I know very little about this caliber. Can someone fill me in? Diameter bullets (.366?) ballistics, brass, bullets etc.

I saw this on the CZ page and I am just wondering. Thanx

Pop, probably if I could have just one rifle I would have my CZ 9.3X62. I think it is probably the best all around cartridge. With a 250 nos. bt I can get 2700fps which in my opinion is good for anything up to the Grizzly, then you have the 286gr par. at 2400fps for that. I own two in this caliber. fws

There is some confusion on the origin of the 9.3, but most sources say it was developed around 1905 by a Berlin gunsmith named Otto Bock.

In African Rifles & Cartridges, John Taylor wrote that it was popular with farmers in German and Dutch colonies and that ammo was available all over Africa. (Posts here say that ammo is still widely available in Europe and Africa.) Taylor lists ballistics for a British (Kynoch?) load that moved 285 gr. bullet at 2,175 fps. He refers to a "higher velocity German load" but does not give many details on it. I think this load may have had the same ballistics as the current standard load (285 gr. bullet at 2,430 fps). In Aagaard's Africa, Finn Aagaard wrote that when Kenya made the 375 H&H the minimum for dangerous game, the 9.3 was quietly grandfathered in.

In modern loads, the 9.3 splits the difference between factory 35 Whelen ammo and the 375 H&H. Norma, RWS and Sellier & Bellot load ammo for it today. So does Winchester, but they don't sell it in the US. I just got off the phone with my dealer, who said that S&B ammo should be available in the US in the next few weeks.

The case head is a few thousandths larger than the '06, but '06 brass can be fireformed and trimmed to work, so you can get five rounds in a standard bolt action without a highly modified or dropped magazine.

Dies finally came in and I'm working up loads. Barnes makes X bullets for it in 250 and 285 grains. They also make a 286 grain Homogenous Solid. Speer makes a 270 grain semi-spitzer and Nosler makes a 250 grain Ballistic Tip and a 286 grain Partition. Most people like H4895 and RL-15. There was an article in Handloader 218 that lists a fair amount of load data, but Nosler and Speer have it as well.

If you were looking at the CZ catalog, you probably saw the 550 American. I got one of these a few weeks ago and I think it's a great rifle except that the rings are inexcusably bad. When I get it wrung out, I'll post a full report on it here. You might also search threads here for notes on it--lots of people like it, especially on the European and African hunting boards. Hope this helps, Okie john.

POP,
Okie John summed it up pretty well. I bought one of the CZ550 American's in 9.3x62 to take to Zimbabwe for plains game. The rifle and load have more than lived up to the very positive comments you can find seaching over the last year or so. If you're interested, I posted a few recovered bullet pictures ( Recovered Bullets) after my trip.

I've had very good accuracy results with the Nosler Partition (286 gr) and Ballistic Tip (250 gr) as well as the Barnes X (250 gr) which is consistent with the comments made here by several other CZ550 owners. All these bullets shoot sub 1-moa from a solid benchrest and the Partitions and Ballistic Tips have thrown out a couple of legitimate .5 inch groups at 100 yards when I've had a real good day.

Bullets, brass and dies are readily availble from the major mail-order outlets. Midway USA and Midsouth Shooters Supply have had everything I needed in stock.

My rifle has performed well straight from the box and the only "improvement" made was to lighten the trigger pull to 3.5 pounds. The CZ's are a tremendous bargain given the price of your standard factory rifles nowdays.

Thanx for the info guys!

okie -

quote:

---

I got one of these a few weeks ago and I think it's a great rifle except that the rings are inexcusably bad.

---

Did you try the Talley's? That's what I did with mine, and, they are as nice as the factory ones are crappy.

R-WEST

Hi, 9.3 x 62 mm is actually the most used ammo in Europe , especially with short distance shooting ( up to 100 meters ) in the woods.

Edmond, I hate myself for doeing this, but I always stay with the truth.I am a big 9.3x62 fan.

Your mistake is France forbids some chamberings ( because once military used them ).

The most used chambering in Europe nowadays is

bells, whistles

.30-06.

Followed by 7x64, 7x65R and .243. The 6.5�s are divided so no singular one especially important :-((

I also have a .30-06 and love it. This somewhat lightens the burden to type this.

Hermann

R West, I'm in a peculiar spot. My father-in-law is a coffee farmer. His farm manager also runs several other farms and needs help with the feral hogs he catches in snares. (Yes, I married into the right family and I tell them so all the time.) The typical shot is well inside 25m at a pissed-off hog--snares are made of 1,750 lb test stainless cable and the hogs frequently snap them as hunters approach. Iron sights are the primary sight system for this rifle, but I will also hunt black bear and elk with it, so it needs to be scope-ready, though not at a moment's notice.

To solve this dilemma, I got the Ashley rear sight for a Remington 700 that is built into a Weaver scope base. A gunsmith is sticking it on the bridge, and will put another steel base on the receiver ring. He's also putting the front sight blade in a Precision Metalsmithing banded ramp.

That way I have a sturdy front sight, a peep sight that does not fold, rings and bases that I know return to zero, and the option of using fairly low-cost rings. I know the 550 Luxe has iron sights, but I've been a peep sight guy since I was five years old, I also used peeps in the military and in competition, so I want to stay with them.

The rifle is due back from the smith in about a month, and I'll post a full report then.

Oh, yeah--my back-up rifle (in case the 9.3 project doesn't work out) is a fifty-year old Mauser 30-06 with handloaded 220 grain Noslers. Iron sights there, too.

Okie John.

The 9.3x62 is a great round in fact I use it the most, very good killing power and don't want to brake your shoulder every time you shoot a round