Last year saw the first completely new line of cartridges introduced by Winchester in over 20 years: the Winchester Short Magnum. Available in .30-caliber, 7mm and .270, the Short Mag provides magnum ballistics from true short-action cartridges. In certain loads, the Short Mag actually outperforms its long-action magnum cousin.

Apparently the ballisticians at Winchester just couldn’t leave well enough alone and have decided that the Short Mag line was in need of a few small bore complements. Scheduled for release in March 2003, Winchester has announced the introduction of the new .223 and .243 Winchester Super Short Magnums (WSSM).

Marketed as the “Super Short,” these hyperactive little cartridges make quick ballistic work of pretty much every other similar commercially available cartridge out there. They initially will be chambered by Winchester in the Model 70 Super Shadow Super Short, the Featherweight and the Coyote. Browning will offer WSSM versions of its A-Bolt Hunter, Classic Hunter, Stainless Stalker and Varmint Stalker with the new DuraTouch Armor Coated stock.

Similar in appearance to the PPC-USA and BR cartridges, the Super Short is just that – super and short. The wide, squatty design of the WSSM, one familiar to benchrest shooters for many years, provides the same basic advantages as its large-bore brothers. The 2.36-inch overall cartridge length is shorter than the typical short action and essentially shorter even than your trigger finger.

The fattened case of the WSSM allows for a greater cross-section of powder to ignite simultaneously when the primer fires. It also allows the pressure to build up slightly longer (we’re talking milliseconds here) behind the bullet before terminal pressure is reached and the bullet exits the case. A sharper shoulder angle funnels the pressure behind the bullet more efficiently.

When utilized together with a proper powder burn curve, these features can provide more velocity with less powder, which, in turn, allows for a shorter, stronger barrel. If it turns out to be all they say, the Super Short will make a venerable addition to the Winchester line of ammunition.

Here are all the numbers you’ve been waiting so patiently for. The initial loads in the .223WSSM will be a 55-grain Combined Technologies Ballistic Silvertip at a reported 3,850 feet per second (fps), a 55-grain Winchester Pointed Soft Point (PSP) at 3,850 fps and a 64-grain Winchester Power Point at 3,600 fps.

The .243WSSM will be available with the same 55-grain Ballistic Silvertip only at an exaggerated 4,060 fps, which is met in the .243 Winchester and the 6mm Remington by only the hottest of handloads. The other offerings in the .24-caliber will be a 95-grain Ballistic Silvertip at 3,250 fps and a 100-grain Power Point at 3,110 fps.

The comparable ballistics in the .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington are actually bordering those of the .243 Super Short, so for comparison’s sake, we’ll look a little closer at the .223WSSM and its competition in the .22-caliber domain.

As I mentioned before, the .223 Super Short fires the 55-grainer at 3,850 fps at the muzzle, which, when zeroed at 200 yards, drops a mere 28.8 inches at 500 yards and should still be carrying about 500 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) of energy at that yardage. Not bad for a pencil-thin bullet after flying better than a third of a mile.

So that we’re comparing apples to apples here, I’ve referenced the Nosler Reloading Guide Fifth Edition to get comparable load data on the 55-grain Ballistic Silvertip bullet used in the factory Winchester Supreme cartridge for the .223WSSM. We’ll use maximum listed loads for each cartridge to measure the Super Short’s excess, if any, over all of the others.

Starting at the slowest of our comparison loads, the .222 Remington throws the same 55-grain Ballistic Silvertip at a mere 3,120 fps. Not that 3,120 fps is sluggish, but bear in mind that’s more than 700 fps slower than the Super Short. With a 200-yard zero, the .222 Rem will drop about four feet at 500 yards. That’s almost two full feet more drop than the WSSM at the same distance. I’d call that significant. Energy at 500 yards is a minuscule 250 or so ft-lbs. That’s hardly enough energy to punch through a wet paper sack much less a coyote or the like.

One rung up the velocity ladder finds us at the .223 Remington, my personal choice for a light-bore varmint gun. On the high side, the .223 Rem fires our 55-grain test bullet at a semi-respectable 3,300 fps. With the same zero, the drop at 500 yards is still about 42 inches, only 6 inches better than the .222. Energy at 500 is only up to about 325 ft-lbs. OK, so maybe it’s a little light at that distance, but I never said I could actually hit a digger at a third of a mile anyway.

Next is what could be considered the closest relative to the .223 Super Short, the .22PPC-USA. Designed as a super-accurate target load, the .22PPC is a dumpy little cartridge just like the WSSM. Its max velocity is about 3,450 fps, only 150 fps faster than the .223Rem. Using our same zero, the PPC will drop about 39 inches and carry about 365 ft-lbs at 500 yards. We’re getting closer; just keep reading.

Probably the most employed cartridge in our comparison is the .22-250 Remington. Near the peak of its velocity schedule, the .22-250 will launch a 55-grain bullet at about 3,730 fps. With certain loads, it is possible to get that closer a little closer to 3,800 fps, but you’d risk creating pressures that could rupture a case and damage you or your firearm or both. At 3,700 fps, you’d end up with a drop of about 32 inches at 500 yards.

While that’s only a difference in drop of 3 inches when compared to the Super Short, the inefficiency of the .22-250 case means more powder, and more re-coil, to accomplish practically the same ballistics. The again, you don’t have to wait until March of next year to get one either.

Ballistically speaking, the most comparable proprietary cartridge to the .223WSSM is probably the .220 Swift. The Swift, while fully capable of 4,200 fps with a 40-grain bullet, is more at home with a 55-grainer at about 3,800 fps. Apples to apples, the Swift is darn near identical in velocity, drop and energy to the Super Short. However, not having loading data for the WSSM, I can’t compare the amount and burn curve of the powders used to get those numbers.

The Swift has a terrible reputation for burning out barrels and throats prematurely, but I believe that can be controlled by staying away from ultra-velocity handloads and using powders and loads more appropriate for the cartridge.

Commercially available Swift ammo can be pricey, but the WSSM ammo from Winchester should be in the range of $15-$20 per 20-round box. That’s not altogether bad considering the performance.

I have been “assured” by someone in the know at Browning that the WSSM ammo (and firearms to shoot them through) will be available in time to pop diggers next spring. Don’t hold your breath on that one, but when they do finally hit the market, they are sure to be as notable as their Short Mag brethren. Now, if we can only convince them that a .25-caliber Short Mag will fly.