Hi

I have a Tikka T3 in 9.3x62, purchased for sambar hunting but might have a chance to cull some camels and buffalo this year. A couple of questions -

1) I've been using Highland brass and have found about 30% do not fit in the shell holder (without significant effort). I've tried both RCBS #3 (which is the recommended one) and Lee #2. Does anyone know a shellholder that works well with this brass?

2) I'm loading Woodleigh 286gn PP for sambar and am happy to use this for camels as well. What about for buffalo? I've read here that the 286gn PP for the first couple of shots then 286gn Woodleigh FMJs lower in the magazine is a good option. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Ian

The QC on Highland brass can be a bit dodgy, as you have discovered. I was using Highland 308 for a while, and ran into the same problem.
easy solution? Get some Norma brass. Or grind about 0.004" off the inside of your shellholder, which is what I had to do to use an unrelated case. It sounds radical, and you do have to be careful to do it evenly, but it is cheap, and it does work.

I have used the 286PP on Water Buffalo with good results, and would recommend it. Sorry, no experience on critters with the FMJ, but it sounds like a reasonable plan.

Best of luck with your choice.

Highland brass is shit and i would not use it for anything,the last thing you need hunting Buffalo is a jamed case.

I have used 300gr Woodleigh PP in 375H&H for Buffalo great bullet.


I'm sure some of the Australian members here have used Woodleigh FMJ on Elephant

Dave

Grinding 0.004" off the shellholder - did you find the Highland rims to be too wide (diameter) or too thick?

Cheers

Ian

I love the 286grn Woodleigh solids for buffalo but would only use the 320grn PPs on Buffalo.
I have found the 286s a tad soft if they hit bone.
LAPUA and RWS brass if you want to go to the best 9.3x62 cases.
I am looking at ordering more 300grn 9.3 Swift A Frame Bullets.
IMO the A Frames are one of the best Buffalo softs around.

quote:

Originally posted by Ian in Oz:
Dave

Grinding 0.004" off the shellholder - did you find the Highland rims to be too wide (diameter) or too thick?

Cheers

Ian

The inside diameter of the rim grows very quickly with Highland. Sometimes enough that with the first reloading the case will not fit into the shellholder.
It got so bad with the 308 that I measured some prior to and post firing. Some primer pockets expanded enough to let a new primer literally drop in. Extractor grooves expanded quite radically as well.

In short, I agree with T-P. I don't use it anymore, either. I use Lapua for rangework and comps, and leftover federal for hunting loads.

With the 9.3, all I use now is Norma.

Best of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
I love the 286grn Woodleigh solids for buffalo but would only use the 320grn PPs on Buffalo.
I have found the 286s a tad soft if they hit bone.
Lapua and RWS brass if you want to go to the best 9.3x62 cases.

OZ:

I sent you a PM.

Dave

I haven't used or even seen any of the brass you mentioned but I have had problems with "soft brass" in all the other major brands over the years...usually caused by a bad run or change in metalurgy by the brass manufacturer.

Here is a list of some of the things I've done to solve the problem.

1. Be sure the load you use is within pressure limits and that the COAL isn't too long so as to push the bullet into the lands. If the load is stiff and you have pushed the bullet into the lands you can get a pressure spike that will ruin brass on the first shot.

2. If both the above factors are not the cause and the brass is still expanding too much then you still need to reduce the load to the point the brass stops expanding and live with it.

3. Many times it is the brass expanding down into the extractor slot or just getting larger in diameter where the sides of the brass slides against the shell holder, which STILL means #2 needs to be followed...the pressure is too high for the strength of the brass, or the chamber was cut oversized. I have run into these factors several times over the years with ALL the different brands of brass and rifle manufacturers and sometimes it is me getting magnumitis and pushing things too far. For the most part with IMR powders a 10% reduction in pressure only looses 5% in velocity.

4. Purchase a complete set of shell holders and dig around to find one that works...I took a few pieces of brass, (different base sizes) that were expanded where it wouldn't fit my shell holders and started trying all the different brands available until I found a shell holder that would work, didn't matter what brand...they all have manufacturing tolerances so the ones I found must have been near the high end of the tolerance range.

