243 wsm

the scudd

Well-Known Member
hi just wondered if any of you giys have any experience with this cal , i,m toying with the idea of getting one, any pro,s or cons please let me know. thanks the scudd
 
Take it that it is the WSSM? Reads up as a good cal but I don't think it does a lot more than say a .243 AI. (Biased cos I have one) Seriously, I looked long and hard at that round before opting for the .243AI, I thought the cases more readily available in a good choice, and bolt face will take a lot of other cals if I fancied a change. Bit limited with the WSM. The final decider was when Dennis Groom at Border Barrels at the time pushed me towards the .243AI instead.

Each to their own though. Looks a nice wee dinky case:cool:

Meant to add that one of the nicest looking rifles at the time I saw chambered in 243wssm was the HS Precision Varminter. Check out their website. H-S Precision Online Store
 
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My first thought would be to check the availability of ammo and cases. I have a funny feeling that it may well go the way of the dodo. A good way to do this is to see how many makers list the chambering still in their new production.
 
The WSM and WSSM series are dying faster than a frog in a microwave oven. Forget it. And ignore the "great deals" a dealer might want to give you on one of them. The dealers here in the US can get rid of the rifles they have.~Muir
 
OK, I own one, and before that a “normal” 243, the WSSM is giving me about 150fps more than the standard 243 Win’ with 100gn bullets, as already been highlighted this gives similar performance to a 243AI or a 6mm Remington.

The WSSM case is massively constructed, and needs some handloading tricks to get the best from it, because the necks are so thick this c leads to inconsistent neck tension with the potential for accuracy issues, this can be over come in two ways; the easy one and the expensive one. The easy one is to use a Lee neck crimp, see posts else were, (the method I use) or you can have a your barrel rechambered for a tight neck chamber, this would mean that you have to turn all your necks down to about 0.015” thickness.

The standard US brass, Winchester, seems to be quite hard and brittle, to get a reasonable amount of reloads from this brass it is wise to anneal it after a couple of reloads else you will start to get split necks. If you are running loads away from the max’ pressure you will get sooted necks, this is because the thick brass is not expanding fully in the chamber, so you really have to push them bullets on a bit.

Because of the short fat case some rifle owner have reported feeding problems from the magazines, although I have not had any issues from my Browning but the bolt operation does fell more “cluncky” with this cartridge than a longer 308 or 30-06 biased cartridge.

There are a couple of small advantages with the WSSM over a standard 243, you can run 2 to 3 inches less barrel and still remain big deer legal, also the WSSM rifle actions are normally based on a 223 length action/mini Mauser. So you can build the ultimate compact rifle on this case. Despite what Muir’s says the WSSM has found a niche in the USA, a couple of companies are building “new upper receivers” for M16/AR15 rifles that use a standard WSSM or a wildcat with the WSSM case being necked up to 6.5/7mm or 30 cal’ this allows a AR15 based rifle to have a ballistically superior cartridge than the bigger and heavier AR10. The bigger 7mm WSM is the one cartridge to have in F class at the minute.

Although my own 243 WSSM shots 5/8” groups from a skinny stalking barrel and has been very effective on everything from roe kids to red stags it is hard to recommend the cartridge to a beginner, if the rifle in that calibre is very cheap or a model that you really want for some reason then now you know what you are letting yourself in for, if you are just looking to build a fast 6mm then a 243AI would be a lot easier way forward.

ATB

Tahr
 
Just out of interest, do the WS(S)M and the AI use much more powder than the standard .243Win to get the extra 150fps?

I'd imagine the more efficient shape of the AI, and particularly of the short fat one, would give better performance even from the same amount of powder; but is this correct?
 
Just out of interest, do the WS(S)M and the AI use much more powder than the standard .243Win to get the extra 150fps?

I'd imagine the more efficient shape of the AI, and particularly of the short fat one, would give better performance even from the same amount of powder; but is this correct?
Looks like the WSSM uses a bit less than .243win and would imagine .243AI has got to use a bit more but i don't have any data for AI so thats an educated guess.
Neil.
 
Just out of interest, do the WS(S)M and the AI use much more powder than the standard .243Win to get the extra 150fps?

I'd imagine the more efficient shape of the AI, and particularly of the short fat one, would give better performance even from the same amount of powder; but is this correct?

I currently use 46.5grns of H4350, 85gn Sierra Gameking in my .243AI. I'm pointing this out so that you can compare to various loading manuals. Not had a chance to chrono this yet. No pressure signs etc. Very accurate in my custom built blueprinted Remington action. Genuine clover leaf patterns in the correct conditions.

Biggest advantage though has to be the total lack of case stretch, meaning no trimming!
 
With the WSSM the case capacity is only part of the reason for the extra performance, the thick brass allows for a higher maximum operating pressure than a standard 243. A WSSM case weighs 40% more than a 243 win’ case.

ATB

Tahr
 
thanks lads for all the replies i think i will just do as irishgun says and go for the 2506, cheers the scudd
 
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