I have a chance to buy an A Bolt in 223 wssm. What are some things I need to look for? They get mixed reviews on the web. I have read about recalls. Poor accuracy and potential barrel wear shooting such a hot round. Any insight on this rifle and caliber would be greatly appreciated. Price is 375$ it includes 4 boxes of ammo, bag of brass and reloading components. Thanks in advance!
The 223 WSSM is a hyper-warp-drive cartridge!! The 223 and 243 WSSMs all had hard-chromed chambers & barrels. The 25 WSSMs did not. Some of the Winchester rifles got out of the factory without the chrome. I cannot recall any reports of Brownings leaving without the hard chrome. The chrome lining extended barrel life to quite a lot better than that of the 22-250, according to Browning's testing. That was a very aggressive firing regimen, so I can't say how they compare for the 'average' shooter. Here's Browning's comparison graph: http://www.browning.com/news/articles/223-wssm-vs-the-22-250-rem.html Browning WILL NOT replace any WSSM. They don't have any and haven't had for some years now. If you think you're a damaged or shot-out barrel, you'll need to have your gunsmith re-barrel it. I would ask about p-dog town use vs. more 'pedestrian' (low rates of fire) use. If the rifle was not a p-dogger, it's less likely to be shot out than a 22-250. I had an A-bolt II in 25 WSSM. A Varmint Stalker. It was a good gun. A bit finicky with ammo/handloads, but would shoot well with what it liked. There can be feeding issues with any of the WSSMs. They're REALLY stubby cartridges. The feed lips _must_ be just right, or they'll jam. My 25 would jam sometimes when I used light (short) bullets, and thus had a short COAL. That wasn't a feed lip issue, it was just the fact that it's a super-stubby cartridge trying to run up the feed ramp and into the chamber in a very short distance. There was a forum called the WSSMZone a few years back that I was a member of. It changed its URL, and I don't know whether it's still operating or not, but would be worth some searching to find and search around on if you're interested in a WSSM.
I neglected to mention a couple things (sorry): I briefly had a Savage with an aftermarket 223 WSSM barrel. I fired it very little (the 223 WSSM barrel was an 'extra' I got with the rifle, which I wanted for another purpose). My experience with Winchester's WSSM brass was very poor. I had several 223 WSSM rounds of factory ammunition crack the case on the shoulder when fired. I think I only fired 3 or 4 boxes of ammo, so the failure rate was very high. The 25 WSSM component brass I bought did not crack, but it was very hard and difficult to work with, compared to 'regular' brass cases. WSSM (and WSM) brass is considerably thicker than most brass, and I suppose this was part of my difficulty. These troubles were also near the time that Olin (owner of the Winchester name) sold its brass business entirely. Perhaps their QC, or that of their contract manufacturers later on, was better. Nevertheless, I'd say give the rifle a go if the cartridge and rifle intrigue you and seem to be in good condition. You should be able to handload the brass you mention if you cannot find factory ammo or brass any more. Try Winchester 760, Reloder 17, or perhaps Supreme 780 for powders. 760 and 17 are absolutely PERFECT for the 25 WSSM, and I think they'll work nearly as well for the 223. If not, the 780 should be the ticket.
Mz5, Thank you for your response. You have given me some great info. I have searched the web and it seems like factory ammo for the 223wssm is quite scarce. the only place I saw it was on gunbroker. I am going to inspect the rifle and will purchase it if I like what I see. Thanks again!
