I Think The .325 WSM Deserves A Second Look

[cougar1717]

I guess our posts deserved a second look also. But this is a third look if everyone gets quoted-haha!

 

[30Aught]

I still remember being in Cabelas during the WSM introduction and overhearing the salesperson trying to sell another customer on a 325WSM. "As light as a 308, but hits like a 338 mag!"

It is a useful caliber, no doubt. It's just kind of caught in between. I'm not talking about enthusiasts, but for the average rifle buyer, what do they get with .323" over .308"? It takes a special customer for the deer/elk/bear caliber. Most people don't see much terminal performance gain between .308" and .338" (all things being equal, except caliber). It reminds me of the 338 Federal threads on THR. I think that once you get to .358" and over, the hunter has a different purpose for the rifle.

Any recoil discussion between 300WSM and 325WSM is just splitting hairs. With equal rifles, they are hunting guns that get sighted in with a few shots and are shot a couple of times max at game, while the hunter is wearing heavy clothing.

At the end of the day, 325WSM was a great idea. It's just that now it suffers from rifle availability, ammo/brass availability, and a distinctive performance difference when compared to 300WSM.

Depends what .308 you are talking about. .300 win mag yes,anything less there are substantial differences. Particularly with trajectory and ft.lbs of energy at 250 and beyond. Especially past 300. And when hunting CXP3 class game it becomes the difference between an ethical kill and wounded/lost quarry as many irresponsible hunters prove regularly. Not good for our sport I may add.

 

[30Aught]

You're comparing the 325 to the wrong cartridge. Compared to the 300 WSM the 325 shoots the same bullet weights only about 50 fps faster. It shoots the same bullet weights to the same speed as 300 WM. With a little more recoil than 300 WSM and about the same as 300 WM. With a 200 gr bullet in any of the 3 you get very similar numbers out to about 100 yards, then the 30's take over and they penetrate better at any range.

And if you compare real world numbers of 30-06 to 338-06, 308 to 338 Fed, and 300 WM to 338 WM you'll find that the 30's beat the 338's for all the same reasons.

It's not that the 325 or any other 8mm won't kill stuff. The 325, or any of the 300's will shoot flat enough and hit hard enough to take elk out past 500. They just don't offer a single advantage. I went through a stage where I was into and bought some oddball stuff to hunt with and have no problem with others who choose to do the same. But being different is the only reason to choose one. Once I figured out that my 308 would kill all the same animals a 338 WM, 300 WM or 325 WSM would kill I sold all of my bigger stuff. Makes life much simpler. Simple is good.



Not true at all. Any caliber bullet of the same brand and type is of the same construction. I realize this is hard for some to wrap their minds around but a 6.5mm/140, a 7mm/160, a .308/180, a 8mm/200 and a 338/225 will all give almost exactly the same penetration on game if they are the same brand and type of bullet.



Unfortunately Winchester has never offered any of the WSM's in a light, compact rifle and while they list it, try buying one. It isn't readily available. They are all roughly the same size and weight as their standard rifles. You'll save 2-3 oz, but that isn't much. Kimber is the only manufacturer who made a lightweight rifle chambered in the WSM's. And in rifles that light magnum recoil is stiff. And I don't think Kimber ever made a 325.

I own a Kimber and a Browning A bolt titanium in 325wsm and believe me they are noticeably lighter than many rifles.