.223 WSSM
Encyclopedia
The .223 WSSM is a .224 caliber rifle
cartridge
created by Winchester and Browning based on a shortened version of the Winchester Short Magnum case.
, Winchester Ammunition, and Winchester Repeating Arms Company
. It is a shortened .300 WSM
(Winchester Short Magnum) case necked down to accept a .224 caliber bullet. The .223 designation is a reference to the popular .223 Remington
. It is currently the fastest production .22 caliber round in the world with muzzle velocities
as high as 4,600 feet per second (1,402 meters per second).
But short barrel life is frequently typical of high-velocity rounds, and the .223 WSSM can also be loaded with heavier bullets at lower velocities. So the concerns about barrel life only apply based on which rounds are actually used in the gun, and these concerns are not different from those regarding other high-velocity cartridges.
The Winchester made Model 70 in .223 WSSM has not been revived in the new Browning-made Winchester Model 70s, but Browning has chosen to use chrome-lined barrels on all of its guns chambered for .223 WSSM and has introduced the .223 WSSM cartridge as a chambering in its A-bolt rifles. Browning rejects the charge that the .223 WSSM round is especially hard on barrels: "The 223 and 243 WSSM cartridges are said to 'burn up' barrels in as little as 300 rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth."
with a 55 gr bullet, over the standard .223 Rem.
It also offers a 440 ft/s (134.1 m/s) gain over the 22-250, a popular varmint round.
This comes out to a 600 ft.lbf gain over a standard .223 Rem, and a 350 ft.lbf gain over the 22-250.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
created by Winchester and Browning based on a shortened version of the Winchester Short Magnum case.
History
The .223 WSSM was introduced in 2003 by the Browning Arms CompanyBrowning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company is a maker of firearms, bows and fishing gear. Founded in Utah in 1927, it offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms and sport bows, as well as fishing rods and reels....
, Winchester Ammunition, and Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
. It is a shortened .300 WSM
.300 WSM
.300 Winchester Short Magnum is a thirty caliber rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridge that was introduced in 2001 by Winchester. The cartridge overall length is 72.64mm, cartridge case is 53.34mm in length and the bullet diameter is .308 in , which is common to all U.S. .30...
(Winchester Short Magnum) case necked down to accept a .224 caliber bullet. The .223 designation is a reference to the popular .223 Remington
.223 Remington
The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...
. It is currently the fastest production .22 caliber round in the world with muzzle velocities
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
as high as 4,600 feet per second (1,402 meters per second).
Controversy
Even before the cartridge was commercially introduced, many were claiming that it would be extremely hard on barrels (a "barrel burner" in gun parlance), and some still argue that it is a good varmint round for long distances but is very hard on barrels and is not good for medium game any farther than 200 yards.But short barrel life is frequently typical of high-velocity rounds, and the .223 WSSM can also be loaded with heavier bullets at lower velocities. So the concerns about barrel life only apply based on which rounds are actually used in the gun, and these concerns are not different from those regarding other high-velocity cartridges.
The Winchester made Model 70 in .223 WSSM has not been revived in the new Browning-made Winchester Model 70s, but Browning has chosen to use chrome-lined barrels on all of its guns chambered for .223 WSSM and has introduced the .223 WSSM cartridge as a chambering in its A-bolt rifles. Browning rejects the charge that the .223 WSSM round is especially hard on barrels: "The 223 and 243 WSSM cartridges are said to 'burn up' barrels in as little as 300 rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Advantages
According to Browning, the .223 WSSM offers a 600 ft/s (182.9 m/s) gain,with a 55 gr bullet, over the standard .223 Rem.
It also offers a 440 ft/s (134.1 m/s) gain over the 22-250, a popular varmint round.
This comes out to a 600 ft.lbf gain over a standard .223 Rem, and a 350 ft.lbf gain over the 22-250.
See also
- Winchester Short MagnumWinchester Short MagnumWinchester Short Magnum, or WSM, refers to a family of rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridges developed in the early 2000s by the U.S. Repeating Arms Company, the maker of Winchester rifles and one of the oldest firearms manufacturers in the United States...
- Winchester Super Short MagnumWinchester Super Short MagnumWinchester Super Short Magnum, or WSSM is a line of rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridges introduced by the U.S. Repeating Arms Company...
- .220 Swift.220 SwiftThe .220 Swift is a semi-rimmed rifle cartridge developed by Winchester and introduced in 1935. It was the first factory loaded rifle cartridge with a muzzle velocity of over...
- List of rifle cartridges
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- 5 mm caliber5 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge.All measurements are in mm .-Rimfire cartridges:...
- .223 Remington.223 RemingtonThe .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...