About how many reloads are you guys getting from your 9.3 x 74 brass?

On #5 on some rws and ain't done yet. How many do you get?

Depends, with Norma only one or two. Once I use up the Norma cases on hand I'll never buy anymore.
With RWS and Hornady I toss them after five. They might last longer but I am ok with 5.

quote:

Originally posted by BayouBob:
About how many reloads are you guys getting from your 9.3 x 74 brass?

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
On #5 on some rws and ain't done yet. How many do you get?

dpcd is right RWS is very good brass, but is heavy, so when working up new loads start low because of the smaller case capacity!

Many here have had a lot of case head separations with NORMA brass in 9.3X74R brass. However I have used NORMA brass for years with hot hand-loads in things like very hot 243 Win (60,000 PSI chamber pressure )without any head separations. I believe this is because after the first firing, the case is fire formed to my chamber, or chambers. I then only neck size the brass then make sure all the rounds fit in the chamber or chambers of my rifles. I have some NORMA brass that has had many, many hot loads and still no indication of a head separation.

BB what brass are you using?
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quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
Depends, with Norma only one or two. Once I use up the Norma cases on hand I'll never buy anymore.
With RWS and Hornady I toss them after five. They might last longer but I am ok with 5.

I read that after we got our brass that was weak they improved them about a year later. But the Hornady stuff I have is still going well after 6+ loadings.

I hear ya Mike. Norma might be better now but I am so happy with the Hornady brass there is just no reason to go back to Norma again unless it was half price of Hornady.

I might just keep a box of Hornadys for range use only and load them till they split to see how long they will last.

The Norma brass I have is the variety they made on the Norma production line up until 2 years ago. It is so thin in the case head area that some of it separates on the 1st or 2nd reload. Norma 9.3 brass is now RWS 9.3 brass but I haven't been able to get my hands on any of it yet. With Hornady brass I get 2 or 3 reloads before I start getting separations. I neck size only,to the point that I have a tiny secondary shoulder on my brass. Most of my rifles get 5 or more reloads without any problem but my Chapuis seems to have a pretty generous chamber.

My favorite is RWS followed by Hornady!

Partial sizing fireformed cases lengthens case life considerably. I have an ample supply of Norma cases and dump them after 3 firings. I experienced a (FL sized) case separation some décades ago and do not wish to repeat the operation (the gunsmith had to resort to a chamber reamer to extract the stuck headless case.

Many years ago, there were no loading manual available for 9.3x74R useing common powders available in the US, so i proceeded to make one up.

I loaded "one" of the only two 9.3 bbl. set's in the US, for Valmet 412's, and shot over a thousand rounds testing loads. I loaded RWS brass 10+ times without looseing even one case.

I wish i still had one of those manuals, i don't think i even kept one for myself!

DM

quote:

Originally posted by DM:
Many years ago, there were no loading manual available for 9.3x74R useing common powders available in the US, so i proceeded to make one up.

I loaded "one" of the only two 9.3 bbl. set's in the US, for Valmet 412's, and shot over a thousand rounds testing loads. I loaded RWS brass 10+ times without looseing even one case.

I wish i still had one of those manuals, i don't think i even kept one for myself!

DM

I think you are so well grounded on reloading this cartridge because it is low pressure and doesn't have to be crimped. The brass goes along way with this cartridge.

I've had and reloaded for 5 9.3x74r's. Some Valmets a Chapuis and a Ruger No 1. I used Norma,and RWS brass. Predominately Norma as it was the most plentiful. Had many many incipient separations and one actual with Norma brass. Never had a problem with RWS brass at all. 2 reloads was absolute max with Norma, usually 5+ with RWS. The funny thing was I had an 8x60R double (an Otto Geyger) and made the brass from 9.3x74r brass using RCBS dies and neck reamer. I had cracks and potential separations with that also after one reload. Basically why I sold the rifle ,which I had scoped, and was supremely accurate and nicely engraved. Fit like the proverbial glove. Norma was about all I could find then. Basically the only Norma brass I have ever used.

I've had good results using Norma brass. I've got two boxes of "user" brass that are on now their 7th reload and still doing exactly what I want for practice. Those do not show any signs of failure yet and I'll keep shooting them until they do.

I have two other boxes that were on their second loading for my last Zimbabwe trip a couple of years ago and I'll start using them in the practice mode as I get ready for a May 2014 trip. I think I'll thoroughly mix the four pounds of I4350 I have from the same lot from two years ago and lean on my earlier hunting brass for practice until I load up a couple of once fired boxes for actual hunting... The trip loads will mostly be 286 gr Woodleigh PPs with 10 NF flat point solids "just in case". Last time the NF FPSs regulated with about 2gn less I4350 than the Woodleigh PPs.

It'll be interesting to see how many loads I get out of the Normas...

Good hunting,

Emory, What rifle are you shooting in 9.3x74?

It's an early William Evans box lock ejector that is nice and trim - 1911 if I recall correctly. Very fine workmanship and wood, and obviously converted from a 360 to it's current 9.3x74 configuration at some time in its history.

I had JJ put claw mounts on it about 5 years ago and it is very accurate with either iron sights or a light 1.5x5 Leupold. If I had to get down to just one rifle, this would probably be it...

Good hunting,

I wonder if that is a Paul Roberts conversion ?

If I had to bet, Paul Roberts would be where I placed my money.

I went down to his shop to visit a few times when we lived in London. Didn't pick up this rifle until a couple of years later, but I am rather confident that I know who owned it for most of its life. In any case, it is in excellent condition and I've probably shot it more than the total of it's prior history.

Good hunting,

If it has London or Birmingham proof marks,
then it is almost certainly Paul Robert's.

He did some great work on those guns.

Well, I just opened the safe to check and it certainly has proof marks and the 9.3x74mm designation. There's a crown and three other marks for each barrel. It also says 3900 bar on each. No indication of prior chambering anywhere. Engraving on one barrel says 9.3x74 and the other indicates "from Purdey".

Might have been originally in 9.3 since the cartridge has been around since about the beginning of the 20th century. Sounds like it must have good tight chambers if you get that kind of case life.

quote:

Originally posted by Emory:
Well, I just opened the safe to check and it certainly has proof marks and the 9.3x74mm designation. There's a crown and three other marks for each barrel. It also says 3900 bar on each. No indication of prior chambering anywhere. Engraving on one barrel says 9.3x74 and the other indicates "from Purdey".

3900 bar is a modern proof mark.

Unless of course your gun was a modern made one
which you have already said it is not "1911 if I recall correctly".

I too very much like the RWS brass in a Chapuis. Loading more than 5. Bought a bunch of once fired through eBay before they stopped it several years ago.

I seem to remember that the older Norma was pretty thin. Newer Norma heavier. RWS about the same as the heaviest Norma if I remember correctly.

Didn't need to buy more brass when the Hornady became available so no experience with it.

A little off topic but what brand/type of dies are you guys using?
I picked up a Krieghoff Classic when stationed in Germany for an awesome price and have shot a couple of deer with it but other things came up in life and it was stuck in the safe until this fall. I have a decent supply of RWS, Norma, and Hornady brass but I never got around to ordering dies.

RCBS dies in my case. I'm also using Hornady brass. I've got 9 loads on my first set of brass currently and haven't had issue other than a single case separating on the very first loading back when I first got the rifle. A Chapuis UGEX.

I'm shooting 255gr CEB Non-Cons and 285gr CEB solids in mine over 53grs of IMR 4064.

RCBS here

DM