Working up loads in the 9.3x62 Husqvarna 649 today and I had sone problems. I was sighting in a new scope and shot about five at 50 yards and moved out to 100 after adjustments following each shot. About 10 rounds later I was thinking I was all set and shot a final three shot group. In this group two were touching 2 1/2 inches over the bull and the third jumped up about an inch and a half!. I thought, "Come on hold steady damnit", and shot three more all of which were up with the last one of the previous group or higher, and none too tight.



At this point I was pissed and went to change targets. In the meantime I thought the old Husky is pretty thin barreled for caliber and maybe I'd let it cool some. I waited about five minutes and though the barrel was cooler, it certainly was still very warm, but it was all I could wait with folks waiting for a station behind me. I shot a three shot group and the first two nearly touched, the third was a little less than an inch away and a little high. Hmmm, I continued to shoot and sure enough all the others (six) moved up and were looser than the first three.



Could all this be from barrel heating or am I just losing my touch in my old age? TIA.

Befus, probably, maybe, it's possible that your barrel is responding to heat. Without goin thru the hoops on this, try shooting a group with a cold barrel. Foul it, then let it cool completely. Shoot once and let it cool. Etc, Etc. It sounds like your shooting skills are okay as you're getting the same pattern in repetition. Sorry, you can't start taking Geritol yet. I'm not familiar with your gun, is the barrel fully free floated or does it have a pressure pad at the tip?

It is free floated, but not bedded.

Okay, if your cold barrel test doesn't give a round group then you might consider haveing that done. It would be my first course of action. If that does not resovle the matter I would either try a cryo treatment or rebarrel. Or sell it. I assume your scope is properly secured of course.



The gun is trying to tell you something, the sleuth work can be interesting or aggravating, as it strikes you.

First, clean it. I mean clean to the metal. If you don't know how to do this (takes too long for me to type out how) then take it to some one who can do it.

Shoot 3-5 shots again at 100 to see where it is sighted in. THis will foul the bore and likely make it shoot a little better. Let hte barrel cool for 15 minutes. THen shoot a 3 shot group at 100 yards. Just shoot it at a normal rate, like 3 shots in 1 1/2 monutes or so. THen let it totally cool for at least 10 minuites. Do this for 5 gorups and find what they average and standard deviation of the groups.

THis is what your rifle can do with these loads. Just one or two 3 shot gorups do not tell you very much at all. Actually, 5 shot groups are the way to go if you want to see what is really happening, but 3 shots are ok.

A few questions. What load were you using? ARe you handloading or shooting factory rounds? What is your bench and rest set up? Are all screws tight? WHat scope are you using? AT the 9.3, cheap scopes will start to show weaknesses.

If your barrel does not shoot better totally free floated, then you have other problems. Cryoing the barrel won't do anything for this iussue. Heat definitely makes a rifle act like you describe.

We do need to keep a few things in perspective. THe rifle was still shooting a 1 1/2" group. THat is likely all the rifle is capable of shooting. And it is plenty accurate enough for a 9.3. If a light barreled 9.3 Mauser shoots a 1 1/2" group at 100 yards with a hot barrel, then things are great.