6.5-243WSSM?

[RonAKA]

Has anyone tried this? I currently have a .264WM and like the caliber but would like something a little easier on the barrel for a lot of shooting, and better accuracy. It would seem the 243WSSM case is about 53 grains compared to the 82 grain 264 case. Also the resulting dimensions would seem to be an approximate scale up of the 6BR to the 6.5 bore.

Thoughts on this?

Ron

 

[Dans40X]

The 6.5 RSAUM wildcat pushes 155's @ 3200fps with ease.
17 & 1/4 min to 1K from a 100yd zero!!
The 6.5-284 can't get there.

 

[BillK]

I shoot a 6.5-243wssm. I think it is a great cartridge. I get 3070fps from 140gr bergers.

 

[RonAKA]

"I shoot a 6.5-243wssm. I think it is a great cartridge. I get 3070fps from 140gr bergers."

Wow, that is some impressive load! How do you do it? I need about 61 grains of 4831 to get that with my .264WM. I understand the 243WSSM case has about 53 grains water capacity, compared to the 82 grain size for the 264.

Ron

 

[BillK]

48.8grains of re22, 140gr moly berger,210primer and winchester brass. This is fired out of a 30.5" barrel on my light gun. I can get it to shoot faster but it shoots good right around that velocity. 48.8grains of re22 is about 1/4 of the way up the neck of the case before the bullet is seated.

 

[RonAKA]

Thanks BillK. Would I be correct in assuming that the 260 Rem would be a good place to start for basic loads, and that up to 65,000 psi should be ok, compared to the 60,000 SAAMI spec for the 260?

Ron

 

[BillK]

Ron-The 6.5wssm of the 243 or 25 variety like max loads. Because of the thick brass you will have to anneal. You will sometimes get a sticky bolt before hitting the max load. This is caused by bolt thrust due to the short case walls of the wssm. When you run a max load the case grips the chamber wall better reducing bolt thrust. I believe I started with 44gr of reloder 22 as a starting point. re22,vv165 and h4831 are the perfect powders for the 6.5wssm. I loaded re22 in .5 grain increments from 44grains to a full case of 49.5grains. The bolt got sticky at 47grains. When I shot the next charge of 47.5 the bolt opened as smooth as silk. Most people give up on the 6.5wssm because of this phenomena. The funnty thing is that with my combination you couldn't possibly put enough powder in the case to cause a problem because you run out of room in the case. Good luck with your gun.

 

[RonAKA]

BillyK, thanks. I'm learning, slowly... Have you tried the new Hodgdon Supreme 780 or Hybrid 100V?

Ron

 

[BillK]

No I have not. I really like the Alliant powders. For me they have been the most consistent. I like some Hodgdon powders but I had some that were real inconsistent lot to lot.

 

[RonAKA]

I see that the Supreme 780 appears to be a lower density powder and probably better suited to the more overbore cases.

Ron

 

[BillK]

Ron-re22 fits the 6.5wssm absolutely perfect. I can't imagine the gun shooting any better than what it does. vv165 is a close second but cannot get the velocity of re22.