9.3x62

AB3006 said:
Soooo... necrothread revival time. Thank you CGN Hivemind for all the info in the thread.

Just bought a HVA 1640 in 9.3x62. I will be reloading for it, but want to start off with some factory loads to sight in and get used to it .

At present my other two hunting rifles are 6.5Swede and 30-06, Both HVAs.

I use PPU 140g SP factory loads the Swede, and will reload to the same specs (though I hope to work up a load a tad spicier).

The 30-06 loves 165 grain Norma whitetaila, so I will stick with those (or similar) for reloading.

Given those, what would you suggest as a starting point for the 9.3? What load would give me better elk/moose medicine than what I have?
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I have a nice old Husky with a QD Side Mount in very nice condition. I'm running an old Tasco 1.5 - 5. I have no practical reason to have this rifle, but it is a novelty at the range and from a bag, it shoots tight groups with moderately hot loads and PPU 285 gr. bullets. It is a bit of a kicker. Were I younger, I would hunt with it; nice light, accurate rifle; load it up or down as required.

Moose and Elk respond well to both the 6.5 and the 30-06; so they would also respond well to the 9.3. No need to load solids; the PPUs I load will bust brush and give great penetration; no need for solids for these animals; big bear maybe! Enjoy.
 
I have one, a Mauser mod 66 mounted with a Zeiss scope. I like it a lot. It travelled the world and took big game everywhere it went wirh the gentleman who owned it before me. In Canada, it is a great moose, bear and elk rifle. I consider it overkill for deer.
 
AB3006 said:
Soooo... necrothread revival time. Thank you CGN Hivemind for all the info in the thread.

Just bought a HVA 1640 in 9.3x62. I will be reloading for it, but want to start off with some factory loads to sight in and get used to it .

At present my other two hunting rifles are 6.5Swede and 30-06, Both HVAs.

I use PPU 140g SP factory loads the Swede, and will reload to the same specs (though I hope to work up a load a tad spicier).

The 30-06 loves 165 grain Norma whitetaila, so I will stick with those (or similar) for reloading.

Given those, what would you suggest as a starting point for the 9.3? What load would give me better elk/moose medicine than what I have?
Click to expand...
I think that all depends on how far you'll be shooting. A 250gr will definitely shoot flatter for you if you believe there will be a good chance you'll be hammering away at 200+ yards. If you think you'll be inside that normally, then it is hard to go wrong with a 286gr offering. Speer makes a 270gr Hot-Cor, which I plan on trying out. Inexpensive compared to many others, a balance between 250-286, and some have had great success on moose with it over Varget. I do normally prefer more weight retention though
 
I'm musing with the idea of getting a .366 sizing die and resizing .40 cal jacketed pistol bullets for "plinking". It would be interesting to see what they could do. Maybe someday...
 
AB3006 said:
Soooo... necrothread revival time. Thank you CGN Hivemind for all the info in the thread.

Just bought a HVA 1640 in 9.3x62. I will be reloading for it, but want to start off with some factory loads to sight in and get used to it .

At present my other two hunting rifles are 6.5Swede and 30-06, Both HVAs.

I use PPU 140g SP factory loads the Swede, and will reload to the same specs (though I hope to work up a load a tad spicier).

The 30-06 loves 165 grain Norma whitetaila, so I will stick with those (or similar) for reloading.

Given those, what would you suggest as a starting point for the 9.3? What load would give me better elk/moose medicine than what I have?
Click to expand...
The options for factory 9.3x62 ammo are pretty slim. PPU I believe and you might find S&B and Remington on the shelves. Otherwise handloading is king for this old beauty. RL19 and Varget are both solid choices. For elk or moose you're not going to go wrong with a 286 Partition. The 286 A-Frame may be more of a good thing than you would want for North American game. If you can find the 270gr Speer Hot Cor is a surprisingly good bullet for the price. If you like a non-lead bullet then a 250 TSX or Hornady ECX is probably the way to go.

Don't use the Hornady 286 Interlock. They were redesigned several years ago and they are nowhere as "tough" as the older version.
 
AB3006 said:
Soooo... necrothread revival time. Thank you CGN Hivemind for all the info in the thread.

[...]

Given those, what would you suggest as a starting point for the 9.3? What load would give me better elk/moose medicine than what I have?
Click to expand...
I am not sure the 9.3x62 is going to give you much of an advantage over your current battery when it comes to moose and elk (both of which I have taken in the past with factory 165 interlocks from a 30-06). I gather that the Norma Whitetail is a similar cheap, cup and core bullet, so I would expect similar results (if put in the right place).
In general your elk/moose is not going to be so much different from a regular old WT deer, that your 30-06 or 6.5x55 wouldn't work just fine. My last moose and my last elk were taken with a 7x64 with 145 grain bullets, which I would put right next to the 30-06 in performance). The moose might have been 25 m away and the elk was on the prairies about 300 m. Neither put up much of a fuss. I have two 9.3x62s just because I like the guns. I shoot my ZG-47 the most and I have worked up a loads with PPU 285 grains and Fox 250 grains with Varget that shoot basically to same PoI, and both run about 2350fps (hardly screaming, but very pleasant and right inline with regulation of my open sights). I am confident those loads would work just fine for most anything, but that shot at the aforementioned elk would have been more of a hold-over than I would have liked. As such, I got some of the last 200 gr Fox bullets that Prophet River had and worked up a load that is about 2750fps. I fully expect the results with 9.3x62 with 200 grain bullets would be marginally different than my 7x64, but I guess the advantage of the 9.3x62 is that I can sort out the elk and moose with flatter shooting bullets, pop-off my scope (sighted to 200m) and run the bigger bullets with my iron sights and have a generally good feeling that whatever comes to steal my elk/moose is going to get thumped. Ergo the advantage of the 9.3x62 (for a regular NA hunter) is very much theoretical and probably the only thing going to steal my elk/moose is September heat.

