223 wssm Experience NOT what you heard

[pa_of_6]

Looking at buying a 223 wssm and wondering if anyone has first hand experience with them?

There are alot of people with opinions...but as we know they are like other things people have and they smell too....

So are they barrel burners, so they have issues shooting heaveir grain bullets.

thanks and cheers

[gatorr]

I have one in a Browning. After a lot of trial and error i found i have to seat the bullets about .002 off the rifling to get good groups. The best powder was Varget. I tried the 68 grain bullets but they would group no better then
2". That iam sure is due to the 1-10" twist. The best bullet for my rifle is the Barnes 53 grain TSX. Next best was the Barnes 45 grain TSX. Both bullets shoot sub moa. My rifle has a light weight barrel so you need to let it cool between shots. I bought this rifle as a light weigth pack it to long distance coyote stands, as my main coyote rifle is a heavy barrel .220 swift. The barrel on the Browning is chrome lined so i think it will last a long time. I wouldnt use it for prairie dog shooting but what i want it for it will last a long time. Oh ya before i seated the bullets longer i would get a lot of powder blow back on the brass but no more. The barnes manuel said C.O.L was 2.11 that was way too short for my rifle i seat them out to 2.20. I used a bullet seating guage to get the correct length. Yup its the fastest .224 cal out there.

[bobinthesky]

I had a 223 WSSM for a very short while, one range session in fact. I purchased a new Winchester Stealth M70, took it to the range and it shot 4 inch groups at best (100 yards) and was splitting the necks on about half the brass. I paid cash for the rifle and took it back to the dealer along with some fired/split brass and demanded my money back. Got it too, and with very little argument!
I realize that this dosn't answer any of your questions and the issues I had were more of the rifle than the round itself, your post just made me think of it.

[CantGet Right]

I bought a browning a-bolt but to this point only have used it on a couple groundhogs. Hoping to get yote hunting with it this winter. Mine has a heavy barrel that is chrome lined. From everything I have read the lining will protect the barrel from burnout past the point of a 22-250 barrel under normal shooting conditions. Ammo is scarce if your not a reloader, only 55gr. ballistic tips or 55gr./64gr. super x. I don't bother with the heavier bullets as the 55gr. ballistic tips are superior in terms of speed and hitting power once you reach 100yds anyway.

[gatorr]

Yup heard a lot of bad things about the Winchester on the varmint boards. That is why i went with Browning plus the barrel is chrome lined.

[LongBomber]

I had a 223wssm, in a winchester super shadow. It was a barrel burner, but it did shoot the 53gr tsx very well, and it shot a few 75gr berger vld fine as well. I would not go to the trouble of messing with a 223wssm, a 22-250 does just about the same and brass is easy to get. I ran over 1000 rounds from mine, but the barrel is torched and the throat has moved quite a ways.

The rifle is in the middle of being turned to a 270-243wssm. It should be 100fps slower than a 270, but end up under 6 pounds scoped.

[Arn?Narn.]

I had the new and improved (?) winchester Coyote Laminate in 223 wssm.

It was deadly and I had no issues to 400 and 500 yrds...

Still have a couple of boxes of factory ammo if anyone is looking for some...