Just received my new 9.3x62 and looking for some starting load suggestions for an upcoming elk hunt. Any suggestions

Should I go with Lapua brass or is PRIVI ok?

FWIW...I have PRVI, RWS, LAPUA, NORMA and reformed 35 Whelen WW. They ALL work, but I like RWS, NORMA AND LAPUA for reloading longevity and WW for cheap practice and cheap PRVI 285's for most anything...I also shoot 270 and 286 Hornady or whatever I can find nowadays or is on sale.

Initially, I just picked a load of Varget out of the Hornady manual and fiddled with it to get the highest accuracy with 270 - 286 Horns and 285 PRVI. All ran ~2350 - 2400 fs and 3 shot groups ~ <0.6" even with the WW "stuff".

Then I bought QL, chrunched the numbers and got a nice surprised...RL-17 added well over 150 fs to those velos, loaded up a few in RWS brass, cranked up the chrono and got that additional velo PLUS some, with similar accuracy.

I won't post the actual load or COAL as it's not in any load manual and longer than factory, temps were in the mid 50's but the load didn't produce any warning signs so that is my standard load now for ~285 gr bullets...no need to mess about with any more testing...just load up and go shooting.


Varget, RL-15 and 17, H380 and CFE, 8208, WW748, and other powders in that burning range are good places to start for "factory level" loads.

Which bullet to use is full of "bones of contention" and "personal bias". EVERYONE has their favorites and there are MANY very good bullets out there from 180 gr to 300 gr +/- a few...I leave that road alone because of MY personal bias. HOO-MEE???

I don't know your level of expertise, reloading capabilities or testing facilities so I limit advice to what I would give a newbie.

I would suggest running a search on AR/online for 9.3x62. There are MANY very knowledgeable shooters of the "62" that have already posted excellent reviews of various good bullets.

This might save you some research time and be quicker in the long run. Bullet availability is limited in some cases, which might/might not be a problem for you.

Enjoy your new toy, it's a good one.

Luck

The 250g NAB and Varget get high praise here.
The 286 NP gets good reviews here.
I'm loading the 286g w/ RL 17. Shoots very well. Next will be the Nosler 250g BT over Varget.

PM me your email & I will send you a few articles and loads etc. for the 9.3X62.

I would start with 250 gr Accubonds or TSX (for elk) and Varget - around 59 gr and go up. You should get around 2500 fps +. You could also try IMR 3031 or Re 15. John Barness got some good loads with Ramshot powder but we do not get that here in NZ.

Good luck with a great caliber.

57 grains of Varget, behind a 286 Privi, Swift, Hornady, etc, be a good starting point. Same load behind a 250 Accubond..

Just ordered some Privi brass and 285gr Privi bullets.

This might be helpful:

http://www.realguns.com/loads/93x62mm.htm

Varget is SLOW, even if it is accurate! Then accuracy happens with all of the right powders and bullets.

As mentioned, check RealGuns.com
And/Or my site may be helpful.

Bob


www.bigbores.ca

Graf Brass and PRVI bullets are just fine.
For me Ramshot Big Game is THE powder for the 9.3x62.
I started at 61 grains and worked all the way up to 64 grains, settled on 62.5 grains as the most accurate in my rifle.

@.458 Only Bob: I greatly enjoyed your thorough and thoughtful comparison of the 9.3 x 62 and .375 calibers. I also have a Tikka 9.3 x 62, and I love it, as well as a CZ 550 Safari in .375 H&H. (It is a lot easier to carry the Tikka!) The 9.3 x 62 has an African pedigree that goes back many, many years. If I had to hazard a guess, historically more PG and DG in Africa has probably been taken with with 9.3 x 62's than any other gun. With that said, the .375 is the "minimum" caliber for DG in some (but not all) African countries. My PG hunt in 2015 has morphed into a DG hunt as well. Because of that, unfortunately, the Tikka will be staying home, and my .375 H&H will be doing double duty for both PG and DG. I'll just have to get used to carrying that heavy mutha all day!

Brass, you ask?

In an earlier thread regarding RL-17 and the "62", Ray Atkinsson gave a few recipes and recommendations. Search to find them - I will not post his loads, even though I cut-and-pasted into a document to preserve them for when I got RL-17 here in Oz.

Anyway, regarding brass:

quote:

PMP is so far the best brass for the 9.3x62, has the most water capacity and is the cheapest, as Graff sells it under their name for about $34.00 per hundred. Lapua and Norma are the next best bets.

If you take a look at the Favorite Loads Forum here, you will some good information for 9.3 x 62 loads. Certainly worth a look.