WSSM ?

[chiefkerdog]

Anyone tried or even thought of using a WSSM in bench rest shooting ? Could it work ? I am thinking the necks are just too thick. Turn the necks and or ream them out a little.
thanks, Chief

 

[357Mag]

Chief -

Howdy !

IMHO -
Given the wt restrictions established for formal " benchrest " shooting, case capacity of WSSM brass and/or WSSM-based wildcats
would present recoil management challenges ( gun manners on the bags. etc ).

Perhaps more perceived recoil would be presented, than the level .30BR shooters are used to encountering ?
I'd need to do some math, in-order to validate.


Using a WSSM-sizec case for benchrest...... wouldn't be for everybody.

With regards,
357Mag

 

[AP2020]

I had a 6.5-25WSSM 3 years ago.

Throat shot out in less than 800 rounds.

Helluva round, 140 gr. Berger @3,050fps


YES, brass is HIGH MAINTENANCE.....turned the necks, etc..etc,,,


Brass is hard to get nowadays....I sold everything with WSSM on it!!, including the Reamer Dave Kiff at PTG made for me.

 

[mikecr]

Sounds like it wouldn't apply to point blank BR huh?
OP, were you wondering about LR BR, or point blank?

 

[wilbur300wsm]

Well, when the 243 wssm came out, I jumped on the band wagon. I built a bolt action rifle for my first daughter. Started with 70gr bal tips. Very fast, and Very fun to watch on p-dogs in S Dakota. Shot quite a few deer with the 70gr. Then moved to the 90gr accubonds. (The 90gr help me chase the throat) After 3k plus rounds through the Krieger 10tw, it'll still shoot 1/2". I ventured farther, and necked some cases up to 30 cal. Lots of work!!!! Annealing, turning necks, annealing again, sorting. Just built another bolt gun for my other daugher and running a bartlein barrel in the 30 cal "super short" case. Using the 150gr accubonds, 47.5gr of 4064 puts them out of a 22" at 3010fps. A great case to get lots of speed from. Will shoot 1/4" groups, but IMO, no where close to benchrest accuracy like the 6BR based cases or the big brother wsm case.

 

[LHSmith]

WSSM = POS......IMHO

 

[Hoier]

Kerwin, I know what your trying to do. Like everyone has said is the brass is not the best. I have heard if you sort em and turn necks they are pretty good.

BTW I haven't done anything with that stock yet.

 

[mikecr]

Use Winchester reloading brass & sort the best out of it, like you would any other brand. It matches the 260 in H20 capacity, and the 260AI if you improve it like in kind.
The brass is very very thick, ~20thou at the necks, because they just cut down WSM brass to make it.
So I agree that a plan to use it should include neck turning, and appropriate undersize chamber neck. Plan on a custom sizing die.
It is a magnum diameter case, and you won't reach it's potential without enough barrel steel around the chamber(like any other magnum).

You don't see a 260 capacity cartridge much in point blank BR, which is why I asked, and for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons is that machine-gunning rounds with this capacity or more will burn out the throat quickly. That's not a matter of design, but of choice.
It could be used as well as any 260/260AI in LR BR, as you can easily reach accurate +3Kfps loads w/140gr bullets -with mild loads. If planning FL sizing up front, you could push it to and past viable 6.5x284 performance. But get a big press,, this brass is serious.. Given it's thickness to length and hardness, I think it would outlast Lapua's 260 cases, and 6.5x284 cases, run the same.

As far as brass brand goes, I have yet to find perfect brass in a brand -beyond single lots & depending on cartridge. This is true of Lapua and Norma like any other(which I also use). Winchester reloading brass, while too thick, does not actually measure worse than typical of other brands. I've measured thousands of them in thickness variance, and hundreds in formed H20 capacity. And I'm happy with the WSSM brass.

Now I'm not a competitor. These are my views based only on my experience with a 6.5WSSM imp. Nothing about it is personal to me, and I'm not soliciting hostilities over it.