The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 9.3x62 with light weight bullets?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Hi guys! Newby here! I just acquired a Ruger M77 Hawkeye African in 9.3x62 and was wondering about loads with lightweight bullets--in the 170 gr. range. Seems to me that that would be a great Muley round. Any thoughts? | ||
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| One of Us |
Welcome! Lots of experienced folks here....I'm sure someone will chime in with a solution. 9.3x62 for Mule Deer? interesting :-) | |||
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| one of us |
The 9.3x62 is a favorite of mine, but its not for light bullets, I would not hunt with anything less than the 250 gr bullet or the speer 270 which is a perfect deer bullet as its a bit on the soft side..LIghter bullet leave the bore fast, but slow down much faster in most big bores.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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No experience either-----but if you are going to go with a 170gr. bullet, why choose a 9.3? Balance out the cartridge with the bullet! Hip | |||
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Personally I believe the 170’s to be far to light. If you want to use a light bullet there are several 232’s that will work fine. DRSS Kreighoff 470 NE Valmet 412 30/06 & 9.3x74R | |||
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If you want to use lite bullets check out cutting edge or leigh high defense bullets. | |||
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One of my favorite bullets for the 9.3x62 is the Barnes 250 gr. TTSX. I have shot a number of African animals from a 25 pound honey badger to an old mature eland bull, as well as 7 whitetail deer here in the US, with that bullet. It kills well without a lot of meat damage. I don't think the 170 gr. bullet would shoot much flatter. If you compare different bullet weights of the same type in the same cartridge, and get them all going as fast as possible, there is very little difference in trajectory over normal hunting range. Look up the trajectories of a .308 with 150, 165, and 180 gr. bullets, for example the Hornady spire points, in the Hornady book, to keep everything consistent, and you will find only a few inches difference out to 500 yards. At longer distances, the heavier bullets usually shoot a little flatter as the ballistic coefficient is higher so they do not lose velocity as quickly. Also, I don't know of any common 9.3 bullets below 232 grains. The 9.3x62 is a great cartridge - have fun with it. | |||
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The lightest bullet I have loaded and the lightest bullet that I would personally hunt deer with is the Lapua Naturalis 220 grain. It shoots accurately and fast in my 9.3x62, and its all copper alloy construction means it would hold together in game. But I haven't used one to shoot a deer with yet. I can't imagine any advantage to hunting hoofed game with a 170 grain 9.3 bullet. | |||
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Well, you all have convinced me. I'll stick with the 250 and 286 gr. bullets! This is the kind of information I was hoping for when I joined this group! Thanks! | |||
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Couple weeks ago used the 250 grain Naturalis on a mulie buck. Worked great, as expected. DRT and minimal bloodshot damage. Through the near shoulder, took half the heart out and exited off side. No surprises and performed as I thought it would. ______________________________________________ The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who are bereft of that gift. | |||
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I've hunted Muleys with 232 gr. Oryx & Vulkan handloads, & 250 gr. NAB, both factory and handload. Same rules apply. Aim small, shoot small, and skip all the drama. | |||
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The lightest I know of is the Jaguar 188 gr. Can be driven to 2900 fps. | |||
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I would imagine the sectional density of a 170 9.3 bullet would be pretty poor. Not good for penetration. | |||
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You're right on... with a sectional density of only .181 the BC will be very poor also. In fact, no such commercial bullet weight exists in 9.3 for rifles, and for good reason - they would be very impractical. Also, the Oryx 232gr has a very poor shape. I have some but will not use them for hunting, except maybe for coyotes. But the two bullets I lean on are both Noslers: the 286 Partition and the 250gr AccuBond. They have good weight and very good BCs. And both are very accurate from my Tikka T3 Lite. I've killed black bears with each. As an all-around bullet I'd recommend the 250 AccuBond if you can find them. At 2700 fps from my rifle they shoot into sub 1/2 MOA. And the 286 Partition into sub MOA at +2600 fps. I've also used the 286 Hornady on bear - it too is accurate and capable, but the MV was about 2400 fps. My rifle doesn't like the 270gr Speer, so I'll try to find someone at our range who can use them. The 320gr Woodleigh has yet to be used on game, but at 2425 fps it's super accurate. One powder used for all: RL-17 - it likes compression and max psi (not "book" psi, which is outdated). Bob www.bigbores.ca "Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being" - King David, Psalm 148 (NLT) | |||
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How is the recoil, from a 7.5 lbs rifle..? Thats with scope.. There is a Tikka T3 with a McMillan stock for sale in my country... not sure if I should buy it. | |||
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Wise choice. I doubt the Ruger's barrel twist rate (10/1) is slow enough to support a faster and lighter bullet.
Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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I stick to 286-grain bullets in my 9.3 but have turned my 338WM into the rifle for any long-range sniping. For this I've gone down to 225gr bullets, hoping I could get more velocity to flatten trajectory. This has been a bit disappointing because the Barnes TTSX is so long I have to poke most of it back in the case, limiting powder space. However, they are very accurate and their high BC lets them slip through wind. So what has this got to do with the 9.3? Well, I would try the lightest TSX or TTSX I could find and give them a try on deer-sized game. Being shorter than my 338 bullets, they should leave more powder space but their steamlined shape might carry better than heavier 9.3 projectiles. | |||
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Hi, I have used the 220 grs FOX monometalic bullets as the lightest ones in my 9,3x62. To me is a very good bullet for all medium big game. Starting at 2800 plus muzzle velocity has a good trayectory for 400 meters shots. Anyway, I like the 250 grs at 2650 f/s as the most versatile for all medium game. Using different bullet types for some different games, like Nosler Accubond and TTSX. PH | |||
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Not a lot of bullets available in that weight range. Most hunting bullets within typical weight for caliber produced have a sectional density (SD) of ~.248-.275 A 232 9.3 has an SD of .247 so proportionally it is the equivalent of shooting a 165 .308 bullet. Sectional Density is a reasonable proxy for comparative penetration for similiarly constructed bullets. So a 232 grn 9.3 is a perfectly fine deer/elk/moose bullet. The problem is finding 232 grn 9,3 bullets of proper construction (some 232 9,3s are of target bullet construction). Of the major mfgs Norma is the only on I am aware of, they make 232 grain Oryx bullet. Hawk bullets out of New Jersey makes a 235 grain and a 200 grain. So if you want a lighter weiight 9,3 bullet for hunting, I woud go with either the 232 9,3 Oryx or the Hawk. Mike Legistine actu? Quid scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Cutting thru the balistic masturbation, the only thing to remember is stay away from the extremes!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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North fork makes. 214gr 9.3 bullet. But, at the risk of raising Ray’s ire, (:-)), you do enough reading about cartridges that seem to hit above their weight, you’ll almost invariably see that the SD is at LeAST .300 and more often quite a bit more. 416/400 375/300 9.3/286 318/250 338/250 6.5/140-160 30-06/220 Etc. I don’t think that’s coincidence. | |||
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Piling on to what Baxter said - I wrote a post years ago, I think I referred to it as macigal medium bores... You don't even need to go as heavy as Baxter references The combination of a cup and core bullet with an SD above .27 at a velocity in the mid 2600s to the mid 2800s is simply a killing combination that is plenty flat enough inside of 450 yards. Mike Legistine actu? Quid scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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| one of us |
WHOOPS, Me thinks we just arrived at the .270 with a 130 gr. bullet, or not? all piddle! AFter all the suggestions of a 9.3x62 with a 170 gr. bullet I suggest there is no such critter that I know of, but if so its usually referred to as a marble!  I mentioned the Speer 270 gr. being soft???? WAKE UP OUT THERE!  no intelligent humanoid would shoot the 9.xx62 with any bullet lighter than 232 grs. and that one is next to useless IMO..A funny thread, enjoy! Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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| one of us |
I have a few hundred of the Lapua 185gr OTM bullets that I will eventually get around to experimenting with. They are more for small game and plinking though. I'll try some with IMR 4759 as well. | |||
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Why try and make a whiz-bang out of an old slugger like the 9.3x62, buy yourself a 22-250 or whatever speed demon you want. Its like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Ray..a lot of game has been shot with the 232 gr. Norma...granted from stands at short distance. Very effective right up to Euro stag. | |||
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I have shot so much game with the 9.3x62, and a little bit with the 9.3x64 with the Nosler partition and Accubonds with the 250 and 286 gr bullets that I see nothing but perfection, and I'm amazed how flat they shoot on my 400 yard target, only drop 2 to 3 inches below my 30-06 with a 180 gr. and 4 inches below my 270 with 150 gr. bullets..Have not tried my 9.3x62 at 500 but I bet with a 3" high at 100 trajectory I could hold a little air over a buffalos back and drop on in thoses tub size lungs.. BTW the 9.3x64 only beats my 9.3x62 by a 100 fps, so I offed it at a gun show, It seemed to recoil more for whatever reason..I see the 9.3x62 as a poor mans 375 H&H, as it was originally exactly that and was marketed as that. Pretty good analogy.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Mr Atkinson your comments (and others) made me do a bit of research, which I love to do. I compared a 250gr .366 NBT at 2700, to a 180gr .358 Barnes TSX at 2950, using JBM ballistics calc. I use a 2" grouping, and consider an 8" zone to be a good diameter kill zone for most game, then I compare the distances beyond the 250gr 9.3 is virtually identical to the 180gr 35cal out to just under 250yds, the difference being retained energy, with the 9.3 holding nearly 1000FPE over the 35cal now, when I take it out to 500 yds, the difference between the two is 3.4" in trajectory really so close as to be a non-issue BUT: when I look at the other numbers? the 35cal is walking along at a nonexpanding 1550fps, with retained energy a gentle 962FPE NOW: that 9.3 is still still bowling along at a moose perforating 1848fps with almost 1900FPE that's a half ton more than the 35cal Barnes the 180gr NosPart (NLA??) is even worse. (I can find no info on a 180gr Nos BT... no longer available) this is something I have been enlightened on years ago. Big long high BC bullets lumbering along have surprising trajectories, and retained impact numbers! Sure, near targets can get hammered with lighter faster bullets. But when you are asked to plunk one into a moose at 450 yards, a horizontal crosshair on the top of the hump will but the bullet through that heart with authority! (500 yds would require a hold on Air, not on Hair) They may cost a bit more, but you spend less on powder and they are easier on barrels. Plus, they simply LOOK KEWL! | |||
