I have my new CZ 550 on the way to my FFL and now I'm getting everything I will need for my 9.3x62.

I'm looking for an all around bullet for whitetail, elk, caribou, Black Bear, and hogs. I think a 250 grain premium bullet will be appropriate to hunt at ranges out to 280 yards. ( I only own 2 center fire rifles so I have to be able to hunt everything with this 9.3 and a 243 Winchester. )

What 250 grain bullets would you guys recommend? I know that Nosler Ballistic Tips, Barnes X, and North Forks are available. I am a little concerned about the price of the north forks, although they do have a good reputation in other calibers.

What are people’s experiences with the 250 BT and Barnes X in 9.3? Should I be worried about using the BT on large game? The only thing I have ever used a hunting BT on is a coyote from my .243. What are the minimum expansion velocities for these two bullets?

I have some Reloader 15 I am going to start with.

I'm still waiting for mine to be finished, so no real experince here. I have heard rumors that Hornady was going to start selling a 285gr RN in that caliber. If it comes to pass. I'm sure that'll be my 1st choice if they'll shoot in my rifle. Till then, I'll probably go with the 250gr Nosler Partition. You can't go wrong with a partition, well at least I've never been let down using them.

Terry

I can't find a partition in 250, the partition is 286 and the 250 is a hunting balistic tip. I don't know how the hunting balistic tips perform on large game.

I haven't used the 250 gr slugs ... I have used the 286 gr Nosler Partition on deer and on Plains Game (Impala, Warthog, Wildebeast, Kudu and Zebra).

The 286 performs beautifully even on light game, and yet we did not recover a single bullet from the African game ... all passed through allowing good blood trail.

The deer was knocked backwards and over ... didn't move once it hit the ground. Expansion was certainly adequate. Transfered more energy to the target without damaging significant meat ... less than a 150 grain slug from a 308 Winchester.

Unless your ranges are in excess of 250 yards, the 286 Partition is a great choice!!!

Would be interested in your future experience with the 250.

Speer 270 grain Hot Cor SP.

Too soft ... have picked chunks of lead from the wound canals on several deer and a pig ... all of the bullet paths veared severely.

Good for paper, not for game.

I've seen too many people say the speer 270 is too soft.

I am wondering what velocities those folks who say the .270speer is too soft are driving them at?

I find that the 270speers group at around 1" in my 9.3x62 and I am hoping to shrink that down a little.

They also print 1" lower than the 286 grn Barnes X at 100m so I am hoping I won't have to rezero my scope to switch between the loads.

I intend using the .270Speer for practice and deer size game and the 286grn Barnes X for plainsgame in RSA...

Was not pushing the Speers very fast ... 2250 from a 9.3x74R double rifle, and 2400 from a CZ 550 9.3x62.

The Barnes X will not open up as quickly as the Nosler Partition. Probably won't matter ... but the Nosler 286 Partition at 2425 fps still blows all the way through anyhow!

I have taken a number of large deer sized African antelopes with the 250 Bt and they perform very well from point blank out to 200 yards. If you hit your target, it will perform! Ku-dude

I took two whitetais with the 250 BT this year with mixed results. A doe at about 60 yards dropped and had a pass through with all around excellent results. The 200# eight point buck at 120 yards also dropped, but the bullet did not perform as well. It did not exit and though I searched I could not find it. I assume it fragmented, but found no fragments. Maybe it was just me, but i will use a Partition next year. Wish they came in 250 grains.

I have used quite a few bullets on game in my 9,3x74R double rifle. If I had to pick one soft point for ALL round use it would be the 286 gr. Nosler Partition. This bullet has performed very good on game from deer, big pigs, black bear, impala, and kudu.
My second choice would be the 286 gr. Woodleigh Soft. It has also performed very good on deer, big pigs, black bear, impala, and waterbuck. Either bullet would be a good choice.

quote:

Originally posted by teCh0010:
I can't find a partition in 250, the partition is 286 and the 250 is a hunting balistic tip. I don't know how the hunting balistic tips perform on large game.

