Fans of the WSSMs

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Kentucky_Rifleman

Kentucky_Rifleman

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I know I'm kind of old-school in a lot of my habits, so maybe people less biased can help me understand the attraction of the newer Winchester Super Short Magnums.

I understand that they're fast, but I've checked the data, and they're not that much faster than several of the old standard cartridges. The .223 WSSM, for instance, gains 2-400 fps over the .22-250 with bullets of the same weight, but does so at the expense of intensely shortened barrel life.

I also understand that the cartridges are shorter, allowing them to be chambered in short-action guns, and I can see some small advantage in that. Again, the slight advantage seems to be outweighed by what I'm told is their difficult nature to reload and the difficulty in finding brass, especially brass at reasonable prices.

On top of everything else, they're just fugly. I mean the shells are seriously homely to me.

Am I missing out on something?

It seems like I see a LOT of used WSSMs for sale hereabouts, and that's usually a sign of original-owner dissatisfaction.

What's the attraction?

If I'm missing out on something spectacular, I'll re-consider my decision to give them the swerve.

:scrutiny:
KR
 
Not to mention that it cant handle most lighter varmint rounds because they will fly apart when they leave the barrel...
 
to me the wsms and big magnums are kind of a fad or a must have, most standard calibers will do the job just as well at a lower price and easier to come by.
 
I had a .25WSSM for a short time because I wanted a M-70 featherweight, the factory was shutting down, I have a thing for .257 caliber, and Winchester wasn't making a featherweight in .257 Roberts. Although there was a lot more noise and a bit more recoil when compared to the Roberts, it wasn't a problem but when the cost of ammo doubled within 6 months after I got it, I just got mad and sold it...Now I have a Roberts, and though the ammo isn't much cheaper, I do have a reloading setup for it and the ammo cost and availability is no longer an issue.
 
The WSSMs could have been pretty cool, IF Winchester had come out with a line of Super Short actioned rifles to match. A 25 WSSM would have been an attractive package if it had come in a rifle the size of a Mini-Mauser (Remington 799). They didn't and the WSSM lines lost out when the Winchester factory closed.
 
If these rifles are unpopular, that begs the question - how practical would it be to rechamber them in standard calibers? I've read articles about tapping large chambers and threading in a chamber insert, but I've never dealt with any rifles that this has been done to. It sounds pretty hinky to me, but I'm told I'm superstitious about rifles.

Also, I know that the WSSM cartridges are based on the big 404 Jeffrey, which means that you'd have to get a new bolt as well, if you wanted to change the WSSM .223 to a more common .22 cartridge.

Is there just going to be a surplus of these rifles lying about cheap for the next few years?
 
I thought it was just one dude on LSD!
Click to expand...

I was figuring the dealer that sold him the stuff might of had a hand in it also! lol hehehehe

Actually, it wasn't a really bad concept, as natman said, if Win. would have brought out a dedicated receiver for the junk, they may have fared better!

Just think....a T-Bolt arrangement with a 1.5" bolt movement...... whoops, there goes the LSD thinking again! lol hehehehe
 
Kentucky_Rifleman said:
If these rifles are unpopular, that begs the question - how practical would it be to rechamber them in standard calibers? I've read articles about tapping large chambers and threading in a chamber insert, but I've never dealt with any rifles that this has been done to. It sounds pretty hinky to me, but I'm told I'm superstitious about rifles.

Also, I know that the WSSM cartridges are based on the big 404 Jeffrey, which means that you'd have to get a new bolt as well, if you wanted to change the WSSM .223 to a more common .22 cartridge.

Is there just going to be a surplus of these rifles lying about cheap for the next few years?
Click to expand...
Not even slightly practical. The idea of a "chamber insert" is frightening and you would still have to deal with the bolt face and feeding rails.

Much cheaper to scrounge up a supply of brass while you can and just reload.
 
I'm pretty sure it was a goofy idea of a gun writer. They all want to be Elmer Kieth or some other huckster.
 
^^^

Yeah, I guess the factory likes to think they can invent wildcats.

Thats not really how it works.

Oh yeah and I hate the Short Magnum fad that is still going on with Rugers BS line of "compact" magnums.

At least they are making the rifles to shoot it still.
 
What's the attraction?
Click to expand...

There is only one real significant attraction - they can be fit into an AR15 platform, giving you real hunting round reach and oomph (in the form of .25 WSSM and .243 WSSM) in a light, good-handling AR15, albeit at the expense of mag capacity.

This is the only reason I'm a theoretical fan of the .25 WSSM, though I don't have one and don't plan to get one.
 
to me the wsms and big magnums are kind of a fad or a must have
Click to expand...

The big 'uns, like the RUM family, do have their place. I had wanted a .375 H&H since I was about 13, but when the .375 RUM came out, I settled on it instead, because it is that much more flexible.

The RSAUM's, WSM's and WSSM's, on the other hand, don't out-perform any existing cartridge and really only serve to reduce magazine capacity and further confuse the already boggling array of centerfire rifle cartridges.
 
I actually like them and have done a bit of work with the .243 WSSM. Just like the WSMs, the performance is more or less redundant, but the package is what makes it interesting. The actions are are even shorter than a standard short action, which most people seem to forget about. These are not short actions, they are SUPER short actions. I also think they are awesome for wildcatting. The Indiana boys have discovered that the the .358 WSSM is legal for deer under the new Pistol Cartridge Rifle rules, and I'm wanting a .338 WSSM for lightweight .338-06 performance. Never once had a jam in my .243 WSSM either.
 
I can't speak for the 243wssm and the 25wssm, but I can certainly see the appeal of the 223wssm. Those bullets come out screaming fast! It completely outclasses the 22-250. It's kind of like a fomula one car. You don't buy one to drive to church. You buy one to take on the track. So long as you have a realistic understanding of what you are buying, no problem.
 
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