5. TOSS THE BRASS and start over with a lighter load...I've had a couple of nasty messups so I'm "once burned, twice shy" or "fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on ME". I learned valuable lessons without being hurt either physically or rifle wise, so I've become very careful in the ways of reloading. The manuals are only a reference work and I let the rifle, brass and targets do the talking.

6. If all else fails toss ALL the brass and go to another brand and let #2 be your guide. Tossing a few pieces of questionable brass is small price to pay for the information gained and the possibility of further, higher priced damage isn't worth the chump change.

7. You can get away with grinding or milling a small amount either on top of the shell holder, the inside of the shell holder or having the annulus cut larger in diameter and circumference if you want to pay the price to have it done and you can mill a few thousandsths of the bottom of the case, as long as you understand that by doing so you still haven't solved the main problem plus you can introduce a certain amount of unwanted extra headspace. In such cases the shell holder MUST be kept for that rifle ONLY and not mixed into a "standard" bunch of shell holders.

My solutions, that seemed to work the best for me, was to toss the brass expanded brass, be sure the COAL wasn't causing the problem and back off on the load or change components.

I don't know what level you are at concerning reloading and all the ramifications and you may have already tried some of the solutions...if not, remember each rifle is an individual with certain tastes so to speak...feed it carrots if it is a meat eater and it will pi** backwards on you.


'Njoy

I should have mentioned that this is brand new unfired brass. I visited a mate and he had a spare shell holder that fits OK, I think it is for a 6.5x55. I'll load some of the brass that was tight in the standard shell holder and make sure it functions OK in the rifle (especially extraction!).

Maybe next time I will buy Laupa brass, I went with Highland because with some of the cull shooting we can't always recover the brass and it gets expensive losing Lapua brass after one shot.

Thanks for the info.

Ian

Ian,

purchase some lapua 9.3x62 cases they work brilliantly in my cz 550.

as far as bullets go for buff I have Zero experience but I reckon your on the right track using the woodleigh bullet, they also have a 320 gr woodleigh which would have a great SD and penetrate well I reckon.

Another bullet worth trying might be a TSX

IAN
get quality brass,by that i mean LAPUA BRASS and your problems will be over...
Daniel

Ian, as I read your description of the groove expanding I get the impression that the brass is flowing in the head due to excess pressure. That could be too hot a load for caliber or too soft a case head--too much annealing. At the very least, you could jam up the rifle--tear the rim off the case at a difficult time.

Talk to us about hunting camel or buffalo in Australia. Are they dangeous or aggressive?

The only thing that I have hunted that can bite is coyote. I don't use my .17 AH because I want the thing DRT. I use a bolt action or Rem 870 & 4 buck instead of my Encore for the same reason--I want a second/3rd shot right there.
Shotgun

Ian, another vote for Lapua brass. Bloody good stuff.
Stu

Hi all

Thanks for all the info and yes, I will try Lapua brass next time.

Shotgun31 - the brass I currently have is new (unfired) brass and it is the rim not the groove that is too large.

Ian

I too had the problem with Highland brass not fitting in the shellholder.

I eventually found a shellholder that worked and off the top of my hed I cannot remember which one it is.

Apart from that the cases seem to be fine - I have been firing full load rounds with 250 gn TSXs with no probs so far.....

I suspect that 286gn TSXs will not expand too well at 9.3 velocities?

Maybe Hornady,s new 286gn sp may be the go with the 9.3 where softs are required - particularly on Sambar.

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_session=42dd8fdf11440c...94e8fa02ccbd2eda6648

Anyone tried them yet?

quote:

Originally posted by Ian in Oz:
I should have mentioned that this is brand new unfired brass. I visited a mate and he had a spare shell holder that fits OK, I think it is for a 6.5x55. I'll load some of the brass that was tight in the standard shell holder and make sure it functions OK in the rifle (especially extraction!).