IN the larger calibers, the Ballistic Tips do just fine for game found in the lower 48 states. In the 9.3 mm, just like a 338 bore, or a 35 bore, it is harder to find a bad bullet than one that performs better than " all the rest". This is referring to the lower 48 once again.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

I've settled on the 286-grain Nosler Partition for my 9.3x62. I've only used it once in North America, but it did a spectacular job on impala, waterbuck, and sable in Africa, and I have no doubt it would take down eland and buffalo very neatly if I place the bullet properly. What more do you need? I'd be willing to bet on Woodleighs as well.

I'd give the Partition a go, myself, and see how my rifle digested it.

As for the Ballistic Tip, starting with the 180-gr. .308 bullet and up, the BT line is more stoutly constructed than the ones below that and might do well for you in most cases, as well.

RSY

Another vote for the 286 P. I could barely believe how hard it hit feral cattle at 2,300 fps MV. The problem is that per Nosler it will not expand on impacts below 2,000 fps, so it's a 200-yard bullet with my load. Faster gets you get more range - and more recoil. But I dislike recoil, and 200 yards is a lot longer in the woods than on paper or a screen.

The BT is supposed to open at 1,900 fps and it starts faster, so it has more reach. But the 35 Whelen and 338/06 handle 250's so well that the 286 P makes more sense in the 9.3x62.

On cattle the Speer killed on a rib shot but failed twice in a row on heavy bone. The same charge of H4895 puts it and the P together at 100 yards, so I practice with it. It's accurate.

If Hornady starts making 9.3mm bullets, I'm in -- NOW.

Don't be surprised if a 9.3x62 elbows out several other rifles to be your new favorite. It's that good.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

Woodleigh make a 250gn round nose soft and that would be a great projectile. Don't know what availability would be like over there though.

Give the 250 gr Swift A-Frame a try.

Has performed flawlessly for me on 2 RSA plains game hunts and very accurate for hunting.

I've only recovered 1 bullet from my 9.3x62, everything else was a pass through, even on a large eland from front shoulder to opposite rear flank.

We launch them at about 2450 fps and they just plain do the job.

Good Luck....Mike

quote:

Originally posted by ChopperGuy:
Give the 250 gr Swift A-Frame a try.

Has performed flawlessly for me on 2 RSA plains game hunts and very accurate for hunting.

We launch them at about 2450 fps and they just plain do the job.

Good Luck....Mike

Will do. I also have over a hundred of the older Norma Oryx 232 grain bullets that I want to try as well. I thin I can get around 2700fps out of them and look forward to testing their accuracy.

I have been using and loading for the 9,3x62 for ten years. My paartner and I have shot over 100 animals apiece and have some conclusions to share. For anything from Moose down the 250 Barnes Xbullet will kill outstandingly well. Beyond that range of animal the heavier bullet is better. Mr. Borani in RSA, a man that often posts on this forum was astounded with the performance of the 250 gr. X bullet on all manner of game up to the largest we shot which was Zebra. At 2650ft/sec out of a 20" barrel this baby really cooks.

I have settled on the 286 gr. Nosler, the GS customs, Woodleihs 320 gr. and 286 gr. and Northforks for my 9.3x62 hunting..They all work well....Spears 270 blows up for me everytime, but I push my bullets fast in my 26 inch tube..

For Idaho hunting for deer and elk, the 286 Nosler is hard to beat.

I've shot four head of game with my 9.3 x 62 and 250 Barnes X @ 2500 fps. MV, a moose, two caribou and a whitetail.. All four were instant kills and meat damage was minimal...

I shot one whitetail last fall with the 270 Speer...I didn't graph the load but MV should have been bewteen 2200 and 2300 according to the charts.. The bullet literally fragmented in the deer..It looked like a grenade had detonated inside the deer... It wasn't pretty.... I think I'll stick to the Barnes for edible game from now on...

If you're sticking to hunting in north America, work up a good shooting 286 Part load and call it a day. It's plenty good out to 300 yds and won't blow up at 35....I know first hand. Good luck.

Gary B.

I would love to see Hornady come out with a 265gr SST 9.3mm bullet