[dopeydave]

So , Im at the range this afternoon with my new to me Husky sporter 98 in 9.3x57 that finally seemed to arrive seeing as I ordered it from camp last month in Alberta and asked Anthony at Tradex to ship it on the 20th before he left moose hunting. Ive got a bunch cast lead stuff in different flavours loaded up and after setting up the chrony, entering the header in my notebook and the conditons at the time finally the time has come to give her heck. I take careful aim at the 25 yard target take up the slack in the trigger let out half a breath and squeeze. Bang goes the rifle just like it should , everything seems good , pick up the bino's and gleefully note the nice round hole within 3/8" of the center of the bull. Looking good so far Im thinking to myself as I pull back the bolt handle and lift up the fired case checking the primer and case head area for expansion when something catches my eye and I discover that its not a 9.3x57 at all, hell no why with the tiny stub of a neck left on the case and the hugely blown out shoulder this puppy's a 62!!
Well now that I look back to this morning when I was cleaning the packing grease out of some of the recess' of this puppy I did note that someone sometime had really spent some time working the feed rails and the feed ramp , the bolt slides slickly and the timing seemed to be perfect with the loaded 57 case. Now Im wondering if it was oringinally a 62 or some gunsmith in Sweden ran a chambering reamer and didnt mark it. Last time I did something like this I managed to touch off a 270 win in a 300 win mag and ended up rupturing the case. The barrel is marked with the standard Huskvarna waffenfabriks Kal 9.3mm thats on my other rifles in x57 . Its got a shnabel forend on the stock , no markings (crest) on the reciever and the underside of the bolt knob is flat with checkering. The floorplate has locking screws like a military rifle and the serial # is 2371* . Any help would be great guys
Dave
Just some food for thought

 

[AMMOe]

I had a similar experience with a 1903 Springfield target rifle except I found that someone had made it into a 30-06 Improved. All my brass got the shoulders blown out! Good luck with the "new" rifle!~Andy

 

[Baribal]

Lucky you!

Dave, now you can get the Luckydave nick!

Seriously, it might have been rebarreled... but they did chamber X62 too...
By the s/n and maybe pictures, some (think about Steve but there are others too) can make it clear...
In the meantime, I post some pick of the stamping of my X62 649 (this one is a M96/38)

A M98 in X62 is very interesting, thought....

 

[dopeydave]

Baribal thanks for the pic , mine doesnt have the 62 on the end like yours does although the rest is the same. I just slid a new graff x62 case under the extractor and fed the bolt in and the handle closed just perfectly whereas it wouldnt on a fired case out of my CZ x62 that hadnt been resized. The case in the middle is the fired 57 case

 

[AMMOe]

Dave: What bullet are you using? ~Andy

 

[dopeydave]

Andy its a cast 285 gr gas check, also use a 290 Flat base
Dave

 

[Pettson]

You have a model 146 made in 1938. The original chambering for your rifle was indeed 9,3x57, but judging by your findings it has at some stage in it's life been reamed out to 9,3x62.

In Sweden, this occurs every now and then with these 98's. Unfortunately the ones doing the work, at least in older days, were very sloppy when it came to marking the rifle with the appropriate information, and ultimately exposing future users to a possibly dangerous situation.

Anyway, your new 9,3x62 should serve you well!
Good rifle, potent cartridge. As you have already noticed, fireforming 9,3x57 brass to 9,3x62 doesn't work to good...

Pettson

 

[dopeydave]

Pettson, thanks so much for letting me in on the details, youre a handy guy to have around!!
Im looking forward to spending some time at the range with it over the next couple of days.
Thanks again

 

[Pettson]

Looking forward to reading some range reports on this rifle.
If I were you I'd have the rifle marked with the proper caliber, in some unobtrusive but visible way.

Pettson

 

[Baribal]

DopeyDave

As per Pettsson said, you kinda have funny brass, now... please discard!

For the X62, try BC ******* (http://www.bcredneck.com/) he have some PPu (prvi Partizan) brass, wich are quite quood for the price.... he might also have cheap bullets... give him a try!...

Really, don't do that again! (lol!)