Maybe next time I will buy Laupa brass, I went with Highland because with some of the cull shooting we can't always recover the brass and it gets expensive losing Lapua brass after one shot.

Thanks for the info.

Ian

OK, I understand. If you are going to do a cull, just make your cases from 30-06 brass. There are plenty of them at the ranges after the once a year guys sight in their deer rifles...

OZhunter,where are you ordering the Swift A frames from in Australia, I am in QLD and are also interested in some.

Has anyone tried the Lapua Mega 285gn bullets? How do they perform on game? I was thinking of giving them a run in my 9.3x74R.

I just received a box of RWS brass I ordered just to try out that is as good as any Lapua I've used. I couldn't find any Lapua on any site when I tried to order it so I went with the RWS at Natchez...$38 US, not quite 2 bucks a piece total. I've only used RWS one other time in 40 odd years of playing. I will order another box just in case.

I also resized 40 35 Whelen cases...much easier going up 0.008" than using '06 and going up over 40 cal then back down to .366 cal and/or fire forming and 338-06 cases if you can get them is almost as easy as 35 Whelen with less brass working than using '06.

270 W and 280 R are also good ones to use if you fireform because the new shoulder is slightly better formed than '06.

Resize the 270/280 cases in a 9.3 sizing die WITHOUT the sizing button to a snug bolt closure fit in the chamber, then fireform with 10-15 gr Bullseye or about 20 gr of 800x (plus or minus...just enough powder to fully form the case) fill the rest of the case with cream of wheat, grits, cornmeal, etc., and a wad of tissue or 1.5" square of the blue shop paper toweling or any paper toweling for that matter.

I like to fireform rather than resize when going from a smaller cal to a large cal if the jump is over about 0.020" as fireforming seems to not work the case as bad as mucking about with a sizing die. I've done a lot of wildcatting and this proceedure has always been more satisfying for me anyway...maybe I just like to hear the pop and smell hot cereal.

'Njoy

quote:

Originally posted by FOOBAR:
I just received a box of RWS brass I ordered just to try out that is as good as any Lapua I've used. I couldn't find any Lapua on any site when I tried to order it so I went with the RWS at Natchez...$38 US, not quite 2 bucks a piece total. I've only used RWS one other time in 40 odd years of playing. I will order another box just in case.

Just so you know, Midway and Grafs both have 9.3x62 Lapua brass in stock. Grafs is $85 per 100, and Midway is $99 per 100.

I am thinking about trying some Grafs brass at $40 per 100. I have heard some good reports from guys using it.

Jeff,

I've used Grafs brass in my 9.3x62 and it seems to work fine.

I might also experiment with some once-fired S&B brass I have from their factory ammo. The reason I'm thinking about that is that I got good velocities with the powders I tried, except for H-414. Probably that powder is just too slow for that round, yet it's listed as an appropriate powder for that round, so I'm curious if a different type of brass would make a difference. Trying one or two of those S&B cases would be cheaper than buying a whole batch of Lapua.

I'm curious, has anyone here achieved desired results in the 9.3x62 using H414 or Winchester 760?

Varget and RL-15 seem to work the best of the powders I tried. Varget, is, of course, an ADI power, I always forget the number. But it works very well in the 9.3x62, in my experience.

I've had major problems ejecting Highland 30/30 cases from my Marlin 336.
I'm guessing it's linked to the fact it's cheap. No probs with Federal at the same price...

FOOBAR, I cheated and used 30-06 brass, run through a 35 then a 416 expander, then necked down to 9.3. That gives enough of a shoulder to fireform with.
The only expense is time, since the once a year deerhunters leave heaps of once fired brass at the range.

What in the world will grinding .004 off the shell holder accomplish other than making the shell holder smaller OD, you can't grind the inside of a shell holder and grinding off the top just makes the case go deeper into the die..Surely I have misread something here......You would have to grind that off the case and thats a no no, unless you could take it off the case rim and that would work if I understand your right, but why mess with this crap...

Toss the out of spec brass and buy yourself some Norma, RWS or Lapua...I think RWS is the worlds best brass...