[ENGLANDER]

This round has come to my attention and is currently of interest to me. Although it is a European calibre i have never seen one and only recently knew it exsisted !

From what i under stand it slightly beats .338-06 and .35 Whelen both rounds i hear you Yanks praising often, so im guessing a 9.3x62mm could be a nice rifle to own.

It would seem brass is more expensive than similar calibres and im a bit worried about bullet selection ??? there does'nt seem to be the chose like there is for .338/.35 calibres.

As to cast bullets ??? Were would one start ?? Moulds ??

Any one have anty expeirence of this calibre ?? And it performance for different game species ???

Englander

 

[ribbonstone]

Friend hunted for two years with a Styer "Professional"...one of the synthetic stocked rifles...in 9.3X62. He bought RWS AMMO at first, then reloaded the cases for the next two years. The only big-name bullet is a 270gr. Speer...not a bad bullet. He also used bullets by Hawk labs (have a web site...worth a look) and Barnes.

He's a pure hunter, and his reloads only had to meet the same accuracy standards as the RWS factory loads...not bad accuracy, on the order of 1.3" average, but one wonders what it could really do.

That light weight Steyr would recoil a bit...wasn't all that pleasant from the bench, and that may have had some effect on the decion not to proceed with more accuracy tests.

I was with him when he decked a whitetail, no big surprise as deer guns we have by the bussel. He topok it up north with him to Alaska and decked some bigger game (no bear)...sold it in Alaska before he moved back south after the second winter.

Can't speak of molds first hand...he didn't cast. Even though they wee .002" too small, did pull some 9mm MAK ammo and used the little 98gr. FMJ .361" bullets as 'plinkers' for him.

 

[loader]

Englander -

The 9.3X62 is a real sleeper...sometimes compared to the 35 whelen, but this is a mistake. It has been so successful in Africa over many years that when the game laws restricted bores to a minimum of .40 caliber the 9.3X62 was almost universally exempted from the restriction.

The rim and case heads of the Mauser and Whelen have similar diameters, but the Mauser shoulder is 2.039 inches from the base, compared to 1.948 for the Whelen. In addition, the mauser tapers to .451 at the shoulder and the Whelen is .441. On top of this, most Mausers in this caliber have a 1 in 10 twist rate, which will stabilize very heavy bullets.

Held to COL 3.290 inches, it will develop over 4000 FPE, driving a 270 gr Speer to 2583 fps (H414 and Win 760). This is accomplished at fairly conservative pressures, since the round has been with us since 1905, and there are old rifles out there (Norma factory ammo is held to 50,000 PSI). In a long Mag action, you can seat your heavies out to 3.6 inches for a whopping increase in usable case capacity of 8 grains. This will take the Speer 270 grainer to 2675 fps, and that sounds a lot like a 375 H&H.

Nosler makes a nice 250 gr Ballistic tip in .366 with a BC of .494 with an SD of .267. They hold this to about 2600 fps, but that is conservative for work with a new rifle. This will track quite closely to factory 30-06 180 grain rounds in trajectory. Their 286 gr Partition has a BC of .482 and an SD of .307 if penetration is a concern.

The best news is that Hawk makes .366 in 8 increments from 200 grs to 320 grs. Jacket thickness runs from .030 to .050, and that is a LOT of options for a big bore rifle. For $2 a box, Andy at Hawk will cut crimping cannelures anywhere you want them, so things will stay put in the magazine when you touch off a 320 grainer...with an SD of .341 that one will drop a Rhino, and why not...its is really a 375 H&H in a small case.

Since African game is rare in England, a standard length action will work fine. I think the best deal out there in this caliber is the CZ LUX..I got mine in 6.5X55 and it is one beautiful rifle for $469, and the single set trigger is a dream. Controlled feed with the big claw extractor, and 5 in the box magazine. Unlike the "American" versions of the 550, it has enough drop at the heel that iron sights work very well, but it is still fine with low mounted optics.

If you are concerned about power, try to get one in a true Mag length action so you can seat to 3.6 COL. I would love to build one on a Sako 75 action...

 

[MikeG]

Nosler also has a 286gr. Partition in 9.3 caliber. If it can't be killed with that bullet, I don't think I want to be shooting at it!

Their #5 load manual shows the 286gr. Partition loaded up to 2,400fps, with the 250gr. Ballistic Tip loaded to just under 2,600fps. Max cartridge length was given as 3.290" or a bit less than the usual .30-06 and so on (3.340)"

I believe that the unusual 286 gr. weight is so that it will regulate in some double guns in other 9.3 cartridges (9.3x72R and 9.3x74R).

