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View Full Version : Are the 223 WSSM, and the 243WSSM going obsolete?


coyota1
October 10, 2012, 01:15 PM
I have noticed that niether Winchester, nor Browning show rifles chambered for the 223 WSSM, and the 243 WSSM. Am I missing something, or are these cartidges being quietly dropped?

Scorch
October 10, 2012, 01:37 PM
What do you mean "going"? They already went!

Nobody makes rifles, and ammo is virtually nonexistant. If you do find some, it's way over-priced.

coyota1
October 10, 2012, 01:45 PM
Already went... I remember when I first saw the 223 WSSM at Cabella's I told the clerk they wouldn't last. Only so many ways to skin a cat. That must have been 10 years ago already. Do you know when they were dropped?

tobnpr
October 10, 2012, 02:44 PM
I don't varmint hunt, but it's all about the .204 Ruger...

coyota1
October 10, 2012, 02:49 PM
No No No, it's all about the 222! :D

Brian Pfleuger
October 10, 2012, 02:59 PM
Both were very good rounds in my opinion, the 243WSSM being a near ballistic twin of the 243AI and the 223WSSM being the fastest (or very, very nearly) 22 caliber round ever made.

I think their demise may have had something to do with the shutdown of the New Haven facility but I'm not sure.

jmr40
October 10, 2012, 03:03 PM
There were some feeding issues with rounds that short and fat. Winchester had to modify their actions and even then they were less reliable than other rounds. From a performance standpoint they do offer some advantages. Just not enough to justify the negatives.

coyota1
October 10, 2012, 03:19 PM
If I wanted short and fat, I would pick the 22 PPC. Why would shutting down the New Haven plant cause Winchester to discontinue production if it were successful?

Brian Pfleuger
October 10, 2012, 03:33 PM
Like I said, I'm not sure. I don't think they ever had time to GET successful. They'd only been out a year or two before the plant closed. Winchester firearms and Winchester Ammunition aren't even the same company and I don't know which one designed the round. I suspect it was Ammunition, since Browning jumped in with making rifles so quickly. The plant may have had nothing to do with it.

Anyway, just like businesses, far more cartridges fail than succeed, regardless of what they are or are not, it's just the luck of the draw.

Bamashooter
October 11, 2012, 01:50 AM
Thats too bad. Even if they were having some issues I think an upper reciever for an AR in 243wssm or 25wssm would be excellent deer and hog rifles. Maybe they could have spent a little more time making it work especially in the AR platform and it maybe would have been more sucessful. Who knows.

Scorch
October 11, 2012, 02:03 AM
There were several issues with the 223WSSM and the 243WSSM. One already mentioned, the cartridge was short and fat with a sharp shoulder, which can cause feeding issues. Another was barrel erosion: Browning and Winchester had to chrome line the bores on the rifles, and even then the bore erosion was extreme. And neither really offered any more than shooters could already get from other cartridges that were already available. The 223WSSM did not really do a whole lot more than the 224 Middlestead or 224 TTH wildcats, except it had a lot more bore erosion. The 243WSSM offered little improvement over a 243 AI or 6mmAI, and the barrel life issue was a major setback for Browning and Winchester. I think most shooters are seeking some kind of balance between accuracy, velocity, and barrel life, and the WSSM cartridges did not offer it.

Also, Winchester got sued by the developer of the WSM cartridges, and dropping the WSSM line may have had something to do with that.

tahunua001
October 12, 2012, 02:34 PM
pretty much the only 243's still in existence are the 243 winchester and 243 weatherby mag but even the WBYMag seems to have died in it's tracks. there is just no real demand for a magnum round that only fires a 100 grain projectile.

natman
October 13, 2012, 03:16 AM
The WSSMs are obsolescent because nobody makes rifles for them anymore. They are not yet obsolete because ammunition is still available (http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=1&itemsperpage=20&newcategorydimensionid=9865&).

For now. If you own one, stock up on plenty of brass while you still can.

There were some technical issues and since rifle were no longer available after the closure of the Winchester factory in 2006, it's difficult to pinpoint an exact cause. Demand was underwhelming in any case.

Colorado Redneck
October 14, 2012, 08:49 PM
The ammo would be unhandy, to say the least. So asking from the ignoramus position, are there substantial accuracy, efficiency, velocity, or consistency benefits?

coyota1
October 14, 2012, 09:05 PM
The short stubby cartridge in theory should lend to accuracy cause the receiver is shorter and stiffer. The shape of the case should like the ppc cartridge lend to a more consistent even burn.

