Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles WSSM's in an AR?

I've shot a dozen or so animals with 275 X bullets leaving the muzzle around 2,000 fps with both a Smith and Beowulf. None heavier than 300 pounds, but the effectiveness and stunning results from that bullet would give me plenty of comfort to take on anything from the biggest nasties on down. And that's the lightest Barnes 50 cal. offered but the hollowpoint in the bullet could be used for a shot glass if the need arose: it's the deepest widest hollowpoint I've ever seen. The 325X or 385X would be the best thing for stuff that could stomp ya, but I would not feel undergunned with the 275's either no matter what I was up against.

Thanks for all the replies, I was out of town for a couple weeks and couldn't log on. Lots of great info.

I'm going to do the 25 WSSM I like the idea of 100 grainers doing 3300. If I was in yote and pdog counry the 243 with 55's going 4000fps would be the ticket, Wow! The book calls for 26" of drop at 500 if zeroed at 200. It doesen't get any flatter than that!

I e-mailed Dtec and as soon as I figure out the tax refund it should be a go.

Special thanks to RickyD and Ridge Runner. Sounds like your Dtec uppers shoot well. Thats pretty much all I needed to hear.

Thanks again!

TK

Glad to help out! I don't think you will be disappointed. Let us know how your's shoots for you after you get it.

May I ask a related question? What does a 458 SOCOM upper cost? Last site I checked had a last revised date of around 2004. Don't think the prices held that long. TIA Rusty Z

I think tony rumore still sells them for 865.00 but RRA is now offering them but not sure of the price.
www.rockriverarms.com
RR

RickyD,
You have a compensdated 243 from Dtech, How loud is it? Is it like porting and getting the blast? I sold my AR (made easy money...) and If I am going to build another one, I want it deer capable. Thinking 243 WSSM so I don't have to mess w/ deep seating bullets on the 25 wssm.
h

h,
I've only had it out twice and the first time was in a blizzard, but I didn't find it any louder than I would have expected any 243 WSSM to be. I didn't have to look for the plugs to use with the muffs anyway. I still haven't loaded for it yet. I have a hunt coming up in Texas for four days the first of April. Hope I can get it after it for that hunt.

humdinger, unless you know another source than OLY, you can't buy parts for a build.
Dtech has exclusive rights to build uppers using oly parts, so you can only get an upper from dtech or oly. AR's don't kick so after hunting and shooting my 458 socom AR for a couple years I didn't bother brakeing my 25, recoil is like a 223 bolt gun.
RR

Ridge_runner,
I bought my first AR from Mike so I am working with him on the pricing and such to build me one. I can see the $80 for the fluting to save weight, but not sure if I can justify the $100 for the compensator. I guess it does help hold sight picture, but this will be a coyote & beaver & deer gun if I go 243 wssm. I can see the reasoning, but I don't want something that barks like the browing Boss I shot once. May need to investigate the comp more. Wish the tax rebate would show up....
h

RR,
I bought my 16" barreled AR from Dtech and I am woking on this new one from him also. Dtech praises the compensator so you can stay on target for multiple shots on coyotes as well as prarie dogs. I just don't want a loud muzzle brake like my friends browing Boss! I want the fluted barrel at $80 to lose the weight, but the compensator at $100 seems excessive.
What barrel length did you and rickyd go with?
h

mines a 22" fluted SUM, no more than they recoil I didn't want the noise either.
RR

I went with the 22" barrel. Mike claimed his comp didn't increase the noice level and it seems to me he was right. I didn't find the price excessive when you look at other's brakes. Many are nearly double his charge. Mike's comp has about four or five small slots along the top of the barrel. Nothing like a boss, of which I have one and have had a couple others. Boss's are effective but loud.

Mike's fluting is very deep and shaves a good bit of weight off the barrel, making the gun practical to carry in the field. Mine weighs about 12 pounds with a heavy IOR 4.5x14x50 scope which is far from light but not out of the question to carry especially with a good sling system.

RickyD,
12 pounds.... that is heavy. Makes me think I should look at the DPMS 308 on the AR10 platform if they are that heavy.
RR - is yours this heavy?
Anyone try the AR10 DPMS at $860?
h

h,
12 pounds was a bit high. Here's a post I did as a response to you on the same topic a bit earlier:

"humdinger,
I weighed the upper and rifle over the weekend. I needed to reposition the scope and the rings so I pulled it, too.

The upper weights 6.2 pounds. That is inclusive of a long Swan rail to allow the scope to be positioned where I need it and gives 1/2" in height. Likley 5-8 oz there. My lower weights 2.4 pounds, so together they weight 8.6 pounds. My IOR scope weights 2.2 pounds with the aluminum Burris Tactical rings on it. so my gun comes in at 10.8 emply with no sling or bipod, both of which I will use."

So the gun is around 8.5 pounds including that Swan rail that might add 1/4 pound or more. Not bad for the performance it gives.

ok, don't have exact scales available here but on the bathroom scales, with a 1 piece RRA mount, 5.5x15 nikon and a loaded mag mine weighs ten pounds.
RR
BTW AR-10's average 2.5 pounds more than a AR-15 in the same configuration

RickyD,
You are right and I forget 4x12 scopes are heavy since I don't own any. I was out to the DPMS site and those rifles are hogs for sure.
RR - 10 pounds seem's manageable. There are a lot of good AR builders out there, but Mike's deep flutes are the main reason I am looking at him.
Stopped in Lakeville, MN gander mountain last weekend to get info on WSSM's and they are running the 223, 243, 25 wssm ammo on 20% clearance in case you need to stockup at your local GM.
h

The weight does not come from the power rating of the scope but from the scopes design. It is just plain heavy. IOR's are made in Romania to military standards. It has a 50mm objective, side focus, and illuminated reticle: all weight adding features. In addition the tube is a heavier wall thickness and is a 30mm diameter, than a scope like a Leupold VX II or III. I'm not saying that makes it any better, just heavier. As with anything, it's the buyers choice. Most 4x12'x come in under or at a pound, I believe. This is twice that plus a few more ounces to boot.

The 120 grain Winchester loads need to be set-back about .015" of an inch. I have shot hundreds of them for feed/function and accuracy tests, none have shown any increase in pressure. When I first tried them, I fired several that were not seated back as a base-line. I could not see or measure any change in pressure signs.

As RidgeRunner mentioned, we were never able to break the bolt or barrel extension during destructive testing. We were actually using a .243 WSSM and a 100 grain bullet. We filled the case with the fastest burning rifle powder we had and topped it with a 100 grain bullet. We ruined many cases but couldn't get anything to break. We finally put in 26 grains of Bull's eye and BOOM! The case-heat failed and turned the extractor into a banana. The bottom of the carrier blew down through the mag-well, but the bolt and barrel extension held.

Before any load data was available, I was doing load development on the .243 WSSM. I was loading one shell at a time and firing it over the chronograph. I made some miscalculations and sent some bullets out of that upper at speeds that raised the hair on my neck, but only ruined cases. I have been using the same bolt for over two years now for all of my testing. That bolt has probably seen more action then most WSSM bolts will see in a life time. If I wasn't confident that the system was strong, I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

Welcome to the Campfire, Mike. Have you seen your name taken in vain enough and decided to jump in? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Glad you signed on. Now I can sit back and let "The Man" comment on the AR wizzums. Likin' my 243!

Rick

LOL! No, I'm going to TRY to sit back myself. I've found, in the past, I'm not always good at that though......

I'm glad you like your new "smoke wagon". I work with them every day and I still like them!