The new Dtech WSSM receivers!

dtech

dtech

New member
Back when Winchester first introduced the WSSM, I was extremely excited. Not because it was it was another new caliber, but it was another caliber that would fit in the AR-15!

After a couple of trips out to the Olympic Arms factory, WSSM fired from the AR-15 platform was a reality. I brought home a few of the first barrels and started testing. At that time there was NOTHING available for the WSSM. I got pre-production prototype dies from a friend at Redding, and starting load data from two of the powder manufacturers.

Over the years, I have sold piles of both the .243 and .25 WSSM, not to mention some of the big-bore wildcats, like the 6.5, .300 and .358.

My supplier for bolts, barrel-extensions and upper-receivers had been Olympic Arms for many years. In January of 2017, Olympic Arms announced that they would be closing. This meant I needed to find another way to produce WSSM uppers. For a while, the WSSM looked like it might just fade away, but there has been a real surge in interest in the WSSM as of late. Hornady has begun producing brass, and Winchester has picked up the pace so loaded ammunition is becoming more available.

First was the upper receiver itself. We started out by getting slick-side receivers in-the-white from Sun Devil. We would make the necessary modifications, then send them off to be anodized. We quickly found that when we held the quality control in-house, any "issues" with the receiver no longer arose. The only real problems we had with the Sun Devil receivers was availability and they were HEAVY!

We worked out a design for our own slick-side receiver and produced a couple of prototypes. They worked great and with only a couple of small changes, our new receiver is shipping! We have solved availability, and the new receivers weigh in at only about 6.5 ounces!

Here is a picture of one our first WSSM uppers going out in Magpul OD green.

cOjsmpE.jpg


We have been working on redesigning the bolt/carrier and barrel-extension as well. We have made a couple changes to the barrel-extension that will increase hoop-strength in the chamber, and that leaves us with a more robust extension.

kC44yue.jpg


We liked the slick-side receivers so well, we are pursuing the same basic design for our normal .223 uppers. Keep your eyes on PM for updates!
 
Looks good Mike, I wondered what you would do when the supply from Oly dried up. The new handguard looks good too.
 
what does the other side of the upper look like? I also think you should use the same basic parts although slightly altered to make the BR case's work. just make the bolt face smaller and adjust the barrel extension accordingly. kudos for doing this. I think about the WSSM at least a couple times a week, LOL. maybe I need one.
 
Hey Mike,
Have you considered a rifle+2 gas system for smoothing out the recoil and pressures? Also, can we supply the handguard and barrel nut of our choice?
 
Only thing standing between me and this, is money, ha-ha-ha!

Ought to be a hoot for thumping coyote though.

- DAA
 
Originally Posted By: ScarlettRedHey Mike,
Have you considered a rifle+2 gas system for smoothing out the recoil and pressures? Also, can we supply the handguard and barrel nut of our choice?

Yes, the +2 is an option and always has been. In my opinion, the +2 is where it should be, but we have truck-loads of them out there with standard rifle-length systems that work great.

Yes, you can supply a float tube. There are times we have to modify the barrel-nut in order to satisfy our demands, but we certainly can use a customer float-tube.
 
Originally Posted By: Kevinfarmer3456I'm interested in getting into one of the wssm, but is anyone got a lead on brass supply?
Midway USA, Brownells, Cabelas, and Midsouth all have Winchester and Hornady in stock.
 
Originally Posted By: steve garrettwhat does the other side of the upper look like? I also think you should use the same basic parts although slightly altered to make the BR case's work. just make the bolt face smaller and adjust the barrel extension accordingly. kudos for doing this. I think about the WSSM at least a couple times a week, LOL. maybe I need one.

Here is the other side of the receiver. There is an Oly receiver for comparison.

I have actually built several BR's and have bolts for them. Magazines had been an issue, but there is a company out there making them now.
9ftpqhJ.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: steve garrettcan an adjustable gas block be used so you can run a can without a ton of extra gas?

Yes, we are shipping quite a few with adjustable gas-blocks and threaded barrels.
 
that is a sweet looking upper right there, mike. I think you need to do a complete WSSM Q&A post here and go through everything. here are some examples of questions. BTW I really really want to see this take off more than it has.

example Q&A questions,
1) can the customer supply the handguard

2) does that gas system differ from an AR 15, specifically the gas block, IE can a regular AR 15 adjustable gas block be used,

3) what is the magazine situation,

4) what changes are made to the reciever in the thread to barrel extension interface

5) what changes are made to the bolt carrier

6) what barrel lengths are offerd

those are just a few questions, many I know the answer to already, but I can think of quite a few more questions that would be useful for people to know.

lastly along the lines of the BR case, I think you should use the basic parts of this new upper and create a new wild cat, CAll it the 6DTI super, have it basically be a 6mm dasher.
 
Originally Posted By: steve garrettthat is a sweet looking upper right there, mike. I think you need to do a complete WSSM Q&A post here and go through everything. here are some examples of questions. BTW I really really want to see this take off more than it has.

example Q&A questions,
1) can the customer supply the handguard Yes, the customer can provide the float-tube. The WSSM takes a standard AR-15 barrel-nut. There are times that barrel-nuts need to be modified to accept our chamber diameter, but we have never had one that wouldn't work.

2) does that gas system differ from an AR 15, specifically the gas block, IE can a regular AR 15 adjustable gas block be used, The gas-system is completely standard. Any gas-block can be used. That being said, the pressure at the port on a .243 WSSM is significantly higher than what most gas-blocks are subjected to. We designed and produce our own clamp-on gas-blocks that are a vast improvement over set-screw style blocks.

3) what is the magazine situation, We produce 7-round aluminum magazines, and stainless magazines with a capacity of 4 rounds. The stainless magazines offer a slightly longer COAL.

4) what changes are made to the reciever in the thread to barrel extension interface I'm not sure of your question, but the first inch of the of the inside of the receiver is opened up to accept the larger barrel-extension.

5) what changes are made to the bolt carrier The bolt-carrier is not modified. It is produced specifically for the WSSM.

6) what barrel lengths are offerd We produce the .243 or .223 WSSM in barrel-lengths from 22" and up to 26" included in our base-price. We do produce some .25 WSSM's with 20" barrels.

those are just a few questions, many I know the answer to already, but I can think of quite a few more questions that would be useful for people to know.

lastly along the lines of the BR case, I think you should use the basic parts of this new upper and create a new wild cat, CAll it the 6DTI super, have it basically be a 6mm dasher.

We do have much of this on our website, but I can hit it here as well.
 
Back
Top