.223 wssm cartridge

[bobcat93]

Has anyone found a use for the .223 wssm cartridge? Has this line of cartridges gone by the wayside

 

[STS]

Think .223 wssm = Dodo bird.

 

[Drop Port]

Back in 2005 when the 90smk came out I hunted with a gunsmith who chambered one up on a tactical Rem S/A. Brass wasn't great but accurate and fun to shoot. Two women with us used it to take antelope at distance with great results and low recoil.

 

[mikecr]

I believe it was a huge mistake to offer either 22 or 24cal from a WSSM capacity/cases.
They should have went 25 and 26cal only. These hold great potential.

Another mistake was making WSSM from WSM cases.
This made WSSM necks thicker than most cartridge bodies. Not a recipe for accuracy.
But in contrast, if you turn necks and know anything about gun building and reloading for case life, you can make Win reloading WSSM cases last 10 lifetimes.
That can flip a lot of things around.

 

[Steve morgan]

Think .223 wssm = Dodo bird.

Got 2 & 1 in 25 . Like them alot. Got plenty of brass also.

 

[bobcat93]

Thanks..I believe I remember reading there were a few WSSM cartridges that worked out..
Looks like the shoulder angle needs changed
and the cases look like 55gal oil drums..
Has to be about the ugliest cartridge line up out there...
There are so many amazing cartridge..
Especially now in 2022
If you look online right now..all thats left is the crap no one wants...hahaha.. incredible over stock of the same thing..

Its almost like the reamer manufacturers told the gun manufacturers..were only making 9mm , 6.5 creedmoor, 308 win, reamers for the 3 yrs
Hahaha...
.
I have never seen some one bust out a WSSM..on a hunting trip or at the rifle range ..
Perhaps that's why there are so many available on line..
I was just curious to if there is still love for that cartridge line up, and why does winchester keep it going?..
.
..when I get on line and look for new rifles..not only do I need to factor in the price of the gun..but a new barrel as well ..
Not much caliber selection out there at all..
Kind makes me sad..
There is no need to discuss reloading components..that topic is heart breaking..

 

[mikecr]

I'll bring some history in from an article:
It's downfall is described as a perfect storm

Internet bloggers shrieked through their keyboards about what terrible cartridges the .223, .243 and .25 super shorts were before these rifles were even stocked on sporting goods store shelves. The cartridges supposedly rapidly burned out barrels and jammed when they made the jump from a rifle’s magazine to the chamber. Production of Model 70 rifles in WSSM calibers abruptly ended when Winchester closed its plant in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2006. When Winchester started making Model 70s again in South Carolina in 2008, the Super Short action was noticeably absent. The loss of a patent infringement lawsuit on the design of the short magnum case also resulted in companies having to pay a royalty on any Winchester Short Magnum and Super Short Magnum ammunition and rifles they sold. The Super Short cartridges were so new they had not become all that popular, so Browning soon dropped its rifles chambered in .223, .243 and .25 WSSM. A very few AR-type rifles are the only ones currently chambered in .25 WSSM.

This is unfortunate, because the .25 WSSM is an excellent cartridge. Its case has about the same propellant capacity as the .257 Roberts, but it is loaded to a much higher maximum pressure of 65,000 psi. The .25 Winchester’s maximum pressure is also higher than the .250 Savage, .257 Improved Ackley and the .25-06 Remington.

 

[mikecr]

I built and have been playing with a 26wssm Imp.
Before filling out a reamer print, I had researched WSSM to every molecule.
I had 5K Win reloading cases in-hand, and measured several thousand of them. I also looked into all the grumblings and failures from people.

It was very easy to see why this line of cartridges kicked their butts. So then it was easy to understand how to mitigate the same issues. I'm into my 3rd barrel with the same 50 cases (80+ reloads), and have had zero issues. My accurate barrel life is 1850rnds.

STUPID #1
The 22-24cal WSSM are for sure barrel burners, like so many other cartridges in those cals.
Considering this capacity and quest for very high velocities, why would anyone expect normal barrel life? Yet, the WSSMs were heavily merchandised for varmint hunting..

STUPID #2
Many factory gun manufacturers are weak gun design. And they would sacrifice sound design to catch a market. I will just say on this that Savage is NOT one of these companies. They at least knew what needed to be adjusted. For the rest:
-You can't just change a bolt face in a .473 casehead/cartridge action, and assume a magnum diameter case will feed correctly.
-You can't assume that a short action is appropriate for a cartridge just because 'short' is in the cartridge name. A WSSM loaded with heavy for cal bullets is not a short cartridge.
-You can't get away with non-magnum diameter actions/barrel tenons for a magnum diameter cartridge running 65Kpsi SAAMI max. It would not put enough barrel steel around the chamber.

STUPID #3
Factory WSSM brass was obviously reformed from WSM cases, and I think WSM reject cases.
On top of this, they did not anneal enough in this forming, leaving cases brittle.
Much of the ammo they were putting out was disposable (reloading-wise), with a unacceptable failures. The Win Reloading WSSM brass is better, but that's not going to save the cartridge from what a majority of shooters see otherwise.

FATAL #4
A world of patent and civil litigation corruption...
I watched it happen, and can't even comprehend the scale of evil set in this precedent.
Truly, ended Winchester, and should terrify all others.