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Building a 223 WSSM

pipe-doc
Greetings!!

I am in the process of building a new rifle. I have found the action, it is a Remington 700 BDL, with a 308 bolt face. The 308 round has a head diameter of .473, while the WSSM has a head diameter of .535. Does anyone know if the bolt face can be opened up to accept the larger diameter case head? The action is the non-j type.
Thanks
Wayne
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • ern98
    I considered building a 338WSM for a while and what put me off is the considerable difficulty in getting the WSM series of rounds to feed properly. From what I gather the WSSM cases are even worse because they are so much shorter. You have to get the feed rails just right or either it jams or just pops out.

    If I wanted one of these barn burners I'd buy a factory rifle. I have read that both Browning and Winchester are making dedicated ultra short actions just for this size cartridge. Even then I'd make up and take some dummies with me to be able to try the feeding and ejecting before putting up any money.

    If I wanted to build my action into a 22cal with more ooph the the 22-250 I'd consider one of the 22wildcats based on the .308 case. This would mean little to no changes in the action and mag. The wildcat 22 cheatah was always considered way over bore, but it really moved.

    But to answer your question, yes I believe that the Rem 700 bolt is a standard size that will open up to the mag rim dimensions.

    Good luck with your project whichever you decide.
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  • nononsense
    pipe-doc,

    Are you planning to do this conversion yourself? If yes, are you a very accomplished machinist with experience in making problematic receivers feed? If not, you need to find a really talented gunsmith that has experience with these things. There isn't any reason to go into all of the process if you don't have the experience.

    Yes it can be done.

    Yes you need to open up the bolt face and fit a new extractor.

    Yes there are a bunch of other steps that require an understanding of the geometry of cartridge feeding, most especially the short, fat ones with tiny 22 caliber bullets.

    This process costs money to have completed by a professional. For the average person I suggest getting a receiver with the geometry already finished in order to save time and money. You can get a Model Seven receiver set up for the RSAUM cartridges and save a bunch of time. You still have to fit and feed for the shorter cartridge but some of the problems have been taken care of.

    Personally, unless you do all of the work yourself, I'd look for a used rifle to fix up. Wal-Mart sold lots of Winchesters at decent prices in plastic stocks that might need to be re-barreled and fit with new and better stocks.

    Best.
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  • JustC
    as nononsense has indicated, the work is no issue. It can be done quite easily, but not without expense. I would go with a Sako style extractor if it were me. You will need to have the feed rails opened to feed that short fat case,.which will mean opening them up all the way back, since it is a short case. The magazine follower will need to be re-contoured (if possible) or a replacement follower will need to be ordered, probably in the RSAUM caliber if I were to take a bet.

    why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
    Got Balistics?
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  • pipe-doc
    Thanks for the information. I am pretty up to date on what it takes to put a custom rifle together. Have you seen the prices that are being charged? I have the skill and ability to do most of the work myself. And I have a good gunsmith to do the action work. I am kind of old fashioned, and like real wood stocks. I can make them shoot, and I can make them look good. A custom rifle should be a lot like a good woman, nice to hold, and pleasing to the eye. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I don't have any synthetic stocks, nor any laminated stocks.
    The rifle will be a single shot. I have a 22-250 and 223 in this configuration, and they shoot great. They were built back when Bob Pease was doing business. His knowledge and insight is still prevalent when it comes to building an accurate rifle. I know I could purchase on off the shelf, but then it would not be one I put together. This is going to be a varmint rifle,with bench rest attributes, not to hauled around that much, as it is going to be way to heavy for that.
    I have considered using one of the wildcats, or PPC rounds. But when I started looking at what it would cost for 1000 cases, and the cost of forming them, and such, they loose their appeal to me. I have tried the tight neck rigs, but found it was too much work. The WSSM seems to be an interesting round. Not as fast as the Ergensplitten Loudenboomer, but it is getting close. The one draw back to this round, is determining pressure signs. There seems to be precious little wiggle room between good and not so good. I don't load to the upper limits anyhow, as accuracy seems to suffer.
    thanks for the input, it is greatly appreciated.
    Wayne
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  • nononsense
    Wayne,

    "The rifle will be a single shot."

    Excellent! Now you can settle in and get to work.

    The bolt face will have to be opened up and then sleeved down with a piece of good steel. Usually it gets epoxied and pinned in place. Discuss with your gunsmith which type of extractor that can be used. Popularity trends to the Sako style of which there are several versions made. Don't forget to have a look at the M-16 style, though. I've used both and they both work as long as you don't mind cutting into your bolt.

    The alternative is to call Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool and Gauge to order a new bolt and handle specifically for your receiver. You can specify which extractor cut that you want to have in the bolt. They will grind the bolt body to be a critical fit for your receiver saving you and your gunsmith the effort of sleeving the bolt in the blueprinting phase. These are an excellent product and reasonably priced. The only additional work is to solder the bolt handle on and finish the extractor work.

    http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/

    Make a good round bottom single shot follower fitted to your receiver and you're all set to go shoot some varmints!

    I think that neck and shoulder of the 223 WSSM should be different for better control of the plasma but that's a moot point right now. You're better off trying to use cooler burning powders for your testing and shooting. For the lighter bullets I've used the AA XMR-4350 and for the heavier, IMR/H-4831 and V V N-160 with very good results. Treat the pressure signs like you would with an Ackley improved chamber and be sure to use a chronograph while working up loads. Also, try the Audette ladder method for working up loads to save on barrel life.

    Best.
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  • pipe-doc
    Hi,
    That is some real good information. Thank You.
    I went to the Pacific Toll web site. They do not show any parts for sale. If you did not know they made them, you would look someplace else. I will send them an e-mail for a price.
    I was reading about the cooler buring powders for this round. I am not familiar with the ladder method of load development. I did read that chamber pressure for this round is 61,000 cup. That is a lot of stroke! Should be fun to work with.
    I like the m-16 style of extractor. It is easy to fit, polish and tune. And cheap to replace if it gets ruined. Can't hardly wait to do the stock work! that is what I really like to do. Have been a steamfitter/Welder all of my life, but prefer to work with wood over steel. I remember the first stock I glass bedded. I forgot to move the action bolts just before the glass set. Had to drill out the bolts to get the action out of the stock. Boy was that fun. This was way before pillar bedding.
    Thanks
    Wayne
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  • nononsense
    pipe-doc (and fellow wood lover...),

    Yup, 61,000 CUP and about 65,000 PSI with accuracy nodes below this.

    The e-mail could take a day or two because Dave and his staff are extremely busy. But that is the way to do it. If you want to call, ask for Myra and she can quote you prices or if Dave isn't busy talk to him. They are all nice people to work with. When ordering a bolt, it's like using a menu, you get just the basic bolt body and then add on what you want, including the bolt handle. You have to attach the handle when it all arrives.

    Cooler burning powders and powders that burn completely in a short space are the key to shooting this cartridge and those like it. You should also take a look at Ramshot Hunter for the .223 WSSM, it should be a good one to use. VihtaVuori powders are great but stay away from the 500 series for this cartridge as they burn real hot. As much as I like the 4831 type of powders, they don't do your barrel any good at all from this case.

    Audette ladder method:

    http://kingfisher.0catch.com/guns/laddertest.explanation.html

    Best.
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