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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 243 WSSM Upper

Posted: 7/31/2004 9:28:29 AM EDT

What are your guys thoughts on this round being used in an AR upper?

This is the round:

This is the rifle:

This is the SITE

If olympic acually made a chromelined or stainless version.... its quite tempting for a 6.8 alternative...

Posted: 7/31/2004 10:53:05 AM EDT

[#1]

They are making some of these with a Stainless UltraMatch (SUM) barrel.

Posted: 7/31/2004 11:45:49 AM EDT

[#2]

I've got one and I love it. I,m shooting the 95 gr bullets in it and geting 3/4 inch groups. My only complaints are the wieght and it sure puts out a lot of smoke.

Here it is.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/207972.jpg

Posted: 7/31/2004 1:36:26 PM EDT

[#3]

That ctg. looks like it need to be put on a diet. Sure is a fat little thing,LOL

Posted: 7/31/2004 3:02:02 PM EDT

[#4]

no limit...

do you have a pic of what the magazine looks like loaded from the top?

also do you have a side by side comparision between the 243wssm and the normal 5.56x45?

Thanks!

Posted: 8/1/2004 6:49:27 AM EDT

[#5]

Here's a side by side comparison.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/212285.jpg

Here's a look at a loaded magazine from the top.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/212287.jpg

Posted: 8/1/2004 6:57:47 AM EDT

[#6]

Brouhaha posted when I asked about it that there were reports of (er) I think either short barrel life or throat erosion.

I like the idea of the 243 wssm since that seems like an acceptable deer round.

Posted: 8/1/2004 7:42:38 AM EDT

[#7]

I've heard that to. That's one of the reasons I'm using the 95 gr bullets. They go at 3200 ft. per second. The 55 gr. goes at 4020 ft. per second. Also I don't go out and blast thru 5 or six mags like I do with my 223. For hunting I hope to get 10years or more out of it.

Posted: 8/1/2004 7:53:45 AM EDT

[#8]

How much do these run and where'd you pick them up?

I agree on the round count issue. It's not like I buy 7mm Rem mag by the 1000 round case either like I do with 308 and 223. Other than sighting in and some practicing I can't see running hundreds of rounds through one of these

Posted: 8/1/2004 8:19:41 AM EDT

[#9]

I got mine from olympic Arms. I got the upper and it cost $672, The whole rifle is $1074.

Posted: 8/1/2004 8:34:08 AM EDT

[#10]

I hate the things.................. Naw....I just hate it that I can't afford one right now.

Posted: 8/1/2004 8:45:43 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Brouhaha posted when I asked about it that there were reports of (er) I think either short barrel life or throat erosion.

I like the idea of the 243 wssm since that seems like an acceptable deer round.

I'd be concerned that this round may not be long lived do to these issues.
Will the extra fps make up for the smallish bullets?

Posted: 8/1/2004 8:50:57 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Brouhaha posted when I asked about it that there were reports of (er) I think either short barrel life or throat erosion.

I like the idea of the 243 wssm since that seems like an acceptable deer round.

I'd be concerned that this round may not be long lived do to these issues.
Will the extra fps make up for the smallish bullets?

I thought there was a 243 wssm heavier than the 100gr shown

I don't know, you could be right

Posted: 8/1/2004 10:02:44 AM EDT

[#13]

I personally think that all these WSSM calibers are a gimmick.

Posted: 8/1/2004 10:06:25 AM EDT

[#14]

I'm trying to get an upper myself. $$ issues.

EDIT: The gimmick is that these cartridges are purpose built to fit the AR-15 magwell.

Posted: 8/1/2004 10:23:56 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
I thought there was a 243 wssm heavier than the 100gr shown

I don't know, you could be right

Are there bullets for the .243 that are larger than 100 grs? I think 110 might be the tops, and I thought the common deer load was only 100.

Posted: 8/1/2004 10:43:15 AM EDT

[#16]

no limit,

thanks for the pics bro! How many rounds can you get in a GI 20rd mag? how about a 30rd?

Thanks!

Posted: 8/1/2004 10:58:07 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I thought there was a 243 wssm heavier than the 100gr shown

I don't know, you could be right

Are there bullets for the .243 that are larger than 100 grs? I think 110 might be the tops, and I thought the common deer load was only 100.

Looks that way.

Posted: 8/1/2004 12:35:02 PM EDT

[#18]

Stryfe,

You maybe right about it not being very long lived. Considering the amount I plan on shooting it, 500 piece of brass should last me the rest of my life. On the bright side if it goes belly up there will not have been to many AR's produced in that cal. My great grand children will inherit a goldmine. lol.

jar3ds,

The 20 round mag holds eight. I don't think they make a 30 rounder yet AWB.

