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I've got a cz 9.3x62 on the way, and I will be using it primarily as an elk/deer/hog and someday bear and African pg rifle (maybe dg too depending). I went with this gun bc it's got a bit more power than my 35 whelen and it weighs right at seven lbs I believe (which is a lot less than my 375 H&H I sold). Also, and maybe most importantly, I can convert it onto a 9.3x64 if I need to, So. I'm trying to decide whether the 62mm is flat enough to be a good elk gun and eventually african plains game gun, or should I convert it to a 64mm to get the extra velocity? I've hunted elk with 300 weatherbys, 338 win mags, 350 remy mags and a 35 Whelen. I started out thinking I needed something super flat but later discovered that I really liked the slower fatter 35 cals. That said, I have been presented longer shots on deer and elk hunts where I've wished I had that 300 mag tack driver... Thanks for any opinion. "Sometimes nothing can be a pretty cool hand." 470 Heym; 9.3x74r Chapuis, Heym 450/400 on it's way | ||
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What is your comfortable max range with that rifle? I'd think you should be able to get 300 yards out of that rifle without too much trouble. Might even stretch that a bit with some practice. The majority of my big game has been taken inside of 200 yards with the exception of pronghorn. Half the fun of hunting is getting close any way so why not use a 9,3X62? Besides if you can't get within 300 yards, most of the time you were not trying very hard!  | |||
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I use only two rifles, a 30-06 and a 9,3x62. With the 9,3 I recomend 250 grainers, there is no need of more bullet weight for the game you mentioned. About ranges or distances, it's very similar to a 30-06 but with a heavier bullet, you will not have any problem shooting game up to 300 yards or a little more with some practice but I think most hunting is done inside 200 yards... The good thing I noticed with this caliber is that if you hit them they will not go to far. Don't use too tough bullets. I quit using Barnes X on pigs and small deers because they pass through very easy without opening too much, remember is not a high velocity caliber. There is no need in converting it to 9,3x64. L | |||
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The answer is a definite "yes" in that it will shoot plenty flat for your intended applications. My most-used hunting guns over the past decade fall well-shy of 3000 fps at the muzzle, and I've never felt the need to use anything that shot flatter or delivered more horsepower. After all, you can only kill game just so dead...  Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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Have had best success with the 9,3x62 using Nosler Partitions rather than Barnes X or TSXs (which I like a lot in other calibers). I wish that Nosler still made the 250 gr Ballistic Tip for the 9,3. They seemed to be much tougher than smaller calibers BTs and were about right. The 9,3 has given me more DRTs on piggies and deer than anything I hunt with. Proved itself to be very worthy on larger plains game too. Dropped a big Zebra directly down on its knees in 2004. Great chambering. Going back with me in May. Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
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+ 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! L | |||
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Hey guys, sorry to sidetrack the thread, but I stopped in a little shop today that sells mostly bird hunting supplies and found a CZ rifle in the used rack. Picked it up to see what it was chambered for and it was a 9.3x62. Hmph! Not what I was expecting to find there. Rifle looked barely used and it said $615 on the price tag. Think that's a good deal? I really like CZ rifles and as the original poster said this is much lighter than my .375, so I'm definately thinking about buying it just to have it. I heal fast and don't scar. | |||
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JustinL01, Yup, that's a good deal. I have CZ 550 American and one built on a VZ.24 action. Both weigh in at just under 9 pounds loaded with scope, ammo and sling. Very handy in the field in comparison with a .375 H&H. Recoil is just a little worse than a 30-06. Graf cases are cheap and easily good enough. Mine have been easy to load for and very effective in the field. I recommend the 9,3x62 wholeheartedly. Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
