wsm

[rraannddyy]

just wondering if anyone makes any WSM barrels for the encore

[Davemuzz]

Short Magnum rounds present their own issues for T\C frames. It's not just the pressure the full house rounds produce but also the cross-sectional area of the cartridge. Combined, these produce a certain amount of thrust on the breech, which is almost all taken up by the locking bolts and the barrel lug/hingepin connection. That's why you can shoot .223's in the Contender @ 50,000+psi, but the .444 based rounds need to be held to under 45,000, and the 30/30 based rounds under about 47,000 - 48,000.

Short mags - fat cases - high pressures - too much thrust= Frames that grow. Not a good thing.

Dave.

[BNoz01]

I've got a VirginValley 223 WSSM barrel in SS with a 1/8 twist.  Shoots great too!  So, while WSMs might be too much for an Encore, WSSMs are just fine.

B. Noz.

[Tim50]

MGM will chamber the WSM's. Fred at Bullberry went into great detail explaining why he will NOT chanber the WSM's. The talk with Fred was worth the price of the call!!! Great guy!! A friend of mine had MGM rechamber a stainless 308 and to date has not expierenced any problems. There seem to be some difference of opinion as to weather its a suitable cartridge for the Encore platform! Fred talked me out of mine! To each his own!!!

[nomosendero]

Short Magnum rounds present their own issues for T\C frames. It's not just the pressure the full house rounds produce but also the cross-sectional area of the cartridge. Combined, these produce a certain amount of thrust on the breech, which is almost all taken up by the locking bolts and the barrel lug/hingepin connection. That's why you can shoot .223's in the Contender @ 50,000+psi, but the .444 based rounds need to be held to under 45,000, and the 30/30 based rounds under about 47,000 - 48,000.

Short mags - fat cases - high pressures - too much thrust= Frames that grow. Not a good thing.

Dave.

That is exactly right. The cartridge is a little too fat for the size of the frame just as explained above. It is the same reason than 06' head size cases aren't used for Contenders or Belted mags used for Handi's. The belted mag case is the biggest you should use in an Encore & one very good gunsmith explained to me why the 06 head size is better even for the Encore IF you desire Benchrest Accuracy.

[xr650rRider]

http://www.matchgrademachine.com/gunshop/home.php?cat=300

I'm working up a load for a .325 WSM barrel now.  I haven't seen any problems with frame stretch.

[Davemuzz]

xr650,

Reasonable loads will probably not stretch anything. But if you continually shoot full power 8mm bullets from the bench, keep your micrometer handy.

Dave.

[nomosendero]

When you see the stretch, it may be hard to make it shrink. 

[xr650rRider]

The WSM case is .020" bigger in diameter than the .300 Win Mag case.  This would equate to .010" less barrel thickness to contain the explosive force of the cartridge.  The ANSI max pressure for the .300 Win Mag is 64,000 psi.  The WSM ANSI max pressure is 65,000 psi.  There is around 4% more force on the bolt/receiver face with a WSM loaded to max pressure than the Win Mag loaded to max pressure.  It seems that most of the factory loadings for the WSM are using duplex loads that are hard if not impossible to duplicate with over the counter powder.   Most of my reloads are well under the 65,000 psi max.  I would surely hope that Thompson Center built-in more than 5% safety factor in their designs.  I've shot about 60 rounds so far and haven't seen any signs of increased headspace. 

[nomosendero]

SSK, Bullberry, Eabco, TC themselves & other barrel companies seem to think there is a problem &
I admit that I don't have all of the pressure testing equipment in my house or truck. But neither do other TC users I am willing to bet. I do trust the opinions of some folks like SSK who are very emphatic about why they don't offer the barrels, they know the barrels would sell if they offered them. In fact, for awhile Eabco did offer WSM barrels & later dropped them. And then there was
Virgin Valley who offered them but they are gone.

I don't think not seeing frame stretch yet is a very good way of testing pressure, but to each his
own. Besides, any WSM offering can be bested by something allready offered by TC anyway. The 325WSM is a fine round, but the 338WM is better. And I don't know why a short action round is needed in a single shot. 

[xr650rRider]

MGM are the same guys making the barrels that was Virgin Valley.

http://www.matchgrademachine.com/gunshop/help.php?section=about

[nomosendero]

MGM are the same guys making the barrels that was Virgin Valley.

http://www.matchgrademachine.com/gunshop/help.php?section=about

Thanks for the site, they have some barrels I would like to have. I see they offer other Short mags as well, it could be that they know something that the other barrel people don't, but I doubt it. I would
rather go with the data from someone like SSK that has been around for a long time. What SSK has to say on this matter is VERY interesting.

Good luck with your 325!

[xr650rRider]

I don't know why anyone would want a short mag in an Encore.

[nomosendero]

To each his own. A few days ago I saw some nice one hole groups by an Encore on 6mmbr, std.
cal. though.

The recent Pro Hunter thread shows a very nice 4 shot group with a 7Mag.

BTW, good shooting!

[xr650rRider]

This was the result of a one shot/hole group that this Encore .325 WSM performed Monday of this week.

[Davemuzz]

Nice shootin! Congrats!

Could that smile get any bigger???


BTW, your huntin in my kind of weather.....That is picture perfect weather and a picture perfect day!

[kudzu]

650, where you at ? Them things sure have small bodies.

[L2LDC]

I have a 15" 300 WSM by MGM, no problems at all.  I love it,and it shoots great.  Over on Specialty pistol forums there is another member who has a 300 WSM by MGM and has hundreds of rounds through it without any problems.  My loads are not at max but will shoot 1/2 MOA with 168 gr TSX and IMR 4831.