AR-shooter-r,

Yeah it a gimmick, If your talking about a bolt gun. But it a real option for AR users that want to hunt with their ARs. In Tennessee you can't hunt deer with anything smaller than 24 cal. I can't wait till the first game warden stop me and tries to write me up for using a 223 gun.

Some one has to be a test monkey. If it turns out to be a big flop, being a land surveyor I can always use the barrel for some ones property corner. Either way I'll still keep pushing the limits, I'm still trying to figure out what cal. to go with next.

Posted: 8/1/2004 2:29:50 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Stryfe,

You maybe right about it not being very long lived. Considering the amount I plan on shooting it, 500 piece of brass should last me the rest of my life. On the bright side if it goes belly up there will not have been to many AR's produced in that cal. My great grand children will inherit a goldmine. lol.

I wasn't knocking your choice, the beauty of the AR system is that you can try new things at low cost.

Posted: 8/1/2004 5:14:57 PM EDT

[#20]

Hale Enterprises (can find them on GunsAmerica.com ) sells them for less than the Oly direct price and has a couple 223 WSSM uppers in stock. 243 is currently special order.

I'm going to pick one up once I have the means.

Posted: 8/19/2004 1:25:58 PM EDT

[#21]

no_limit...

what does the internals of the upper look like? bolt, carrier?

You have a sweet gun!

...Jared, NE

Posted: 8/20/2004 7:37:45 PM EDT

[#22]

I've been playing with my regular .243 bolt gun a lot this week.

I think the WSM and WSSM are mainly gimmicky crap (I'm an old fogey traditionalist), but this is one caliber I actually like.

Just like the .243 its a varmint-deer caliber. Be good for goats and pronghorn too. But, it does something no other factory 6mm does, 4k fps. This is rarified air, and usually only hot-rod .22s do it.

There are over 110 grain 6mm bullets, but they are mostly match bullets IIRC.

I'm using 58 grn Hornady Vmax and 100 grain Hornady SPBT Interlocks, for pests and deer respectively.

Posted: 8/20/2004 7:52:07 PM EDT

[#23]

It said in their add that 7mm and .30 WSSM "available" soon.

Anybody try one of these yet?

Waly Mart had .223 & .243 WSSM, but is 7mm & .30 going to be roll your own only?

Posted: 8/20/2004 11:51:11 PM EDT

[#24]

how much is a box of 20rd's at wally? Are they still around the $25/$30 range?

Posted: 8/20/2004 11:53:54 PM EDT

[#25]

i just want a flip'n larger caliber upper that is reliable, ammo availble at stores, ammo is priced somewhat reasonable... grrr

i could care less if its 243WSSM, 6.8x43... 6.5... hum... yeah... give me a larger caliber....

does anyone else feel my pain?

Posted: 8/21/2004 4:39:45 AM EDT

[#26]

Not me.

I've got an M1A, AR10 and a couple Garands for that bigger bore, easy to find ammo shootin. I reload anyway.

I'll check those prices from Waly Mart today and post back. I'm bettin it ain't cheap though and if you're going to go that WSSM route you may want to look at getting into reloading too, 6.8, 6.5 or anything other than standard issue military calibers are going to be kind of pricey.

Posted: 8/21/2004 6:13:52 AM EDT

[#27]

No_Limit

Your PC8-Mag looks just like mine, down to the mini risers! Just as an aside, don't you wonder
why Olympic Arms bothered to put an ejection port cover on the upper? It won't stay closed
as the ejection port on the upper in much too wide. I dumped the one on my upper back in
February when I got it.

I am also getting sub moa groups using the Hornady 95 grain SST bullet and H414.

Art

Posted: 8/21/2004 8:02:11 AM EDT

[#28]

What is the largest WSSM that'll work in a standard AR15 setup? Could you go 7mm or even 30 cal with one and still have them fit in the standard AR mags or would the 6mm(.243)be the only one that'll work?

Posted: 8/21/2004 12:07:35 PM EDT

[#29]

I don't think bullet diameter is much of a factor. Over All Cartridge length is what you're up against.

Waly Marts got .223 WSSM, 64 grn. Power Point (lead tip) for $15.62 and 55 grn. Ballistic Silver Tip for $19.44.

.243 WSSM, 95 grn. Ballistic Silver Tip for $20.37.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:02:09 PM EDT

[#30]

thanks halfcocked... thats better the MSRP

Posted: 8/21/2004 4:43:55 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
I don't think bullet diameter is much of a factor. Over All Cartridge length is what you're up against.

Waly Marts got .223 WSSM, 64 grn. Power Point (lead tip) for $15.62 and 55 grn. Ballistic Silver Tip for $19.44.

.243 WSSM, 95 grn. Ballistic Silver Tip for $20.37.

That's what I was kind of wondering, at what point does the caliber make the OAL of the ctg. too long for feed in an AR action. So I guess what ya'll are saying is that 6mm is about max. for bullet dia. before the ctg. is too long to work in an AR mag and action??

