.223 Winchester Super Short Magnum

The .223 WSSM (Winchester Super Short Magnum, 5.56×42mm) is a .224 caliber rifle cartridge created by Winchester and Browning based on a shortened version of the Winchester Short Magnum case.

History

The .223 WSSM was introduced in 2003 by the Browning Arms Company, Winchester Ammunition, and Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The .223 designation is a reference to the popular .223 Remington. It is currently claimed to be the fastest production .22 caliber round in the world with muzzle velocities as high as 4,600 feet per second (1,402 meters per second; about Mach 4.1).But this is not completely true. the .220 swift still holds the record as the fastest .22 caliber center fire cartridge with a published velocity of 4665 fps using a 29 grain projectile and 42 grains of 3031 powder.

Complaints

Even before the cartridge was commercially introduced, it was claimed that it would be extremely hard on barrels, with high wear leading to short barrel life. Another criticism is that although the round is suited for long distances range varmint hunting, it is not good for medium game any farther than 200 yards.