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Well, I have killed elk, mule deer, whitetail, and antelope with my 9.3x62 and most of them with 286gr. NP's. They also worked very well on a range of African antelope. Yes, you get those 300yd plus shots and a 9.3 is not a "flat" shooter like a 300 Win.Mag. However, I hunt elk in black timber and haven't had a shot over 200 yds in years. I hunted with the 9.3 even out in the flats of eastern Montana as practice before going to Namibia and found that shots out to 250yds are not that much of a problem since if the rifle is sighted in at 200 yd zero it is only 3" low at 240 and 10" low at 300. Remember the "kill" zones of most big game animals are quite large. | |||
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I took a kudu at a little over 300 yards with a 9,3x74R Double shooting 286gr Nosler artitions at a little over 2200fps, worked fine. Your velocities in the 9,3x62 will be higher than that. Looking at the Barnes loading manual the difference in drop between the 250gr X and the 286gr X is less than an inch and a half at 400 yards, with a 200 yards zero. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I worked on this 9,3x62 for several years. Its a rebarreled Vz-24, timney trigger with safety at just under 9 pounds loaded with 4x scope:  I reload 286 NPTs and 300 Swift "A"s. Have shot any game yet with the "A"s as I have not found any beast that wasn't DRT using the NPTs. So far (knock-on-wood) no deer or hog has even moved from where IT WAS KNOCKED OVER!!! Here's how I handle the trajectory: Sighted in a 150, It's +/- 2" out to 180 yards. At 200 yards the scope covers 13" from the center crosshairs to the upper point of the lower duplex. So any normal size deer or hog that wont fit from chest to nap of back is a straight shot. For longer shots (beasts that chest will fit the scope) I have the trajectory marked at 200, 250 and 300 on a piece of masking tape stuck on the scope. ________ Ray | |||
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Ray, that rifle has character, makes me proud just looking at the pic.  | |||
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I was considering a 9.3x62 a while back, I decided against it when I saw the price of the ammo. It really isn't that much of a step up from the Whelen, essentially an 06 case necked up, same as the Whelen. The advantage comes in the heavier bullets available whereas the 35's top out at 250 gr unless shooting cast. | |||
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I had a RH 9.3x 62 that I used on one bull moose up here. The rig worked great but as it was RH I passed it off to Mark Young. This August I'm headed to Zimbabwe for a leopard/ buffalo hunt. I'm bringing a 375 H&H and a 30-06, both LH as am I. If I had already gone ahead with my plan to hang a 24" 9.3x 62 barrel on a Ruger LH action I'd only be bringing that one rifle. When I do get around to putting that project together I could see myself using that for my all around rifle instead of the H&H. I haven't asked Mark lately, but he may well be bringing my old 9.3 with him on his safari to Mozambique/ Botswana this summer. | |||
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I've loaded the very aerodynamic 250 Nosler Accubond over 62.5 grains of 2208/Varget for 2,600fps +, but this is a hot load and I would only use it for long range one off hunts. 300 Yards will pull you up as the trajectory falls off extremely quickly after that. | |||
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A Nosler 250grner would work for those long shots (this side of 300yrds). If you plan on going for DG , all you need to do is pick up some 300grn Swifts and 286grn Solids and your in business. | |||
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I would prefer the added velocity of the 9.3x64. No down side to it. I think the 9.3x62 is an excellent cartridge however. | |||
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I think you should play with the 62 first, then decide if you want to change it over to a 64. 35 Whelen on steroids = 9.3x62 Replacement for your 375 = 9.3x64 Brenneke I went with the Brenneke as I was looking for a 375 equal. I have been scrambling to come up brass for reloading. So if that is a major concern, you will want to stick with the 62, as brass is readily available. For me, the 62 just didn't have enough velocity. Not that there is anything wrong with the 62, it is a fantastic cartridge and I would much rather own it, than a 35 Whelen. In addition, I was replacing a 375 H&H and 416 Rigby that I got rid of. That's my 2 cents worth of advice. | |||
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I've hunted elk in the Northern Rockies (River of No Return Wilderness Area) in Idaho. Used 250 Nosler Accubonds...remember at 9500 feet, your trajectory is significantly different than at sea level. 9.3x62 is definitely a 300 yd rifle at mountain tops...Shrps74 | |||
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absolutely...the 250 grn bullet is plenty for those animals an it will be roughly the same trajectory as a 308 win Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting 9.3x62 flat enough for elk/mule deer???
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