Posted: 8/21/2004 5:00:41 PM EDT

[#32]

Absolutely not. Oly makes, or is going to, chambered AR15 top ends in 7mm and .30 WSSM. There just isn't any commercial ammo available as far as I know. What you'll run into though is that with that short of case you'll be limited to the shorter, hence lighter, .308 & 7mm bullets.

Posted: 8/21/2004 5:04:50 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
It said in their add that 7mm and .30 WSSM "available" soon.

Anybody try one of these yet?

Waly Mart had .223 & .243 WSSM, but is 7mm & .30 going to be roll your own only?

They are waiting on ammo. So far no manufacturers have stepped up to the plate. They guns exist, and they fed fire and extract just fine. At least thats what some boys in Nisquaally told me.

Posted: 8/21/2004 5:11:33 PM EDT

[#34]

Where can you get cases or id it strech out the .243 cases.

From the looks of the photo I would rather have it based on the .223 case. That would give you a few more options for bullets and still let you fit them in the magazine.

Posted: 8/21/2004 6:04:22 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
I've heard that to. That's one of the reasons I'm using the 95 gr bullets. They go at 3200 ft. per second. The 55 gr. goes at 4020 ft. per second. Also I don't go out and blast thru 5 or six mags like I do with my 223. For hunting I hope to get 10years or more out of it.

I gotta be honest, 3200 fps from a 95 gr bullet is some serious business. I think this round looks really cool. Now if I could get an upper in .270. I love .270

Posted: 8/21/2004 8:18:46 PM EDT

[#36]

What is up with all the ammo makers bringing out new ctgs. and then not having ammo available for sale? The same thing is going on with the 6.8Rem.SPC. I guess I should feel luckey that Hornady was on the ball with the .17HMR the way they were. They had loads of ammo available for sale the second the rifles hit the stores.

Posted: 8/25/2004 6:17:50 AM EDT

[#37]

what kinda grouping are you guys getting with those wssm calibers? ive been thinking about one.

Posted: 8/25/2004 6:46:28 AM EDT

[#38]

Ehh, bullet diameter and COL do somewhat go hand-in-hand. The little pills the 243WSSM spits are much shorter than the 308 dia ones, and you can only seat projectiles just so deeply before they become annoying.

My guess is that handloading 95-100gr down to 2800fps or even 2900fps will still net you deer in a rifle like yours. I'd load with H380 as the powder of choice because it meters oh-so well. 40gr seems like the place to start, but check out www.hodgdon.com for actual data.

Premium bullets should be considered a must.

As for throat erosion, remember that the manufacturers are loading their factory ammo right to the friggin gills. Keep in mind that NOTHING BUT new, factory rifles exist for these cartridges, and they have velocity claims to uphold, so you can -bet- they're loaded as hot as a peruvian death-pepper. Throat erosion, especially in the smaller calibers shouldn't shock anyone. Back off of the max factory loads by handloading and you might even find a more accurate load (you probably will, actually).

Posted: 8/25/2004 11:54:36 AM EDT

[#39]

what kinda grouping are you guys getting with those wssm calibers? ive been thinking about one.

I am handloading 58gr. Vmax at about 4000fps to get .3" groups at 100 yds. I am loading Ber 90gr. match at 3100fps and getting .26" groups at 100 yds. These are .243 WSSM

Posted: 8/25/2004 12:21:37 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
i just want a flip'n larger caliber upper that is reliable, ammo availble at stores, ammo is priced somewhat reasonable... grrr

i could care less if its 243WSSM, 6.8x43... 6.5... hum... yeah... give me a larger caliber....

does anyone else feel my pain?

No, the only pain I feel is saving up for an AR-10.
I'm not a big fan of the let's do it because we can uppers. There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just not interested. There is an AR platform for big game, and it's the AR-10.

Posted: 8/26/2004 4:08:17 AM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:
what kinda grouping are you guys getting with those wssm calibers? ive been thinking about one.

I am handloading 58gr. Vmax at about 4000fps to get .3" groups at 100 yds. I am loading Ber 90gr. match at 3100fps and getting .26" groups at 100 yds. These are .243 WSSM

the .243 wssm is what i was looking at when i free up some funds

Posted: 8/26/2004 6:44:59 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:
Brouhaha posted when I asked about it that there were reports of (er) I think either short barrel life or throat erosion.

I like the idea of the 243 wssm since that seems like an acceptable deer round.

I heard this also Aimless, but Oly has a lifetime warranty, so what do you really have to loose if you want one of these? Or course you need to shoot "factory loaded ammo" to keep the warranty...Hint Hint...

BTW I heard they shipped the first .25 WSSM's this week...Hornady is making the ammo from what they tell me and they are still waiting for someone to make the 7mm and .300 WSSM ammo in which I am waiting for...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 243 WSSM Upper

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