“wsm”

Which of these cartridges better serves the hunter looking for a speedy rimfire? Contributor Philip Massaro examines the pros and cons of each.

Federal American Eagle has joined the .17-caliber revolution, and will now offer its own version of .17 Win. Super Mag.

Both cartridges come with some points of interest—or gripes, depending on who you ask—that make them unique, and while fans in each camp fervently wave their flags, it may help if we better understood where they’re coming from.

If velocity is your thing, and you want the speediest rimfire cartridge currently available, look no further than the .17 WSM.

There is no doubt that the .17 WSM elevates rimfire ballistics to a new level. But will enough gun companies jump on board to produce rifles in this caliber?

Winchester and Browning have collaborated to produce the 6.8 Western—a new take on the concept of the .270 WSM, using heavier bullets and a faster twist rate than previous iterations of the Winchester cartridges have used. Essentially, the 6.8 Western picks up where the .270 WSM leaves off, and delivers a whole lot more.

Browning has announced that it will be adding four new calibers to its BXR Deer lineup for 2017. 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. Mag. and .270 WSM will join the team this fall.

Loosely based on a shortened .404 Jeffery case with the rim rebated to the .535-inch case head of the H&H family, the .270 WSM was the third commercial cartridge using the .277-inch bore diameter, and betters the velocity of the .270 Winchester by 200 to 250 fps.

Shooters are drawn to rimfire cartridges primarily due to the per-shot costs being significantly less than those of comparable center-rifle rifle cartridges. However, their downfall is lackluster terminal ballistics—that is, until now. Winchester’s new economical .17 Winchester Super Magnum (WSM) cartridge defies convention, and in doing so handily becomes the highest-performance rimfire extant.