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No argument from me, just an opinion, and I'm happy as a church mouse hunting deer and elk with a 30-30 or a 25-35 and have many times. I really like my FN 9,3x62 with its reshaped Schnable fore end and panel sides. With me it's the gun more so than the caliber. I can make the adjustment for the caliber. You can't beat a 25-35 for elk at 100 yards and a 30-30 at 200 yards and the fun is getting there.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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If you want light bullets, then go with a .300WM or .338WM. I use a 9.3 and shoot 250's and 286 gr bullets. Slower but hit very hard. Great elk cartridge. I shot a lion with one in Nambia and had no issues. A little light for buffalo but does the job. No need to go light on this great cartridge. | |||
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I get it but a 30-30 for elk at 200 yards is a stretch, don't you think? Many better options out there. | |||
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cutting edge bullets makes some lite bullets for the 9.3. I haven't used them. | |||
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Both are good cartridges. The 9.3x62 has roughly 4.5-5 grain more empty case capacity. I believe a closer comparison of BC's & SD's for the lighter bullets from the Barnes book would be: .358---------------- .366 225 grain TSX.------ 250 grain TSX .251 SD.------------ .267 SD .359 BC.------------ .361 BC | |||
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I see the allure of lighter bullets but I'd think that the same could be achieved with standard weight cast bullets at a lower velocity. Plenty of expansion and penetration with little meat damage. That's the method I'd choose to get "lower" performance from a high performance cartridge. | |||
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I don't get the interest in making one cartridge do everything. I'm going to take my -06 to Nevada this fall for deer. I see no reason to entertain taking my 9.3, .375 or .458. When I get to go back to Africa or when hunting locally, I see no reason to consider my 6.5 or7x57. Personally, I don't feel a ton of inclination own every cartridge everywhere, but it seems prudent to own a small selection of diverse sizes to fit different needs. I don't see why my 9.3 needs to try to fit longer range deer or varmint shooting. Damn! It is a hammer on moose! | |||
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There is a long running thread on an Oz website that details the actual performance on animals of virtually every 9.3mm bullet ever made in a 9.3X62. The author (mozzie) uses a 9.3x62 in a Tikka T3 to eliminate feral animals on a cattle station that he manages in far north QLD. Target animals vary from wild dogs to scrub bulls (wild cattle) and brumbies (wild horses). Not only does he record how they are shot but he retrieves the spent bullets and discusses how the bullets performed. Here’s a link to the thread, currently 446 pages long: https://www.australianhunting....x.php?topic=148146.0 You need to be a member (currently free) to join. If you enjoy a no BS review with a bit of Aussie banter thrown in, you will enjoy the thread. | |||
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You can start and stop the discussion with a 286 NP at 24-2500 fps to any same distance. | |||
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Excellent post... my sentiments exactly, and my experience. So far, the 250gr AB has worked as well or better than the 286gr Partition. But at 500 yds for moose I'd go with the Partition at +2600 fps. Bob www.bigbores.ca "Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being" - King David, Psalm 148 (NLT) | |||
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I always used tough 286 grs bullets. But for European hogs I got wise: as these animals rarely are over 140 kg dressed, I switched to 16 g RWS KS Bullet. A very soft bullet for sure. ( that should be 247 grs ) But OMG how it anchors game! I can tell any hit, even if not so good, on a driven hunt. And I always DID get my chance for the second shot, as this bullet really delivers. And it´s exceptionally accurate. A lead free bullet shoots to within 2 cm at 100 m. 3 shot group under an inch. I have three boxes ready, in case any Politicians get any dumber regarding lead free hunting bullets. But I prefer the KS for European game. Shoots 3/4". And it HITS like Thor´s Hammer. Hermann formerly, before software update, known as "aHunter", lost 1000 posts in a minute | |||
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Looking again at the first page of that AustralianHuntingNet thread, I feel that having bullets netted by the hide on the far side is a good thing for collecting used projectiles but maybe less useful if a trail-up is needed. If the bullet goes right through, leaving a big hole, it's more likely to give a decent blood trail. I prefer that even if some energy is wasted against the hill. | |||
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