.223 WSSM

[inchtowntracking]

I picked up a Win model 70 in the this caliber was looking for opinions on the gun or caliber.

[Biggerhammer]

It's fast! 50 gr Nosler BT's on top of W760 smoke coyotes.

[mountainman]

Anyone have any pictures of performance of this caliber on varmints?

[yorketransport]

The 223 WSSM will give any 220 Swift a run for it's money! I have a buddy who ran one for coyotes for a few years before moving up to the 25-06 and he loved it. Only sold it because he wanted a better deer/varmint combo caliber.

My only issue with the case/gun combo is with the feeding. Sometimes that short, fat case can be tricky to cycle through an action. Some people have trouble with it, others don't. It seems to have a lot to do with how fast you cycle the action.

Andrew

[mountainman]

Same issue i have seen.run thru a Micro Medallion action it tends to feed ok, but most longer actions, unless you really crank thru bolt cycling, theytend to float and jam

[inchtowntracking]

What about accuracy issues and barrel life?  Happy to hear about these positives. 

[Biggerhammer]

The Browning I had for awhile had feeding issues sometimes when working the bolt fast. You had to slow it down a bit.  I tried it back when they first came out, sold the rifle due to the fact at calling ranges a AR worked better for me on doubles and fast movers.

[yorketransport]

I think Winchester chrome lined the barrels on their 223 WSSMs to help with barrel life. If you keep the barrel clean and cool I would expect 1000 rounds minimum of "hunting" grade accuracy. Start firing 20 shot strings in rapid succession and than number would easily be cut in half or even lower.

Andrew

[mountainman]

Hot loads will eat the throat comparitivley quick. Part of the reason Browning and Winchester both dropped this caliber. Butif you drop velocity, you have a 22-250, which makes more sense to me. Keeploads under 4000fps for the barrel to last, or crank it up for a year or two of great fun turning chucks into red mist!

[WoodlandShooter]

if it will handle the heavier bullets (75's and 80's) load them up.

WSSM's are screamers.

I have a 243 WSSM and the factory 55 grain winchester ammo is moving at 3990 out of my 24" 1/8 twist barrel

[b23]

The 223 WSSM only came with a 1-10tw which will only handle bullets 65gr or less.  It never made sense to me why they would make a rifle with this kind of horsepower, ie case capacity, then confine its ability with only a 1-10tw but then again, I never understood why everyone except Savage, would make 22-250's only available with a 1-14tw too .

IMO, the 223WSSM doesn't begin to show its ability until you get to a 75gr bullet and higher.  To bad they didn't offer a model with a 1-8tw barrel.  Again, IMO, but a 1-8tw in one of these would be a bad azz mother and you could shoot all the way up to a 90gr Berger and with the horsepower the 223wssm is capable of, it still would be chunking them out there faster than any other factory .22cal offering.  If you wanna shoot light bullets really fast, get a 22-250 or 220Swift.  The ammo is cheaper and a lot easier to find.