QL 9.3X62

[nvbroncrider]

I'm contemplating a M48 or a build on a M70. It's a slick old cartridge and fits into my collection quite well.

9.3 on the left 338-06AI on right.

 

[DrMike]

It will be a terrific build; it is a great cartridge, Jake.

 

[Horsethief]

SBJ358: the 9.3 is a bedded VZ-24 rebarrelled with a 24" ER Shaw heavy magnum contour barrel, a Timney trigger, a Boyds green/brown laminate varmint stock thumbhole and a big, sweet muzzle break. The "push" from this is basically like that of a 20 gauge shotgun with a good recoil pad. All the metal but the bolt handle is in black photsphate.

The bear_78: thanks for the good intel on the 270 Speer. I can't argue with first-hand knowledge when it comes to a Partition vs an ordinary jacketed bullet such as the Speer.

To ya'll: 30-06 brass can be necked up to 9.3x62mm, but so can 35 Whelen. The 9.3 pre-date emerged a year before the 30-06 in its present form.

I have plenty of better rifles that will do the job on everything from varmints to elk. I could have had the 8x57 rebarreled into a 222 Rem, a 6.5-284 Norma, or a 338-06 A-Square, but I have rifles fully capable of spewing out bullets nearly identical to what all of those can do. It would be just like having a silver F-250 and a white F-250 pickups equipped with similar options.

The 9.3x62 or its x64 cousin are the biggest chamberings that can be made using the VZ-24 receiver without any modifications. It is possible to convert that bolt and receiver to a 375 H&H, but if you do that you'll have to remove some metal from the receiver and open the bolt face. Those things weaken the action. I like to run with the large-for-caliber loads as close the max (or a bit over the book listed maximum load), so strength of the action works to my benefit. Bigger, faster, stronger.

There is also a cool factor here. Who do you know that has a 9.3x62? That question where I live and work usually gets a "nobody" or a comical look----like it's a trick question or something. Ask that same question in northern Europe or across most of Africa and you'll get a lot of positive answers. There is also the aspect of having a unique, old chambering that can do it all-----as proven by the ordinary hunters and farmers of Africa who used the rifles as protection from everything on the continent. Everything on the continent. If a 9.3x62 can drop a rouge African game, then it will do fine for the elk I plan on bagging with it.

I know I could have saved up my money and got a 378 Weatherby Magnum or a 416 Remington Magnum and used one of them vs elk or big bears. With the VZ-24 8x57mm I had something that was overshadowed by everything else I had in its range of bullets. A 9.3x62 and a 286 grain bullet at maximum charge impresses me. BOOM.

 

[steve4102]

 

[Horsethief]

Steve: That is stunning for a large rifle. Great job!

 

[SJB358]

Very cool! That's a very cool cartridge and man, 2450 with that 286 PT isn't giving up much of anything to a 375 H&H with a 300 PT. Great looking rifle HT and awesome shooting Steve!

 

[Oldtrader3]

Referring back to recoil, my 9.3x74R runs at a little less pressure than the 9.3x62 but the loads are similar, as are the velocities. The 9.3x74R case is a little bit bigger but I run it at slightly lower pressure. I roughly calculated the recoil using the Powley computer and it is about 40 foot pounds or a little more. The 7mm Rem Mag with 160 gr bullets at 3000 is about 30.0 pounds of recoil, roughly. The 9.2x62 or the 9.3x74R have recoil more in the range of a .338 Win Mag.

 

[Thebear_78]

My 9.3 is a scout set up on a p17. 23" Douglas barrel, set up to run either original battle sights or leupold 2.5x scout scope. Had the whole thing hard chromed, b&c carbelight stock that has been reshaped to allow comfortable use with sights and scout scope.

It holds 6 down and you can still use stripper clips. I played around with a few bullets but the 286gr Partition is the best bullet I have found. Excellent terminal performance and accuracy. I'm loading the Partition to 2550 fps. Both Re 17, and h414 have proven good but ramshot has been best.

 

[SJB358]

My 9.3 is a scout set up on a p17. 23" Douglas barrel, set up to run either original battle sights or leupold 2.5x scout scope. Had the whole thing hard chromed, b&c carbelight stock that has been reshaped to allow comfortable use with sights and scout scope.

It holds 6 down and you can still use stripper clips. I played around with a few bullets but the 286gr Partition is the best bullet I have found. Excellent terminal performance and accuracy. I'm loading the Partition to 2550 fps. Both Re 17, and h414 have proven good but ramshot has been best.

I know I have said this before about that set up, but man, AWESOME, just awesome. Talk about a hard core rifle. I like that alot. That is a rifle that is meant to hunt and hard. 2550 with 286's is 375 H&H power..

I saw a Pre64 9.3x62 Phil Shoemaker built, and man, it is another slick one and he had nothing but praise for the cartridge as well.

I can see the draw to that 9.3.. Very cool cartridge with alot of history behind it.

 

[Thebear_78]

The 9.3x62 is all practicality and performance. The scout concept is the same.

Heavy medium bore hits hard with moderate recoil. Paired with that 286gr Partition it's about perfect.

I had a buddy who played around with a wsm case necked up to 366 but didn't really gain enough over the x62 with those big bullets eating up capacity. The 9.3 Alaskan (9.3-338 win). Is another good looking cartridge if your starting from a magnum action.

 

[DrMike]

The .370 Sako Mag is another 9.3 calibre cartridge that has looked interesting to me. It gains nothing over the 9.3X64 and little over the 9.3X62. Still, it is different and you don't see many in the field. Ammunition is available from Federal. Cases are available. It hasn't really caught on, but the power rivals the heralded .375.

 

[SJB358]

The .370 Sako Mag is another 9.3 calibre cartridge that has looked interesting to me. It gains nothing over the 9.3X64 and little over the 9.3X62. Still, it is different and you don't see many in the field. Ammunition is available from Federal. Cases are available. It hasn't really caught on, but the power rivals the heralded .375.

I forgot about that Mike. What's the case length? I remember when it came out. I thought it was very slick.

 

[Thebear_78]

370 sako is same as 9.3x66. Basically 06 basic brass necked to 9.3 left as long as possible. Very negligible difference to 9.3x62 when loaded to same pressures.

 

[SJB358]

370 sako is same as 9.3x66. Basically 06 basic brass necked to 9.3 left as long as possible. Very negligible difference to 9.3x62 when loaded to same pressures.

I just saw that.. Looks very similar and brass is very available for the 9.3x62. Lapua and Norma is pretty available and not too terribly expensive either..

 

[Oldtrader3]

The -06 is 63mm long.

 

[Thebear_78]

06 basic brass is cylindrical brass used as basis for wildcat forming. It's generally 2.65" or longer.

2.650" = 67.31mm

 

[nvbroncrider]

If you guys were building a custom looking at the data 3.290" COAL seems awfully short especially when I could easily stretch them to 3.450" or somewhere around there.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Why are you making cases when you can buy them at any online reloading site?

 

[Thebear_78]

They had to be built at one time. When the guys originally designed it the took 06 basic brass and left it as long as possible for the 9.3x66. Believe it or not there are a lot of new wildcats that are easier to make from basic brass than converting something else. Also no headstamp allows you to have properly labeled brass.

If you tried to make 9.3x 66 brass from 06 it would come out too short.

I don't know about you but I have found recent inventories of online reloading supply companies hit or miss at best and likelihood of oddball brass is slim

 

[Thebear_78]

If you guys were building a custom looking at the data 3.290" COAL seems awfully short especially when I could easily stretch them to 3.450" or somewhere around there.

My 9.3 is throated to load 286 gr bullets at near magazine length of 3.34"