Author Topic: Looking to build a Varmint Rifle...223 WSSM or Not? (Read 1249 times)

broker · « **on:** January 23, 2004, 07:05:01 AM »

Hey guys, pretty down and out as sold my Remington .223 i had customized this past year. Originally, purchased Rem 700 Sendero VSSF in .223 then had gun worked over putting on heavy Hart barrel and jewel trigger. Really, kicking myself in the behind for same.. Used for coyotes, prairie dogs, and other smaller game. Sooo, now am looking at building another gun,and, although i don't know much about it, the Winchester .223 WSSM has caught my eye for obvious reasons. Aside from ammo presumably being tough to get, is jury still out on this round?? Seems more appealing than 22-250, but then again i am not a walking digest of information on cartridges.. Have always been told that throat erosion is much more significant in 22-250 than .223, and would assume 223 WSSM would be worse than 22-250.If you guys were building a new one, what caliber would you use and why? Additionally, can remington receivers be purchased without having to buy a "new gun", and if so, where? thnx for the help.

Catfish · « **Reply #1 on:** January 24, 2004, 09:47:15 AM »

Borker,
You might want to take a look at the .204 Ruger. Facrory loads at 4250 with a .33 grn. bullet, BC of .191. It will shoot flatter than a .22-250 or a .220 Swift. It will also do it with less powder. I`m thinking that I`m going to have a tight necked varmenter built on a Rem. 722 action. It should be a real smoken round. If your into wildcating there are acouple of other .20 cal. rounds that look real good.

Varmint Hunter · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2004, 11:36:12 AM »

The 223 WSSM looks interesting but the jury is out as to how well they will shoot, how long the throats will last and who will produce quality brass for it.
Personally, I can't imagine that a quality built custom rifle will be anything other than ACCURATE in the 223WSM. As for throat erosion; it doesn't sound like you hang onto a rifle long enough for that to be a concern.

In a custom rig you are always expecting exceptional accuracy, as you should. This normally requires very consistent brass to achieve. This would be my biggest concern. Although, some shooters have been able to do well with fully preped Win. brass.

Good shootin' - VH

PaulS · « **Reply #3 on:** January 25, 2004, 06:34:22 PM »

I know that the new short magnums are the latest craze and that velocity is important for flat shooting at extended ranges but (BIG BUT) a varmint rifle needs to be as accurate as a target rifle and powerful enough to kill small animals at long range. You need a bullet that is long for the caliber to buck the unpredictable winds, velocity that is reasonable for bullet construction and the potential to kill without destroying pelts at whatever range you hunt.
The 6mm bullet selection has some truly great bullets thanks to the bench rest community and the varmint, antelope and sheep hunters. The heaviest .22 cal bullet has a BC of .339 the best 6mm bullet has a bc of .445 with the best .25 caliber bullet at .438. With the same starting velocity the bullet with the highest BC wins at the longest range. Now, can you get a 6 mm to the velocity you need to hunt your game at the ranges that you will be shooting? Yes with everything from a 6mm TCU to the 6mm '06 and the 6mm magnums, there is a cartridge that will get you any velocity you need. A short magnum is probably not necessary as the 243 Win is capable of firing a 105 grain bullet at an honest 2900 fps and the Weatherby launches the same bullet at 3200 fps. The 6mm '06 is as capable in a less exotic weapon. I am sure there is more velocity to be had in wildcats but how much velocity do you need to plant wood chucks and prairie dogs at the ranges you will be shooting?

PaulS

BNoz01 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2004, 02:07:27 PM »

What kind of varmit shooting are you planning on doing? I ask this because if you're limiting yourself to under 350 yards I'd recommend the 223 Rem for one reason: Recoil. With the 223 Rem you don't lose your sight picture because of the small amount of recoil.

Even with a slight jump in velocity, such as the 22-250, I consistently lose my sight picture and, hence, bullet impact.

If you're going beyond 350 yards, then use a fast twisted barrel in a faster shooting caliber (such as 223 WSSM) to stabilize the longer/heavier bullets.

B. Noz.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 06, 2004, 10:31:00 AM »

I you shoot many PDogs the 223 is the way to go. Brass is much more common and the larger cases will heat faster, limiting the number of rounds you can fire in a day.. Unless we're talking a water cooled barrel? Sounds o me like you may 'need' 2 rifles. A hot coyote shooter with a lighter barrel (my current favorite is an old 244, slow twist, in the 722 Remington), and a heavy varmiter in something like the 223 for the PDog towns. Sell one, build 2, my kind of equation!!

tmbryant · « **Reply #6 on:** February 07, 2004, 05:18:03 PM »

I talked to the guy in charge of Hornady's custom die shop a few months ago and we were discussing the .223 WSSM. He told me they built one in .223 WSSM and had the barrel shot out in 350 rounds. I haven't bought a reamer for either of the WSSM's and don't intend to do so. For a prairie dog rifle, I'd stay away from it. For a coyote rifle, that isn't shot very much, it might be alright. Biggest problem I can see with it is that you will be limited to a short magnum on any barrels after this one unless you change bolts to one with a different bolt face.