.243 vs .243wssm

bandhuntr

bandhuntr

New member
If you are going to buy one for a utility rifle (coyotes to deer) which one is your choice. I don't know alot about the short mag as far as positives and negatives. Thanks
 
Flip a coin the WSSM has pretty much identical ballistics but uses a shorter case but a thicker powder column. The bullets are the same and velosities are pretty6 much the same Same bullet at same speed = same results.
 
The plus is you can get the WSSM in a small AR platform and the 243 needs the large AR frame.

As to bolt actions the 243 Win is the way to go as the cost and availability of ammo for the WSSM is shaky at best. Only one company makes the WSSM in a bolt and that is Browning (Japan). Only one company makes the WSSM in the AR, that being Olympic. Only one company makes ammo for them, that being Winchester. Not a lot to choose from.
 
Reed's Ammo in Oklahoma makes several good loads for the 243 WSSM and 223 WSSM at excellent prices.

Like the others said, flip a coin....same result.
 
Thanks Again,
I think I will stick with the old standard .243 for the availability of ammo and bolt action rifle selections.
You guys are a wealth of information
 
I think that you'll be happy with your choice. I picked up a .243 a few months ago and am really starting to like it. I looked at the WSSM's and the barrel life was too short for my liking.
 
The 243 wssm has velocities that more resemble the 6mm Remington which varies from 100 to 200+ fps faster than the 243 win. can push the same bullet.

Ruger sells a 6mm remington!
 
If you are absitivly posilutely needing more performance from your 243 go 243 Ackley. Less case trimming and a couple hundred footsies pr second velocity.

You can use factory ammo for fireforming if you want, or you can roll your own.

I Ackleyed both my 22-250's and my 243 and am happy with both.

Something to think about.

Best wishes, Bill
 

For what it is worth, when I was looking at getting a
6mm/243 something, the 243 Win, the 243 WSSM, the 6mm BR,
the 6mm-284, the 6x47, and the 6mm Rem., were all on
my list to research. My criteria was something that
would work for a long range colony varmint gun, in wind,
something that punched paper nicely, and something that
would bang flop predators with extreme prejudice. The
6x47 fell off the list, because of limited velocities,
and the 6-284, and the 243 WSSM, for short barrel life,
and just plain too over bored. So the 243 Win, the 6BR,
and the 6mm Rem. were on the short list. This project
was a re-barreled Savage 16 action, without a bolt face
change, but an increase in barrel contour. Since I hand
load, factory ammo was of no concern. Again sorting through
these finalists, I passed on the 6BR, but someday I will
have one. The velocity was a bit low for the "extreme
prejudice" part of my criteria /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif So it was down
to the two old favorites, the 243 Win vs the 6mm Rem.
The more I looked at the 7x57 parent case, the more I liked
the long neck, and tapered body, of the 6mm Rem. Also,
there was some talk of the 243 Win being finicky to find
accurate loads for, and I never read that kind of talk
about the 6mm Rem.

So if this were my decision, and when it was, my answer to
"243 Win or 243 WSSM?", was neither. I purchased a 6mm Rem.
barrel, installed it on my Savage action, and have had
such huge grins, when shooting it, my face hurts /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

All of this is in the context of a bolt action rifle.
If we are talking AR-15, then of course, I would be getting
a 243 WSSM. If we are talking semi-auto hunting rifle,
I have been lusting for a Browning BAR, in 243 Win,
for a few years now. So this choice really is about
rifle action choice, and purpose.

For my bolt gun project, I actually purchased a new Model 16
Savage, in 22-250 Rem., for the express purpose of making
it a 6mm Rem. It shot so well, as a 22-250, it was almost
criminal to re-barrel it. I still have the 22-250 barrel,
but I doubt if it will ever get back on an action. I like
the 6mm Rem. SOOOOO much, that I believe this action will
always have a 6mm Rem. barrel on it.

Squeeze
 
well i really appreciate all the great opinions. Today I went and bought a Remington LSS in the .243 WIN. caliber and by just the looks of things iI think I made a great choice.Thanks again.
 
The only thing I see going for the WSSM format is that it will fit in an AR. It could have been better but they made the brass so thick you can't even shoot reduced loads in it. The other big problem is bolt thrust from that large diameter head. A well designed self loader seems to handle it OK but it makes a bolt gun stiff to operate.

And don't get me started on barrel life with these overbore calibers. Not a big deal for most people but if you shoot a lot, it is a very big deal.

Jack
 
You are the first one I have heard that mentioned the "blow torch" effect of the whiz bang short mag cartridges. One of the reasons the 22-284 lived a very short life. Yes they were accurate and were very quick but lasted about as long as campaign promises.

I got a wild hair one time and built a wildcat 22-8MM. The barrel was shot about the same time I finished my load development and fireforming excersizes. Shot 80 grainers at 3600>3800fps. Used that one for a tomato stake and went to a 22-250 Ackley 1/8 twist and shoot the same 80 grainers at 3400fps with 20% less powder.

So far the Coyotes and Pasture Poodles haven't noticed any difference nor have they complained.

Best wishes, BILL
 
What am I missing?

The .243win & the 243wssm have nearly identical case capacities. something like .2gr water capacity. Other than the shape why would the 243wssm be harder on barrel life than a 243win?
 
The traditional thought was that the only thing that determined barrel life was case capacity vs bore size. Lately, there have been reports that the short cases may burn bores a bit worse than longer cases of the same capacity.

The jury is still out and needs more evidence. I would like to hear reports from anybody shooting 1000 rounds or more a year in the WSSMs, especially if you use a borescope.

Jack
 
I think a lot of that is mythology any way. I am shooting 243 WSSM in an AR I also shoot 270 WSM in a bolt action rifle I have only had the AR a couple months barly broke in I have not seen any thing to indicate that it is a barrel burner. I have been shooting the 270 for three years and it is not giving me any problems either. But I only shoot a couple times a month at the range once I find a good load. I shoot fifty to a hundred rounds at a session. But I am retired and spend a lot of time at the loading bench, you younger guys may not have the freedom I have. ( Just wish I had the cash, to suit the freedom) When I go to the range I take two or three rifles and a pair of handguns just to keep my hand in. fifty to a hundred rounds each. Artheritise is starting to cause me problems esspecially with the 45-70's I just am not ready to "load down"
 
I've got 400+ rounds down the tube of my 243 WSSM Dtech, and I own a bore scope to check it with. I've seen zero discernible erosion (so far).

I've also read that a sharper shoulder angle reduces throat erosion (in theory) by directing the immediate plasma stream after ignition more to the middle of the bore. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 


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