MODEL 96 Husqvarna Strong enough for 9.3X63

[haffordite2]

I found a commercial actioned 96 Husqvarna chambered in 9.3x62. I'm assuming it is a reamed out 9.3 X 57. I keep getting mixed messages about ths strength of the 96 action. My thought is that as long as you don't excede the 4600 cup pressure barrier, the 96 should be fine. Anyone have the definitive answer?

 

[Northman999]

You won't find any definitive answers on that.

Some guys will tell you the '96 action will push 286's to over 2400 fps with the 9.3 x 62 all day, no problem.

Some other guys will tell you that doing that will cause the rifle to explode in your face.

The M98 is stronger than the M96, but just how strong is actually necessary to run full power loads is very much not definitely clear.

Now, personally, I don't really water down my handloads for any of my M96 based actions, whether they are for a 6.5x55, or a 30-06, or a 9.3x57, or a 9.3x62. I've got a Husqvarna Model 46 that I had rechambered from 9.3x57 to 9.3x62 and I shoot 286's @ 2400 fps from it, no big deal. I wouldn't try to get 2500 - 2600 fps from it however, as I've heard the occaisional M98 or modern factory rifle handloader do. But I'd consider those loads "hot" as opposed to just "full power" loads.

 

[burnt_servo]

if exploding 96 actions where a problem you would easily find all sorts of pictures online of mangled actions and body parts .

lots of these where chambered in 30-06 and the higher pressure 308 win .

long story short after firing many rounds of higher pressure ammo the locking lugs will start to set back causing a increase in headspace , which eventually could cause case head seperation and the resulting biggest flaw in the 96 action .... they don't handle gases as well as the newer actions .

the 9.3x62 has a lot less taper than the 9.3x57 case . i'm guessing the 62 case will produce less back thrust against the locking lugs , even though it is loaded to a slightly higher pressure .

with that said the 96 action will limit your overall length ( unless i'm missing some tricks to open it up ) .

also if you are the type of guy that needs to extract every last bit of speed out of a round , go buy something new ( like a inexpensive savage action ) and play with that .

most of the 96 actions are around or close to 100 years old , and exposed to who knows what type of use . treat them kindly and they will outlast your grand kids .


something i recently did was have a reamer made for a 9.3x62 with a 40 degree shoulder , and a long neck for a rifle i'm building on a 1600 action .

the idea is while still being able to fire factory rounds , my hand loads can be loaded on the warm side , but with the different shoulder these rounds won't be able to be chambered into a 9.3x62 rifle on a 96 action .

 

[Moose Masher]

I don't think that 98's are necassarily any stronger than 96's, they just have a couple of extra safety features.
The 98's have the third lug and gas venting that the 96's don't.
Some 94/96's have a reputation for lug set back, but I don't think the HVA's do.

Over the years, I have read a couple or three articles on pushing both actions until they blew.
In the cases I read about it took ridiculous amounts of powder to make the steel fail.
The Swedes were known for making very good steel during that time frame.
The brass will let go before the steel, just as in a modern action that can take modern pressures.

If you don't push it until you blow primers, you'll be fine.

My 2 cents.

 

[jsmurd]

Well, for some time now, I have been keeping a weather eye on Tradex`s website, specifically stock keeping unit 22993 , listed as a Husky commercial m96 in caliber 9.3 x 62, so I guess the Swedes had no problem building that caliber with the ``weaker ` actions

 

[Mike Webb]

If you stay within the pressure limit you have mentioned I don't see an issue personally. If you want to get abslute top performance with handloads, I would get a 98 of good quality manufacture.

 

[Baribal]

M98 actions ARE stronger than any pre '98 just because they have a thicker front receiver ring. More material = more strenght. The M/98 was also designed to safely handle almost every possible case and action failure.
The metallurgy is also a factor, to a lesser entent in the pre WWI actions, but as you got up in time the metallurgy became always better for the M/98 (less forced labour wartime production, of course), while the M/94/96/38 have kept the same basic material, which would have been considered "soft" by today's standards as it was only surface hardened.
But from another side, the quality and uniformity of steel the Swede used for their Mauser is well beyond what you usually find over 50 years of production.
When compared to the M/98, the M/94/96/38 lack the massive gas escaping ports and third lug features, which is an issue if a case head separation shall occur.

Now, Husqvarna used two variants of their M/38 action to chamber in 9.3X62; the M/38, military style (but brand new actions) for the model 46AN and the so-called "commercial" or "solid wall" action for their model 649. Also, a lot of M/46/46A were re-chambered from 9.3X57 to 9.3X62.
So, if HVA made it available in that chambering, it is likely that the action can take it and I use both original models (46AN and 649) for hunting, and never got an issue.