 

[Ordtech]

Technically off topic, but how do you prepare your case necks to load the lead bullets? I tried an "M" die but .366 was too small and .375 too big. Maybe I have to turn down a .375? The only way I can get a paperpatch bullet started is in a fired case. Then it's a little loose. "Loose" being relative.
Nice looking rifle, glad it turned out well for you. I've two x57s and since one has a rough chamber I've thought of cleaning it up with a x62 reamer.
Good luck with it!
Dennis

 

[dopeydave]

Thanks for all the help guys, I just got back from another range session with it and after pounding 20 full house 286 gr 9.3x62 loads through it tonight , I feel like someone booted me in the cheek. It likes the privi partisans and looks like it might shoot the gas checked 285's as well. Whoever did the work certainly knew what he was doing as the timing, feeding, extraction and bolt cylcling are superb. Better even than my two FN's . I have two other 9.3x62's a cz 550 medium lux and a Husky 640 getting a heym barrel currently at the smith's, My buddy Dave at BC ******* only lives a couple of blocks away and I have a new box of Graff brass upstairs in the reloading room. Life is truly good. If anyone has some good cast bullet load suggestions for this cartridge I'd love to hear them as I think this one is destined to be my cast bullet rifle. Sorry just about forgot, as simple pass with the chamfering tool is all my cases get prior to loading cast.I mostly use gas checks anyway and it seems to work ok
Dave

 

[AMMOe]

Dave: I should have been more specific. What mold (maker, number) are you using?? I'm still shopping for molds and will take any input you might have. ~Andy

 

[AMMOe]

Dennis: If you haven't tried the Lee Universal Neck Expanding die, give it a try. I quit using M-dies and the RCBS offering as soon as I got it. You can control the amount of expansion you want. It's great.~Andy

 

[dopeydave]

The bullets are cast by a genuinely nice fellow from Duncan BC who aquired them I believe from NEI . If you want I'll pass on his contact info by PM
Dave

 

[AMMOe]

Dave, If they are NEI I know them exactly, thanks. How is your accuracy? I heat treat my cast bullets for big game hunting so that they will take up to a 40+K pressure before going "plastic" on me. Even in smaller bores like 308 they will kill quite well.~Andy

 

[dopeydave]

Andy, accuracy hasnt been stellar!, I think mine are going plastic as Im trying for 1900 to 2000 fps in the x57 , should be doable but I dont think the alloy is up to it. Also he's sized them to .366 which isnt helping things. Could you pass on your heat treating process
Dave

 

[AMMOe]

Dave: It's simple:

Take the sized, gaschecked but UN LUBED bullets and stand them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 460 F degrees for 1 hour and quench abruptly in room temp water. Let them dry over night on a paper towel. Send them back to your buddy to be lubed.

If the bullets are cast of wheel weight material with a little antimony in them you'll have a glass hard bullet.(approx 31 Brinnell hardness) Harder than type metal.

If you have your groove diameter established, the are two things to watch out for in cast bullet shooting. The first is copper fouling. If there is any present in the bore it will destroy cast bullet accuracy and induce leading. The other thing is pressure. It is pressure that causes the bullet to "go plastic" and lead, not velocity. Choose a powder that will give you the lowest pressure and highest velocity. Look to the slower burning powders. Heat treated bullets will easily take 40K.

Also, avoid seating the bullet below the base of the neck. Additionally, get a good case belling die like the inexpensive and ultra versatile Lee Die I mentioned in the above post. Without it, you're peeing into the wind with respect towards accuracy.

You mentioned that the bullets being .366 "didn't help". What is the groove diameter of your 9.3? If it's larger, then you should seek larger bullets. If smaller? Don't worry about it.

I love cast bullet shooting and have taken all manners of game with them, with a wide variety of calibers, at speeds from 500 ft/sec to 2800 ft./sec. I will be ordering the NEI mold in 2 cavity once I get my rifle and slug the bore.

If I can be of any more help, let me know. I'm psyched on this 9.3 project.

Regards, ~Andy

 

[Ordtech]

"If you haven't tried the Lee Universal Neck Expanding die, give it a try."

Andy, Thank you, sir. The order will go out today!
Dennis

 

[AMMOe]

Your welcome. It is an almost indispensable bit of cast bullet equipment! LEt me know how you like it.~Andy