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.223 wssm
ChetStafford
Member Posts: 2,794
Re: The new .223wssm does anybody know what the parent cartridge is?
This is an interesting looking round,and may be of some use on the farm.
You'v gota kill it to grill it
This is an interesting looking round,and may be of some use on the farm.
You'v gota kill it to grill it
Comments
If so how well do you like it?
local sporting goods store has a new A-bolt 22" barrel for $340 and I was thinking it would make a good coyote rifle [}:)]
I think that the barrels on the Browning's and the Winchester's are chrome lined is this correct?
give the rifle a test !!
For that price it's a good deal. I think the body of the round is too fat for the bullet diameter to make it as effective as the case capacity allows. But that doesn't mean it can't do as much as anything else in it's class, i.e. 22-250.
EDIT:
22hipower,
I have to ask what does the inside of the barrel look like? If it still looks good and you see nothing that would/should affect accuracy on the crown, then I wouldn't say it was the rifle. Possibly the scope got dinged? MAybe came loose after trips out in the hot and cold? Because unless you are seeing a lot of erosion in the lands I wouldn't think this sudden change in accuracy is rooted in the rifle.
Heck after the barrel is shot out I'll have a good donor action for another project[:D]
Thought it might be a barrel fouling problem and have cleaned it thoroughly using brass brush, Gunslick's foam/liquid and lots of patches. A clean barrel shoots as poorly as a dirty one.
I have a friend who has the same gun (a little newer with another inch of barrel) and is having the same problems with accuracy. Last year I thought the gun was great (shot turkeys in the neck at 100+ yards and it worked well on deer too with the heaver bullets). Accuracy is so bad this year though that I don't dare shoot it at game.
Anybody else having this problem? I really like the gun but if I can't find reliably accurate loads its got to go to a gun show.
Any suggestions will be welcomed and tried. At this point I can't counsel buying a Browning A bolt in 223 WSSM even though I love the balance, functioning, etc.
How many rounds have you put through it?
Did you let the barrel get hot alot?
The only reason I want it is I Rem 700 VLS .223 it is an awsome shooter but it wieghs 11 pounds and is a bear to carry if you have to do a lot of walking
So when I came across this rifle i was thinking 22-250 performance without the cost of most of the rifles I found in this chambering
Yesterday I shot five different loads from a clean barrel; three shot groups with each separated by ten minutes to allow barrel cooling. Made no difference; best group was 1.5 inch and worst was at least 5 in (70 grain speer). As I said in yesterday's note, I really like the short rifle, balance, "feel" and everything else except I can't duplicate the accuracy I was getting last year. Good enough for deer at 100 yards but I want to shoot coyotes at 300 and turkeys in the neck at 100+.
I have the heavy barreled Rems in other 22s (22-250, 220 Swift, 223)and accuracy is consistently less than an MOA. But, as you note, they're heavy and somewhat unwieldly. Also have an old Sako Vixen in 223 Rem that is light, short, etc. and will also shoot in to an inch all day long. Just would really like to get 220 Swift performance from a comparably weighted rifle.
The price you mention for the A Bolt is really good (by Dallas standards anyway) so you can probably get your money back if you're not happy in the long run. I'd be more optimistic if my buddy wasn't having pretty much the same experience I am. He has the 22 in barrel (also Stainless Stalker model) and was with me yesterday. He was using 60 grain noslers with H4831 and had about the same size groups I was getting.
Hopefully someone has had the same experience and can suggest a solution.
First and foremost, go buy that rifle! You can't possibly lose at that price, it's cheap! Enjoy the .223 WSSM, it's great cartridge that is under appreciated by most folks who don't understand how to load for it.
Best.
22hipower,
I have found that your problem is common for most folks shooting the .223 WSSM They get to a certain point in their shooting and then can't maintain any accuracy. In some cases it's sooner than later in the number of shots fired. I would do the obvious things first like check the scope, mount and rings. Then do the action screws and look for chips and foreign particles in the bedding that is supposed to be standard for these rifles. Make sure the barrel isn't touching the sides of the barrel channel.
The most common problem that I've found is that your barrel may appear to be clean but upon close (and I mean CLOSE) examination with a good borescope, you'll find a ring made from hardened carbon fouling that didn't get scrubbed out with your barrel cleaning procedure. It should be close to the front of the throat. This hard ring is extremely difficult to get rid of using standard cleaning practices.
I would use a black powder foaming bore cleaner followed by a good brush and if necessary use a tight patch on a worn brush coated with something like JB or USP bore scrubber. Keep checking with a borescope and repeat the process until all of the carbon ring is gone.
Using a powder like H4831sc aggravates the problem because it's too slow for this cartridge and bullet combination. I suggest using AA-XMR-4350 and maybe a Ramshot product or VihtaVuori powder, both of which are noted for clean burning characteristics.
Best.