a full recovery. He's a late 50's Anchorage guy. Old Alaskan men are tough, but not tougher than big bull moose and bear.
----------------------------------

What a one sad shooting story good that the man did not die.

It seems that Old Alaskan are much toughter than 670lbs moose.

It looks that some one cant get man killed via 30-06 but some one can drop 670lbs via one shot it stands.

50000 mooses put down here yearly and most with 308.

Iam not taking nothing from 9.3 and can use it myself too. But i choose 30-06 and like it.

30-06 has flatter bullet trajectory and more long range muzzle power than 9.3.

You can shoot thirty-aught-six over 4000J muzzle much more than deer and humans not poor Alaska man shooting story take away that.

Always amazes me the people that forget how many heads of game of all kinds have been killed with 180 Orr 220 grain bullets from a 30-06

I wonder how the .30-06 would have fared using a 200 gr Accubond or a 220 gr Sierra RN for those shots. It would be a little closer apples to apples comparison. Velocities would have been tamer and the bullets bringing more freight.