Colorado Redneck
October 14, 2012, 09:16 PM
Have no experience with this type of cartridge. Just them old garden variety boolits. :D

coyota1
October 14, 2012, 09:26 PM
I would say the 22 250 or the swift would be the the best choice if you want the hottest 22 centerfire round. I like the 22 250 myself. The WSSM are not even ballistically superior (less than 200 fps). Not worth burning up a barrel for that. A good example of the law of diminishing returns.

sc928porsche
October 15, 2012, 09:01 PM
Unless things have changed, the 22 Earsplittenloudenboomer was the fastest 22 cartridge made. It was made to see if they could get the majic 5000 fps mark.

coyota1
October 15, 2012, 09:14 PM
Well,,, I'll settle for the 22 250;)

Brian Pfleuger
October 15, 2012, 09:29 PM
Unless things have changed, the 22 Earsplittenloudenboomer was the fastest 22 cartridge made. It was made to see if they could get the majic 5000 fps mark.

Usually when someone says "ever made", the context implies a quantity. Not a one-off, custom item. If every one off custom were counted, it would be pretty impossible to ever say anything was best/fastest/biggest since we'd never even know what we'd never heard of.

mightyoakwildlife
October 15, 2012, 09:44 PM
Back when the .25 WSSM was new on the market, I bought a Model 70 Featherweight. I was so impressed with how well it functioned and how accurate it was, I ordered a case of ammo to build brass inventory, and put it away until my son comes of age. Real nice little set-up, no reliability issues whatsoever. Carries well, shoots like a dream, and looks nice, to boot.

Fast-forward a while, I saw another WSSM, the little .223. Some sort of camo-synthetic overmolded stock configuration. Thought it would make a neat little coyote rifle, and grabbed that one, too. Brought it home & put a 4.5 x 15 Conquest on it, and never fired it. Sits in the safe next to the .25 WSSM, but I'm not sure why? I guess it's just hard to admit that you've wasted a few hundred dollars on a whim. Six boxes of factory ammo getting old on the shelf, too. Guess I should start working them, or sell them?

trg42wraglefragle
October 15, 2012, 10:27 PM
I guess it's just hard to admit that you've wasted a few hundred dollars on a whim. Six boxes of factory ammo getting old on the shelf, too. Guess I should start working them, or sell them?

If your married what ever you do don't say that you never used it or that it was a waste of money. You'll never live it down.

coyota1
October 16, 2012, 01:15 AM
mightyoakwildlife, I wouldn't call it a waste of money at all! If you start shooting the rifle and slightly reduce the loads, you will have an intense small bore that will kick butt! And it won't erode the throat any more than the 250 or the swift. Happy hunting!

mightyoakwildlife
October 16, 2012, 10:27 AM
Loving wife just says, "Oh, another gun? Don't you already have one like that?". She'll never know or care, until it's time to deal with my 'estate'. When that time comes, it's all on inventory, with all info. (when, where, price of purchase) and data on CD.

Downloading may be a good idea, if brass becomes an issue, but that's an option to be considered in the future. Maybe one my son will choose to explore.

maineguide
January 12, 2013, 06:48 AM
I bought a A- bolt madalion in 243WSSM a few years back . It shoots really well . I kill coyotes at 300 yds. Last year I ordered an Olympic Arms upper with a 24 inch stainless bull barrel 1 x 10 twist .I'm just getting it dialed in now . This is a very versital round with all the 6mm leads available . you can shoot it from 2800 to 4200 fps MV . I like this round so well I'm ordering another upper from Mike at Dtech . He makes custom AR uppers with match grade barrels .Winchester and Browning may have given up on the 243wssm but I havn't .

blindhog
January 12, 2013, 09:03 AM
I ordered a Oly arms UMAR in April of 2012 in 25 WSSM and am still waiting on it to arrive. So maybe they have stopped making them,,,lol. I talked to my dealer the other day about another gun that I ordered and he asked what do I want to do about the gun I ordered from Olympic arms. I told him that we would keep waiting I guess. I have called Oly many times and just keep veering excuse after excuse for delivery delays and so has my dealer. At this point I don't know if I will ever receive it.

coyota1
January 19, 2013, 12:19 PM
At this point I don't know if I will ever receive it. Maybe a blessing in disguise....