Do a search on this forum for 9.3x62 and also in the big bore section. There are a lot of threads on that one. It is pretty popular.

RobertD

I have the 9.3x62 CZ550 American as well. My experience has been extremely positive just as the guys who've already posted. I took the rifle to Zimbabwe in 2002 using 286 grain Nosler Partitions loaded to 2,400 fps. It worked to perfection on everything from impala to eland.

It's a great all purpose caliber (unless you're after dangerous game or shooting very long distances) and the CZ rifle itself is a great bargain. For the handloader, there is a very good variety of bullets and my rifle seems to like everything I've tried.

I have the cz lux 9.3x62 and it is fast becomiong a favourite. I only have loaded the speer 270 gr 9.3 bullets to date but they have performed well on the thin skinned stuff I have shot to date.

Use lapua cases as they are very good quality.

I love my cz's !!

While not specifically about the 9.3x62 cartridge, I think this article may be of interest. I've been working up loads in my .338-06 to basically duplicate .318 Westley Richards ballistics (250 gr bullet at around 2400 fps). As such, this article caught my eye. Of course, the 9.3x62 belongs to the same group of moderate velocity medium bores.

-Bob F.


When Less Is More
Hunting Handloads - John Barsness
HANDLOADER Magazine
June-July 2004 Volume 39, Number 3 Number 229

Outside of North America, many experienced hunters firmly believe in what Americans consider moderate muzzle velocity, from about 2,400 to 2,800 fps. Why? Well, for one thing such velocities don�t jelly, shred and crater huge amounts of edible venison � which in many other countries is sold on the marketplace. Too, such velocities allow the use of �standard� bullets. Believe it or not, many �premium� hunting bullets become pretty pricey for general hunting by the time you ship them to the Czech Republic or South Africa.

Many such hunters have also found that moderate velocities often kill quicker, even with premium bullets. How can this be so? We�ve been told for decades that extra speed always results in extra �killing power,� whether through more foot-pounds of kinetic energy or high velocity�s Holy Grail, hydrostatic shock.

Except for �solids,� game bullets are designed to expand when they hit a game animal. Where they expand can affect how well they kill. We�ve all heard about � or even seen � tender bullets coming apart before penetrating deeply enough, but even some expensive �premium� bullets work more effectively at lower velocities.

When pushed to high velocities, any bullet can expand so rapidly that the vast majority of tissue damage occurs near the entrance hole. By the time the bullet gets inside, expansion�s over. Instead of blowing the heart or lungs apart, the bullet punches a relatively small hole.

Reduce velocity a few hundred fps, however, and the bullet only starts to expand on the skin, muscle and bones on the outside of a game animal. Much of the bullet�s expansion takes place inside, doing much more damage to heart and lungs � and the animal quickly keels over.

This phenomenon is most noticeable on game larger than deer, one reason Americans (who mostly hunt deer) are unfamiliar with the concept, particularly down South where deer run smaller. Here about any bullet will do the job, because even if it expands extremely quickly, the deer�s chest cavity is only a few inches wide. But move up to larger game, even big northern deer, and moderate-velocity bullets often kill just as quickly, or even quicker. The slower bullet does more of its �work� deep inside the animal.

If you�re worried about reducing �energy� by slowing a bullet down, use a heavier bullet. While I was growing up, wise old gun writers said to use 150-grain bullets for deer in the .30-06, because 150s were built to expand more rapidly than 180s and hence killed better. I haven�t found this to be true with today�s bullets, in fact have dropped more 100- to 200-pound animals in their tracks with 180-grain bullets from the .30-06. Most of today�s hunting bullets are designed to expand easily, no matter what their weight.

American hunters tend to fret that reducing velocity also reduces range. Along with extreme velocity, this is also an odd concept to most European and African hunters, who consider 300 yards a very long shot. Americans also doubt that slower bullets will expand way out there, but 2,400 fps is plenty for shooting out to 200 yards, and 2,700 to 2,800 for shooting game at any range out to 400 yards � as long as you know your rifle�s trajectory. If you don�t, you have no business shooting that far!