The 9.3x62 should not be confused with the 9.3x64 Brenneke, a much larger cartridge with powder capacity approaching the 'usual' belted magnums like .338 Win Mag. The 9.3 Brenneke cartridge is good for another 200-300fps over the 9.3x62.

 

[Jack Monteith]

Hi, Gents:
285.5 grains = 18.5 grams, which makes sense if you're a German designer. That's probably explains the 139 grain, 9 gram and 154 grain, 10 gram 7mm Hornadys.

Bye
Jack

 

[loader]

Mike -

You mention the 9.3X64, which wins my excellence in design award for being a non-belted magnum with rebated rim fitting a stadard length Mauser action...introduced many decades ago. Mr. Brenneke was a gifted innovator nearly a century ahead of his time.

If available in this country and marketed, it could have displaced the 375 H&H, 338 Win Mag, and 358 Norma, hands down. The marketing would have needed a 225 grain bullet suitable for deer, however. The other marketing approach would be to solve the bullet weight problem by bumping it to .375 and dubbing it the 375 Brenneke.

In any event the 9.3X64 is the internal ballistic twin of both the 308 Win and the 416 Rem...they shoot bullets of equal sectional density to the same velocities using the same powders from the same length barrel. This means that everything from IMR4895 to 4350 will work well, and are fast enough to use a 22 inch barrel with good efficiency.

In power, it is the equivalent of the 338 Rem Ultra Mag, and 375 Dakota, but ofers a .496 rim size making it an easy fit for the many .473 bolt faces around. Its a snap to finish ream a modern 9.3X62 chamber to 9.3X64.

 

[Combat Diver]

Englander,

I too am looking for a mid bore and particulerly the 35 Whelen or 9.63x62. I should do well on those highlander red deer I remember seening north of Glasgow. (Been to Scottland 3x, courtsy Uncle Sam). Have seen one German hunter sighting in his 9.3x62 Sauer 90. Love to have one that big. The Sauer has a very, very smooth action and very accurate (at least mine is in 270). Colt used to market the same rifle in the US for Sauer. Haven't seen them lately. Back to the mid bore, search to the east in Germany for the brass and bullets. I've seen alot avaible over here. Mine will be based on timing and the every shortage of funds. Have a HR 340 (com. 98 action) in 308 win that I've thought of rebarreling to 358 win. Maybe also using a Ruger M77 mkII in 30-06 to 35 whelen. Or just buying a new CZ 550 in 9.3x63. sigh! Take care and shoot straight.

PS I could never consider rebarreling the Sauer for it is such a game getter as is (Leupold VX-III, 2.5-8x).

 

[llsierra]

9.3x62mm Mauser

Englander,

I have been a 9.3x62mm, user/shooter for 25 years, starting with a Mannlicher-Schoenauer, and wandering thru Steyr-Mannlichers, Steyr SBS-96, and a custom mauser. Unfortunately, have taken no game with it, since I figure that 3500-4000 foot-pounds of energy is entirely too much for US style deer. I usually use 6.5mm and 7mm deer rifles.

In the USA I have found ample quantities of Norma, RWS and now Lapua brass starting in the early 1990s and right up until now (7/2003) The supply of suitable bullets has grown rapidly, from only Norma 232 and 286 grain bullets and the 270 grain Speer to a real collection of bullets from Swift, Barnes, Nosler, Speer, Norma, Lapua, and RWS. I have seen no cast bullets, although Lyman has offered such bullet molds. I am still looking for the perfect bullet. I thought the Norma 232 grain hollow point was it, but that slug has proven just too hard to find, I have even snapped up Norma 9.3x57mm just to pull the 232 grain bullets from them.

At the moment I am starting a work up for a safari in 2004, wherein I will use only 9.3x62mm rifles, a la Africa in 1912, so a year from now I expect to have some real life experience to relate.

 

[gutshot_again]

llsierra - if you still have the 9.3x57 brass would you consider trading it for some 300 grain cast and/or 270 grain grain? Wide flat meplat with gas check and lubed with HVR - or if you would prefer just the bullets as they drop from the mould? Thanks

 

[llsierra]

llsierra - if you still have the 9.3x57 brass would you consider trading it for some 300 grain cast and/or 270 grain grain? Wide flat meplat with gas check and lubed with HVR - or if you would prefer just the bullets as they drop from the mould? Thanks

Hi,
Thanks for the offer, but I do not use either item in my 9.3s. I still have the brass, and you can still buy the brass, often at a good price, from Graf& Sons and Wideners, both in Missouri.
Larry

 

[gutshot_again]

I'll look at Graf & Sons and Wideners. Thank you.