223 wssm loads?????

[nelly5]

I have a browning a bolt in 223 wssm and can't seem to get it dialed in. I have tried the winchester super x in 55gr and 64 grain factory loads with not much luck. I am very new to reloading so any info is appreciated. Also is this gun worth giving a shot or just invest in a 22-250?? I here lots of people say it is a barrel burner??? thanks

 

[DrMike]

The 223 WSSM can be a barrel burner, as can any cartridge that burns a large volume of propellant relative to the barrel diameter. The owner of such a rifle is well advised to avoid shooting until the barrel is excessively hot and ensuring that the chamber is kept clean. This can help extend barrel life, though the relatively large amount of hot gases pushing a projectile down the barrel of a rifle so chambered will still erode the throat to some degree. I would focus on the bullet that you wish to shoot, securing the data provided by a reputable bullet manufacturer or powder manufacturer. These companies have a lot invested in their product, and they want those shooting their products to have as positive an experience as possible. Are you planning primarily to punch paper? Or do you hope to do some hunting with this rifle?

 

[nelly5]

Thanks for the info. I will use this mostly for coyotes, rockchucks etc, but maybe an antelope. I also have heard some folks that i know that are having trouble dialing it in. Not sure if this is the norm for this rifle or not.

 

[DrMike]

Those that I've loaded for and shot were reasonably accurate. I don't know that they were superior to a 220 Swift or a 22-250, but I didn't shoot any that were miserable. I would think you should get reasonable life out of your barrel used as you envision.

 

[.280 Remington]

I had horrible luck with mine. I ditched it and got a 22-250...

 

[257 Ackley]

I'm not familiar with the twist rates in factory barrels for the WSSM's. Could it be that the twist rate is too slow for bullets in this length/weight?

You will have that problem with most bullets in the 55 plus grain range with most factory 22-250 barrels. Most are still a 14 twist.

 

[nelly5]

I believe the twist is 1:10. With 22 inch barrel. It really slinged the 55gr. everywhere. The 64gr stabilized a bit, but not good enough.

 

[Greg Nolan]

I also had to do some searching for a load. I have 1in10 twist. I ended up with 42 gr. Varget with 2.15 OAL and a 52 gr. Sierra BTHP # 1410 and Winchester LR primers. Case length 1.665 . This gave me 3889 fps. and holes touching at 100 yds.
Good luck on your loads. I found it a finniky caliber but it shoots good now. (minute of coyote)

 

[257 Ackley]

I believe the twist is 1:10. With 22 inch barrel. It really slinged the 55gr. everywhere. The 64gr stabilized a bit, but not good enough.

A 10 twist should stabilize a 55 grain with no problem. If you are talking about the 64 grain bonded bullet that Nosler makes working fairly well, it may be that your twist rate is slower than you think. Try a 50 or 52 grain bullet and see if they work.

 

[wildgene]

...when you compress a brass case from 0.565 down to 0.272 yer moving a lot of brass, & the WW WSSM brass I've seen hasn't been real great when it comes to QC. I'd start by using a drill mounted bore brush to polish the inside neck of the cases. I wouldn't normally worry about turning necks unless you had a "match" chamber, but the variances in the neck thickness of the WW brass makes it worth considering, both "inside" & "outside" Most of the Brownings I've shot have done pretty well "outtadabox", I'd be surprised if you couldn't get good results w/ some handloads...

...you can try here for some help & load suggestions...

http://wssmzone.com/main/default.aspx?c=home&n=main

 

[killdeernow]

I say it's worth keeping, although I seem to be the minority when addressing this caliber.

Here’s what I did to mine:

1- Sent receiver (Mod 70) to Pac-Nor and had a 24 inch, #6 contour, 1:12 twist (plan on shooting 50-55 grainers) SS barrel installed
2- Received gun from Pac-Nor with new barrel (roughly 5 months)
3- Sent gun to Robar Industries to have it coated with Roguard Matte Finish and NP3 on the internals
4- Received gun from Robar and brought it to McMillan to have a stock custom fitted and installed
5- Received gun from McMillan (over a year)
6- Installed Williams metal trigger guard
7- Installed Timney trigger
8- Installed Talley Rings and Bases
9- Installed NightForce 5.5x22x50 with MOAR on it
10- Broke in barrel
11- Killed two coyotes so far (had it for 3 weeks so far)

Give me a few months and I'll update this thread with some 223 WSSM recipes. I'll post everything I did and include the target with the chrono results as well. There seems to be an information vacuum for this cartridge (very unpopular). I went the WSSM site and found some good stuff there too.

So, stand by for more,

 

[killdeernow]

I also had to do some searching for a load. I have 1in10 twist. I ended up with 42 gr. Varget with 2.15 OAL and a 52 gr. Sierra BTHP # 1410 and Winchester LR primers. Case length 1.665 . This gave me 3889 fps. and holes touching at 100 yds.
Good luck on your loads. I found it a finniky caliber but it shoots good now. (minute of coyote)

Thanks Greg, I'm going to have to give this a try as well...

I have lots of Varget and Win760

 

[Laker_Taker]

Nelly,
I had a 223 WSSM browning A bolt. it shot about a paper plate at 100 yards. I finally broke down and bought premium factory ammo which I haven't done in 15 years. Still the same result. I called Browning and they said to send it in. They called me 10 days later and said pick a gun from their web site. Now I own a 375 H&H gold and then bought a Browning .222

LT