Ok, I'll admit it. I'm a rifle looney. I cuurently have reloading dies for 50 or so chamberings and at any one time a couple of rifles for each set of dies. A year or so ago I happened upon a Sako 75 with nice wood that had been rebored from 30-06 to 9.3 x 62. Being a blue steel and wood guy it set my heart to fluttering. I had a cz 550 American in that chambering,at the time, that shot bughole groups. However, as I always say, "I'm just one rifle away from being satisfied, I parted with it and got the Sako. After fondling and shooting the Sako, I haven't regretted that decision one bit. I like lower magnification scopes as most of the killin' I do is 200 yds. or less. I topped the Sako with a Ziess Conquest in 2.5 x 8 flavor, one of my favorites.
This has been the slowest season in the last 11 years or so. I've only taken a hog and a white-tail doe to date. Each has been taken at 100 yds or so with the 9.3 x 62. It flat works. No tracking, no bloodshot meat. Just stuff DRT, ready to be skinned and put in the cooler.
GWB

Beautiful rifle. Congrats. The 9.3x62 has always intrigued me.

Nice rifle! I had a model 75 stainless synthetic in 30/06 re-barreled to 9.3x62. Best decision I have ever made. Mine makes tiny groups as well. I can not for the life of me understand why Beretta will not bring 9.3x62 guns into the US. I believe they sell them everywhere else.

I love the 9.3x62 one of my "fav's", very accurate,deadly and easy on the shoulder for a heaiver caliber.

Ed

Sweet rifle / caliber for sure. I'm a Sako m75 FAN.

Last June,I took a new Sako m75 Greywolf 25-06 (needed a IV action) and had built a 338-06 Ackley Improved with a new barrel. LOVE IT!!



I'm thinking of a 330 Dakota on a Sako m75 with a Macmillan Stock for next year.

Love my CZ in 9.3X62. Took it's sixth deer this year. Even though I have several rifles to choose from it seems to be the one I pick out to hunt. In fact thinking of selling my Sako AV Finnbear in 6.5X55. I like it but do not use it much anymore.

Smithrjd, Keep me in mind when you decide to sell or trade.

GoWyo!

I got talked in a 9.3x62 Blaser R-93 about three years ago, and it has become my favorite cartridge. I had not hunted with it until this year but have killed 4 deer with it so far, and it appears to do much less meat damage than anything else I have hunted with.

My Blaser barrel is a 20 inch Tracker length, and with 250 gr Accubonds, 55 grs Varget, CCI 250 primer in Lapua brass, it will literally shoot into one hole at 100 yards (off a bench).

Jeff,
I'm loading 58 gr. Varget, 250 gr accubonds, federal 210m primers, norma brass. The sako has a 23" barrel.
I've not wrung it out at the bench. However, I used the aforementioned load in a CZ that I owned previously. I did my cleaning routine on the barrel, mounted the scope. Shot it at 35 yds. to be sure I was on paper. First group cloverleafed with bullets touching at 100 yds. Next I just parked it 1" high at 100. I'm kinda feeling guilty as I have about a half dozen other rifles that I planned to kill with this season. However this one seems to end up in my hand on the way to the stand.

As to meat damage. I find that say 2500 fps or less you can generally eat right up to the bullet hole. Both the hog and doe I shot had no meat damage. The hog was shot at 120 yds. or so. The doe was shot at 40 yds or so, in the neck. The bullet exited through the shoulder. If it had been a high velocity round such as a 7 mag, the shoulder would be jelly.

As an aside, I tend to buy lots of rifles but in the past $1,500 per, is my pain threshold. However, within the next year or so I'm thinking pretty hard on one of the Merkel Stutzens. Man that rifle calls to me. Just got to decide which caliber. If I can't find it in a 7x57, I'll probably do a 7-08.
GWB

I have a 9.3x62mm built on a L61R Sako action.



It loves 286gr Privi with 55gr Varget @ 2260 FPS.

Here is a 5 shot group.



I am glad I built this rifle.

Need to fine tune the 250gr Accubonds yet, but that will come.

I've got a CZ550 in 9.3x62. Used 250 Accubonds for elk in Idaho...but for "Right" coast hunting for whitetail, hogs, etc, try the Speer 270gr with Varget (I think my load was 57.5grs). Very reasonable cost on the bullets, very accurate load, and will shoot thru anything. Some folks have said the Speer bullet is "soft", well, guess what? thats what you want for smaller, thin skinned game such as east coast hunters have. If I ever go out west again with it, I'll use the 286 Partitions...Shrps74 in VA

quote:

Some folks have said the Speer bullet is "soft", well, guess what?

Sharps-74,

Thx, Pal - I've been trying to send the same message for years; somehow it hasn't arrived.


G-W-YA,

Yup, that's the way it goes when you own a 9.3 .....

quote:

However this one seems to end up in my hand on the way to the stand.

Probably the best cartridge ever made.

Speer 270
Accubond 250
Partition 286
North Fork 250 (Don't use the NF 286)

In order of toughness from Texas Whitetails to Cape Buffalo

Both Norma and VV manuals (and online) have great loads. The www.sako.fi site has the Sako factory loads (using VV powder). N203B = RL15

It would be hard to beat an AV Hunter in 30-06 rebarreled to 9.3x62 (Go ahead and make it a switch barrel).

The McMillan "Hunter" style Sako stock is the most ergonomic one they make. They offer them inlet for Sako, Remington, Winchester and even Mauser for a reason.

Don't try to wring velocity out of the cartridge.

LD

I have both a Sako 75 (S/S synth) in 30/06 and a Sako 75 (wood/blue) in 9.3x62.
Both shoot nicely under 1 MOA off the bench.
While the 30/06 is my go to rifle, feels like an extention of my arms and has made some amazing field shots very accurately, somehow the 9.3 has never felt as natural in my hands and field shots are never as reliable. Fortunately the animals tend to drop nonetheless, though shots are often not quite where intended. Recoil is not the issue.
I can only put it down to the different scopes. The 06 has a Dokter 2.5-10x50, while the 9.3 has S&B 1.5-6x42.

I have a 9.3 in a CZ and was using it this past september up in B.C. moose hunting. I was using 286 noslers with 58.5 grains of R-15 behind it. Velocity is 2310 and prints 5 inches low at 200. Accuracy even at 200 is 2 to 2 1/2 inches. Well anyway i am not advocating that the 9.3 is a long range cartridge because it is not, but i dropped my 2 year old bull, at an estamated range with the guilds rangefinder, at 330. I held high and was able to place one just back of the rib cage and exit the other side going forward, it dropped in less than 10 steps. That is real performance. I am a lefty so i am in the works of changing my 06 remington to a 9.3 lefty.