243 WSSM...why did it die out so quickly?

Dultimatpredator

Dultimatpredator

Well-known member
Its been some time since I remember you couldn't give away a rifle in this round when it was discontinued. Was it feeding problems or was it the rumor of a being barrel burner? I am interested in putting together a 20" heavy barreled Remington 700 rifle in this caliber and was trying to get some info on the round.
 
I ask this question about the 25wssm as well. I love the standard 243 and 25-06 and they are hard to beat. I guess that the market determines all of this.
 
I had a 243wssm in a model 70 super shadow and had a few problems.It didnt feed good at all and between 85 to 100 rounds down the tube the throat was gone.Winchester fixed it at no cost and then I sold it.Probley not the calibers fault as much as the gun but kinda makes ya wonder.
 
Originally Posted By: mt boyI had a 243wssm in a model 70 super shadow and had a few problems.It didnt feed good at all and between 85 to 100 rounds down the tube the throat was gone.Winchester fixed it at no cost and then I sold it.Probley not the calibers fault as much as the gun but kinda makes ya wonder.

I never got to shoot mine enough to burn it out. Would not feed worth a crap. I sent it in once, and they claimed to have fixed it. It was no better.

It appears to match the 6mm284 in ballistics. I have noticed a couple of guys building them successfully on the AR platform. Seems like a great round, but maybe fated in the direction of the .264 Win Mag...
 
If the calibers survive, it will only be because they are short enough to fit in an AR magazine. Other than that it has nothing good going for it.
The large head diameter makes for a lot of backthrust on the bolt and hard to feed.
The brass is a disaster. It is so thick that a lot of possible case capacity is lost and it is a PITA to resize accurately. Frequent annealing is a given.
Barrel burning is mostly with the 22 cal. The larger bores are much better, although the 243 is at least as bad as the 243 Win.

Jack
 
The case is not user friendly to reload for, it can and is done but its not a simple process. I own one in an AR and I stocked up on new brass that I only shoot twice. After that I toss it in a pile to have it annealed some day but someone. Every round I reload in it I chamber it then extract it to ensure it will feed and Not jam up while hunting. Its the only way I know to absolutely sure.
 
Quote:If the calibers survive, it will only be because they are short enough to fit in an AR magazine.

Yep, but that's a plenty good reason as far as I'm concerned. The wssm is almost like it was made for an AR 15.

It IS more difficult to reload for, but worth it imho.



Quote:Every round I reload in it I chamber it then extract it to ensure it will feed and Not jam up while hunting. Its the only way I know to absolutely sure.

Use a ase length headspace gage, KAG, much easier and (potentially) a lot safer. If you can't readily find one, Try L E Wilon phone: 509-782-1328.
 
I had one in a Win Mod 70. It was hard to reload, and I never found a load it liked.. Components and data were hard to find. Had feeding probs, etc.. Sold it and bought a 243 Win.
 
I have one in ar-15 from d-tech and have to agree with you guys if it wasn't for having it in that rifle i probably wouldn't have purchased it, but now that i have it i absolutely love it.
 
Originally Posted By: tuneredWith a 20in barrel why go with the wssm, 243win would make more sense. ed

Because for an AR15 style rifle you can just buy an upper and shoot instead of having to buy an AR10 lower.....
 
I thought maybe the 223 WSSM died out faster? Anyhow I am content with the regular 243. I don't even load that near max much of the time. I mostly stick with the common stuff, though I do really like my 284win. I also have a 300wsm, but it seems to of caught on just fine.
 


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