.243 WSSM

243 WSSM
A comparison of the 243 WSSM with 243 Winchester (second from left) and with 22-250 and 223 Remington (far right).
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	USA
Production history
Designer	Browning / Winchester
Designed	2003
Manufacturer	Winchester
Specifications
Parent case	.300 WSM
Bullet diameter	.243 in (6.2 mm)
Neck diameter	.291 in (7.4 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.544 in (13.8 mm)
Base diameter	.555 in (14.1 mm)
Rim diameter	.535 in (13.6 mm)
Rim thickness	.054 in (1.4 mm)
Case length	1.670 in (42.4 mm)
Overall length	2.36 in (60 mm)
Rifling twist	1-10"
Primer type	Large rifle
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 58 gr (4 g) VMax 4,068 ft/s (1,240 m/s) 2,132 ft·lbf (2,891 J) 70 gr (5 g) BT 3,707 ft/s (1,130 m/s) 2,136 ft·lbf (2,896 J) 80 gr (5 g) BTSP 3,545 ft/s (1,081 m/s) 2,233 ft·lbf (3,028 J) 90 gr (6 g) SFT 3,280 ft/s (1,000 m/s) 2,151 ft·lbf (2,916 J) 100 gr (6 g) BTSP 3,136 ft/s (956 m/s) 2,184 ft·lbf (2,961 J)
Test barrel length: 24" Source(s): Hodgdon

The 243 Winchester Super Short Magnum or 243 WSSM is a rifle cartridge introduced in 2003. It uses a .300 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) case shortened and necked down to accept a .243in/6mm diameter bullet, and is a high velocity round based on ballistics design philosophies that are intended to produce a high level of efficiency. The correct name for the cartridge, as listed by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), is 243 WSSM, without a decimal point. Winchester has discontinued the manufacture of 243 WSSM ammunition. As of the first half of 2016, Winchester/Olin did manufactured and release for sale some WSSM ammunition. The product is only manufactured periodically, often on inconsistent intervals.

The 243 WSSM is an addition to the Winchester Super Short Magnum (WSSM) family of cartridges, which also include the .223 WSSM and the .25 WSSM, and the idea behind the 243 WSSM was to develop a compact, higher velocity version of the well-established and internationally popular .243 Winchester unveiled by Winchester in 1955. The 243 WSSM was first introduced in 2003.

The 243 WSSM's case is unusually short and fat in profile, contrasting markedly with most other rifle cartridges, and is intended to take advantage of what ballisticians have shown is the more uniform and efficient burning of propellant powder when it is held in a short, fat stack by the cartridge case.

In their ballistics tables, Winchester list a very high muzzle velocity of 4,060 ft/s (1,240 m/s) with a 55-grain (3.6 g) projectile for this cartridge. Based on Hodgdon reloading data typical velocities should range from approximately 4,000 ft/s (1,200 m/s) with a 58-grain (3.8 g) bullet to approximately 3,000 ft/s (910 m/s) with a 100-grain (6.5 g) bullet. The percentage gain in performance over the older .243 Winchester is around 10% or less.

This cartridge is usually used for small game such as varminting, and used for animals as large as deer.