Not what i was looking for, but...

[std7mag]

I've been searching my local, and some not so local, gunshops for a Savage in 7mm-08.
Since shooting out the barrel on my Stevens 200, i rebarreled it to 250 Savage.
I have the reamer, dies to do the 7mm-08 AI again, but am really liking the 250 Savage.

So, browsing around yesterday, i found a rifle i couldn't pass up.

Browning A Bolt synthetic in 25 WSSM. $459.

My first Browning.
And getting online last night, i was surprised that brass & dies were readily available, and affordable.
Deis & Lee case length gauge coming from Midway.
100 Winchester cases coming from Blue Collar Reloading.

Now to decide on a scope...

 

[DaleA]

Got to love a Browning.
Looking forward to more info.
Good luck.

 

[dvdcrr]

browning synthetic stalker 25 wssm is a sweet rifle

 

[std7mag]

Hoping the pics attach...

Now to decide on a scope.

 

[taylorce1]

My buddy had all three WSSM cartridges at one time, all in M70 Coyote rifles. I don't think he ever shot any of them. He sold all of them a few years back with brass and dies to fund his 6.5X68s and 8X68s custom rifles he had built. I doubt I'd have even gave it a second glance the WSSM was never interesting to me.

My next question is what does it weigh? Since you have been looking for a lighter rifle to do Western hunting you may have just found it. It should make a very nice mule deer rifle and with some mono metal or partitioned bullets a very adequate elk rifle.

 

[old roper]

Now all you need is 7 WSSW. Good luck.

 

[std7mag]

@Taylorce1
With the close to light varmint barrel on this, it's not exactly light. Guessing close to 8 lb, not scoped. Somewhat nose heavy.

@old roper
Yes, i have been thinking of doing a 7mm WSSM, since that night i woke up wondering if anyone had done that, almost a year ago now.
25 WSSM brass is readily available now, making it easier to neck up than the 223 WSSM brass. The 223 WSSM brass was the only one readily available at that time.

 

[stagpanther]

A very good choice which you won't regret, now that some extraordinary 257 bullets are coming onto the market. Lots of fuss between WSM, WSSM, SAUM etc. (I've been eying the 6.8 western for possible wildcats) as to which is better--they are all very similar IMO as to what they can do.

 

[taylorce1]

@Taylorce1
With the close to light varmint barrel on this, it's not exactly light. Guessing close to 8 lb, not scoped. Somewhat nose heavy.

I thought the barrel looked a bit heavy in the pictures, but I couldn't really tell. I had a good friend who had two WSM rifkes in the Stalker line, they were pretty light rifles. They were pretty much what he hunted with exclusively and the .325 WSM was his all around favorite. He has passed on a few years now, and his nephews are hunting with those A-bolt rifles now.

 

[stagpanther]

Browning's answer to mass-produced Econo-gun, probably the barrel is also one contour to go up and down between calibers would be my guess as why it's heavy. Did it at least come threaded?

 

[std7mag]

Only where it screws into the action. Lol

Looks like a recessed target crown.
Not the usual rounded hunting rifle crown.

 

[44 AMP]

Suggest you get as much brass as you can, NOW, while its available.

Its available NOW, because its not very popular, and few people are buying up the available supplies, compared to more popular rounds. When those supplies are sold out, that's going to be it, for quite some time, I suspect.

Niche rounds, even ones that got moderately popular when they were the "new best thing" are at the bottom or ammo makers priority list, especially now.

When the supply/demand of popular cartridges gets back to (or close to) normal, THEN, ammo makers will look at making the less popular rounds. Until then, all there is, and all there is going to be is what's on the shelves and in stock rooms right now.

From a quick look at the case specs the WSSM rounds can't be made out of common brass only WSSM brass, so, get what you can, as much as you can, WHILE you can. Because when its gone, its going to be quite a while before it comes back, IF it ever does...

Good luck. Niche rounds work, and often work very well, but when supplies are out, they're a long time coming back.

 

[ligonierbill]

So now you have a quarter bore that I don't! Good price, too. I will be very interested in how it does for you, so please post data when you have it.

 

[Scorch]

25 WSSM, in fact pretty much all the WSSMs, are notorious for eating up barrels within 500-ish rounds. It's one of the main reasons they were recalled and taken off the market almost as fast as they were introduced and shipped. Browning and Winchester were pretty excited about them, but as soon as gun writers started shooting them a few things became obvious: barrel life was short and velocities were high. There are still lots of people who love the flat trajectory, but most people have moved on. Winchester and Browning lost the lawsuit filed by the designer of WSM and WSSM cases, so they had to pay royalties on every one of the WSMs and WSSMs shipped, and they quit making them when people started talking about short barrel life. In a hunting rifle 500 rounds will take a long time to shoot, though.

 

[stagpanther]

25 WSSM, in fact pretty much all the WSSMs, are notorious for eating up barrels within 500-ish rounds. It's one of the main reasons they were recalled and taken off the market almost as fast as they were introduced and shipped. Browning and Winchester were pretty excited about them, but as soon as gun writers started shooting them a few things became obvious: barrel life was short and velocities were high. There are still lots of people who love the flat trajectory, but most people have moved on. Winchester and Browning lost the lawsuit filed by the designer of WSM and WSSM cases, so they had to pay royalties on every one of the WSMs and WSSMs shipped, and they quit making them when people started talking about short barrel life. In a hunting rifle 500 rounds will take a long time to shoot, though.

What about SAUMs--do they also burn out fast?

 

[old roper]

I think Tika/Sako still selling WSM.

 

[bamaranger]

Aussie's

Read somewhere that the WSM/WSSM family is popular down under, where they open up the case mouth, wildcatting to .33 or bigger, and use them on hogs. All from vague memory, don't recall any details.

 

[stagpanther]

I think Tika/Sako still selling WSM.

So is Winchester.

 

[std7mag]

I'm not sure if the WSM is still available by Savage.

Barrel toast at 500 rounds seems awfully extreme.
Speed wise the 25 WSSM looks to be squarely between the 257 Roberts and 25-06.
With about 10+/- grains of powder less than the 25-06.

The 6.5-300 Weatherby by those lines should be done in about 200 rounds.

And barrels are consumables.
It wouldn't be the first one i've burnt out and rebarreled.

When/if that does happen, i'll be hard pressed not to go full wildcat with a 7mm WSSM.

Cases & Lee case length gauge arrived today. Dies due the 22nd.

 

[44 AMP]

And barrels are consumables.

Yes, technically, but in the sense of a car's engine, not its tires!

Seriously overbore cartridges eat barrels faster, and whether the brass is long or short and fat only affects this in a matter of degree.

You do get more speed, but you pay for it, in terms of barrel life. There's no free lunch...