After a lot of years I'm about to finally make the jump to "the dark side" and I find myself needing some help.

I�ve gone around and around on each and every caliber available in the AR platform and now I find myself short listing the DPMS in .243. Does anyone have any experience in this caliber by this manufacturer? Or any reason to avoid this caliber in the AR platform (my next rifle was going to be a .243 and I have wanted an AR for a long time, so why not put these two together?)?

Thank you in advance for any advise you can offer.

Welcome to the Campfire, Duffman.

Are you looking at an AR10-config in a 243 Winchester or a AR15 in 243 WSSM? The 243 win won't fit in a standard AR15 receiver but will in the larger AR10. I have a 243 WSSM and love it. Faster than the 243 Win and accurate. Not much out there for factory ammo, but lots of good bullets for handloading. I'm sure you would enjoy either.

Rick

Thank you for the welcome (I've really enjoyed my short time here), and thank you for responding. I was looking at the AR10 configuration in .243 Win. I don't handload and the lower cost of ammo will be appreciated...but darn it, why did you give me another option? That .243 WSSM looks like an awesome round! Looks like another long night of reading up on it...

If you don't reload, I would stick with .243 Win
more choices in ammo, and likely to be easer to find in the long run.

There is a HUGE selection of over-the-counter ammunition for the .243 Winchester. That, to someone that doesn't "roll his own" is a big advantage over the WSSM. At this point, Winchester is only offering three loads for the .243 WSSM.

The WSSM on the AR-15 platform will give you a little better performance than the .243 Winchester. The AR-15 will also be lighter and less expensive.

Might be a good time to start regardless of which caliber and rifle config you end up with. Guys on the reloading forum are a great source to help you get started right and as economically as you need to. You likely would not save much money in the short or long run as you will find the fun of producing your own loads will have you shooting more, which is a good thing.

As I'm new to the AR style rifle I want to buy a completed, over the counter rifle this time around. The thought of buying a separate upper, lower, getting modified magazines, etc. seems overwhelming to me at this point.

Regarding reloading, I know this is just another excuse, but at this time of my life I find it hard to make time to clean the garage enough so we can get both cars in it, let alone making a path to the workbench and learning a new craft. Also, and this may sound stupid, but I�m not sure I�d trust anything that I made with gunpower, primer and a projectile. For now I have to rely on store bought ammo (which isn�t such a bad thing IMHO), which gives me a good amount of time shooting.

Thank you again for all of your feedback, I really appreciate it.

So that's what that big room is for on the other side of the kitchen!

You've got it RickyD!!!! Thanks for the laugh!

Duffman
I've got one of the AR10ts in 308. There's something to be said plunking 10, 168 grain slugs into a pack of cigs sized target out a 500 yards.
Nice thing about the 243 Win AR10 platform is you can buy a new upper for 308 and be in business with a heavier caliber.
Enjoy.

Jim

If you want the most from your AR10 get into reloading, Sierra 80 grain BTHPs are accurate and pure hell on groundhogs.

Arkypete, the ability to switch uppers to .308 if I so choose is another thing I like about the AR10 platform.

Thank you for the input.

If you are looking for a cool toy, or a hunting rifle, the .243 is a good choice.
Just be sure you get an upper also in 7.62 NATO for social purposes. If things go south, there is not enough .243 anywhere to do you much good.

So who makes uppers that'll accept a WSSM ?

Spot

I bought mine (243wssm, 22" fluted, compensated, Hogue over-molded floated handguard) from this guy: http://www.dtechsuperstore.com/ .

Olympic Arms also make them but without the custom options.

thanks.

Spot

I should also add he does really nice work and is knowledgable in answering any questions you might have before or after your build. His turnaround time used to be just a couple of weeks but not sure now. I would certainly recommend him and would use him again.

I also highly recommend DTech. His work is 2nd to none. Cant go wrong.

So I don't get one thing here.

Why could a guy build a 243 WSSM on a AR-15 base, but not a 243?

Doesn't quite make sense to me that you need a AR-10 base for a 243 win, vs. a 243 WSSM on a AR-15 base.

Spot

It's the length of case VS. length capacity of the magazine. The .243 WSSM gets it's energy from a very large diameter, short case. The .243 Winchester has a smaller diameter case, but the case itself is too long to be able to use it in an AR-15.

The AR-10 was developed for the .308 Winchester or 7.62 NATO, it has a longer bolt-stroke, as well as a magazine with the room to accept a longer case. The .243 Winchester is simply a necked-down .308 case, that's why you are limited to using it on the AR-10 platform. Length is the only problem.

Why could a guy build a 243 WSSM on a AR-15 base, but not a 243?ever seen the length of the ammo? it boils down to magazine box lenght.

AR 10 based has a longer mag well for the 243 win's requirements.
AR 15 based has a short mag well for the standard 223 round, of which the 243 WSSM will fit.

on either one you are not really "building" you're just buying completed uppers.

Ok I had a brain fart...

I was thinking it was stronger springs or something.

So can a guy just change the bolt, barrel, and magazines to get a 243 WSSM upper?

You guy's got me thinking about getting a western ks coyote upper... now that would be kick butt cool.

Spot

I agree! It most definitely is!

no, you have to change the entire upper.

Why? On a standard 223 upper the ejection port is not big enough for the case of WSSM to fit. You cannot simpley "grind" away enough to make it work.

Your, bolt, bolt carrier, and upper are all "magnum" sized for the wssm's.

As far as i know Oly arms is the only place to get a wssm upper they have workedall the bugs out of the operation. As said above the ejection port has to be larger along with some other internal dimensions the oly wssm upper is forged to those dimensions, also the bolt and carrier are made beefier as is the barrel, barrel nut ect. you can get an upper from oly for around six hundred and it is well worth the price, I am lovin mine more and more, I handload all my ammo so I can fit the ammmo to what I am hunting. Working up a combination mule deer antalope load now. thinking 90 grn SST @2800 FPS

Anyone actually shot the DPMS in 243 Win? Thinking of one with a coll. stock as a youth gun.

Thxs

Not shot one but check the weight. Might be a bit heavy for a kid.

243 WSSM might work.

But a 6.8 SPC would be better, me thinks, for a kids deer getter.

BMT

Me too.

Blinddog,

Are you saying the Dtech guy's have buggy WSSM uppers?

Spot

Blinddog, I'm interested as well. The factory uppers are a good, reliable unit, but I was unaware of any "bugs" that my uppers had. I do many things to my uppers to improve them that are not done at the factory. And as far as the "upper is forged to those dimensions" is not at all the case. The upper starts life as a standard flat-top. The ejection port is opened up, as is the front of the receiver to accept the larger barrel extension. The brass-deflector is milled away as well, but they aren't forged that way. The barrel-nut, on the other hand, is just a standard barrel-nut.

Oly is the ONLY one making WSSM parts, so anyone else doing anything with the WSSM on an AR is doing them with the same parts.

Now he knows farther. Not a questions of dissin' but knowin', I'm thinking.