...all that is to say, the 9.3x62 in NA will work with most anything but load for where you hunt. Congratulations on the new Husky 9.3.
 
Also I enjoyed reading the "9.3 x 62 Mauser Journal" by Hendrik Van Der Schyff which has all sorts of gun geek discussion on 9.3 x 62. On your quest for a 9.3 load, you might find just the right load or the just right rationale for a load in there.
 
I have the Kindle version. It's a reference book more than a novel. There are a bunch of stories but they are short and not linked to each other. As such, it's a pick-and-read an article (short duration) book in a journal style. It's not too bad to read on your phone or computer.
 
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I like the 9.3x62 for elk, just like I like my .35 Whelen. Both are wonderful at punching big heavy bullets through big heavy bones without deviating much.
Where the 9.3 really shines is while hunting the continent it was designed for. I carried my V-C Impact Plus takedown on a couple African safaris, and killed some very big critters with it very decisively. Giraffe in Namibia are about double the weight of a cape buffalo and their skin is much thicker. My 9.3x62 with Norma Oryx 285 gr. worked perfectly for that, even though most PH's would recommend choosing solids only for giraffe because of their huge bodies, thick skin and very dense heavy bones.
And last July in Mozambique when stalking a herd of Eland ( Eland are bigger than Yukon moose) it was reassuring to be carrying the 9.3 when a trio of lions flushed right in front of us in the tall grass. We hadn't realized they were stalking the same game we were. Didn't have to shoot a lion, but didn't feel unarmed with the 9.3 either. I used Swift A-Frames on that hunt, and they penetrated deep and broke bones on the eland, but still killed little impala and warthog quickly.
You can see the exit hole on the eland in the picture below. And look how heavy the skin is on a giraffe!
IMG_9451.jpegIMG_1137-3.jpeg
 
diabeticfreak said:
What do you guys think of 9.3x62? I have found a few for relatively cheap, and some ammo for a little over $2 per round. What do you think of these as hunting rifles, how accurate are they? What kind of scope would you put on one? All of those kinds of questions. I know it's overkill for anything in North America, it's just one of those things I irrationally want lol.
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I like the 9.3x62 and the 9.3x57. The one I use for hunting is not scoped, has relatively short barrels and has flip-up express sights. Great big game rifle when you're in tight bush.

Like others have said though, there's really no need for this in NA - a 308 or 30-06 or whatever you already have will kill a moose or whatever just as well. I bought mine because they were cheap and everyone needs "one more rifle." from time to time.
 
Well for us up here that hunt wood bison there is definitely a place for it, since 30-06 is the minimum, it will get the job done, but slowly usually compare to the 9.3x62 that put them down a lot faster, bison like water buffalo could charge and kill you after being hit, at least one guy got killed a few years back and a few more badly injured!
So I feel better with my 9.3 than my 30-06!!
 
AB3006 said:
Soooo... necrothread revival time. Thank you CGN Hivemind for all the info in the thread.

Just bought a HVA 1640 in 9.3x62. I will be reloading for it, but want to start off with some factory loads to sight in and get used to it .

At present my other two hunting rifles are 6.5Swede and 30-06, Both HVAs.

I use PPU 140g SP factory loads the Swede, and will reload to the same specs (though I hope to work up a load a tad spicier).

The 30-06 loves 165 grain Norma whitetaila, so I will stick with those (or similar) for reloading.

Given those, what would you suggest as a starting point for the 9.3? What load would give me better elk/moose medicine than what I have?
Click to expand...

Nice choices! The Hornady 286 IL was supposed to be a decent performer on game; not too tough for NA animals. Reasonable BC with them.

The PPU 286 is supposed to be a good bullet on game; I have some RN, but not sure if there is a spire point alternative.

With 60 gr. of Ramshot Big Game (IIRC) I get about factory speeds of 2350 over the screen. 62 gr. is about 2450 with slightly higher pressure noticeable on the brass from factory. Out of 2 rifles of mine, I think both 23" barrels.

Sighted 3" high at 100 yards will be zeroed at 200 yards, or pretty close. Effective range with the IL I figured at maybe a tad over 300 before the bullet was getting a bit slow for good expansion, using 1800 fps as a cut off.

Using the 250 Accubond, you'd get about 2600 fps and extend the range to about 400.

I think generally the Speer Hot Core are good bullets, but haven't heard great things about the .366 270 gr. Sound fragile, but good for deer.

Can't tell you first hand as I haven't killed anything big with a 9.3x62 yet.
 
A mistake I think some make with the 9.3x62 is shooting it in short-barrel carbines. Try it in a rifle with a full-length barrel and you will find muzzle blast and recoil relatively easy to handle.
 
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