The next time you peruse a ballistics table, note the numbers of some old rounds that have survived around a century, such as the 6.5x55 Swede (110 years), 7x57mm Mauser (112), .30-06 (98) and .375 H&H (92). These have all gained a reputation for killing better than their paper ballistics � and most factory loads send bullets out the muzzle at between 2,400 and 2,800 fps, speeds not only easier on our shoulders but also very often harder on game.




http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/article.cfm?tocid=1312&magid=91

I bought one from Mike Calvert on the For Sale Forum.

I loaded 286 Noslers for it ... 57 gr of RL-15 on Norma cases with WLR primers. Chrono'd 2420 fps with a fine, fine max spread.

Took it to Africa ... just got back. PH was impressed with a hunter who showed up with a sensible calibler. The rifle killed warthog, Impala, Wildebeast, Kudu and Zebra (one each) with no problems at all. Did not recover a single bullet ... everything passed through.

Damn fine caliber ... fine rifle .... Mike Calvert ain't EVER getting this one back!

Just a great hunting caliber, as everyone posting here and a whole lot of Africa-experienced hunters have indicated.

Another venue the caliber excels at is cast bullets--these shoot at least as well as their jacketed counterparts in my 550 Lux, clear past 2000 FPS (270 grain Mountain Molds FNGC).

Recoilpad...I have a 550 American in 9.3 x 62 and I love it...

I bought it to replace my .338 as my big/nasty critter gun, but it shoots so well that I have used it exclusively for a couple of years.. It is VERY accurate with 250 Barnes X bullets, and shoots 1/2" groups at 100 yards... It's shot pretty good with everything I've tried in it so far... I like the single set trigger... With the Barnes X load it shoots flat enough for the odd 300 yard shot..It has some recoil but doesn't beat me up at the bench the way my .338 used to.. I'm currently working up a fairly mild load ( 2000-2200 fps) with the 270 Speer to use as a woods load for deer...Imagine a 30-30 except with a bullet 100 grains heavier....

I haven't shot anything really big with it yet, having shot only 2 caribou, a deer and a coyote, but nothing I have taken with it has taken a step...This September I am taking it moose hunting and hope to get a chance to see how it performs on really big game..

Feel free to email me if you want to chat....

After having several .338's (teeth rattling cur's to shoot) I took the advice of the learned gentlemen here and got a CZ 550 American in 9.3x62. It is a gem, a joy to shoot. Mild recoil, have shot many sub-moa groups at 100yds, shoots any reasonable load very well. I really like the Talley detachable lever mounts on mine. If you get one and fool around with it for a while, you will wonder "why did I wait so long to get one?" Mine is going to Zimbabwe this August.

" Ah, peace. That brief moment in history when everyone stops to reload."

I'm not trying to hijack your thread, but I too have been thinking about buying a 550 American in 9.3x62. I'd like to know from the guys who have them what the weight of your rifles are with scope. What scopes are you guys using? Thanks.


Craig

Personally, since I doubt that I'd ever try to shoot anything over 250 yards with one, a 1.5x5 or 1x6 would be sufficient. Admittedly on the one I just sold, I had installed a peep sight (for reasons too complex to go into here). Should I ever acquire another, it would wear a 1.5x5 Leupold like the .375 does. That seems unlikely as I already have a .375 and a .318 WR and the 9.3 seems to overlap both with nothing unique to offer. For someone no so equipped, though, it is about as sweet a cartridge as one could ever want to fire. Elmer would have loved it had it ever come into his view. Wonder why it didn't?

Thanks for the many replies. I just sent payment for one based on the feedback here. I know I will be pleased with it. Thanks again for everyone's help.
Recoilpad.

Mine has a Leupold M8 4x on it... Nice light scope, all the magnification one needs for deer or big game hunting, lots of eye relief, and nothing will ever go wrong with it... I paid $125 for it used (but like new) at a gun show...