.325 wsm any thoughts?

[sniper14]

I'm looking at getting a new gun and for the longest time I've been considering a 7mm or .300 RUM. I've heard you can only get a175 grain bullet in the 7mm and with the RUM you will shoot the barrel out in 500-600 shots. So I've looked at the .325 and it looks like you can push a heavier bullet and won't shoot the barrel out. Any thoughts on the gun. Give me the good, bad and the ugly. Thanks in advance.

 

[Utah400Elk]

I just had my gunsmith put a new barrel on one of my rifles. I wanted something a little bigger. I went with a 300 WSM but i looked at the 325. I decided on the 300 WSM for many reasons but thats a different topic. My fear with the 325 WSM was the availability of ammo and the longevity of the case. There does not seem to be a huge following with the 325 and I am afraid it could be dropped. I didn't like the idea of trying to find custom brass. Hope that helps.

 

[mntman]

+1, exact same reason I went with the 300.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?

 

[woodruffhunter]

Read post #1.

 

[littlebighorn]

+++1
I love my 300WSM.
It shoots pretty similar to the 300RUM for a lot less powder and kick.
I satisfy my hankering for heavier medicine by just hunting with well constructed (premium) pills.

 

[Zeke]

I have a few rifles so it only made sense for me to have a 325wsm too!

I like the hell out of it and we've killed over a dozen animals with it. The recoil is about like the 300wsm (maybe a bit more when you go with heavy bullets). The main reason I've kept it is because it's one of the finest grouping rifles you'll ever see!

I've used the 180 and 200 TSX Barnes with excellent luck. My wife killed the largest elk in the family and my son and I killed a ton of critters in Africa along with other stuff around here.

They are easy to load and the brass seems to hold up well. Depending on how much a guy shoots this one rifle, 100 brass should last a lifetime. It's not a varmint rifle after all! Buy what you want but I can tell you that I'll never run out of brass so who cares if they drop it! You can always neck a 300 up to 325 with ease anyway... if you reload. If you don't reload then buy something more vanilla.

If you check velocities you'll see that the 325 will shoot an equal bullet weight faster than the 300 but the 300 will have a higher BC. Maybe this is splitting hairs but if you want shoot bullets over 165 or 180 then the 325 has the edge on performance since the longer bullets intrude into the case of the 300 to the point that case capacity is compromised and velocities drop off.

Either the 300wsm or the 325 wsm are little killing machines and I've use them both extensively. I guess I like all the wsm family and even built a 6mm wsm and i've used a 6.5mm wsm on elk but I don't own that rifle.

Zeke

 

[beech18]

Ive got a 300 WSM in a Kimber Montana. Love it. However, when I bought it I was debating between the 300 and 325. Went with the 300. That was last year, my desire for a 325 is starting to resurface. Its an interesting round. Having too many guns, said no man. I think I will have a 325 real soon.

 

[llamapacker]

I have a 325 WSM, and aside from being a very pretty rifle, I have little use for the caliber.
Case capacity is too small for the bore diameter. You get nowhere near 338 Win mag performance. I shoot all my loads over an Oehler Chronograph, and don't just spout useless advertised velocities.

Shooting 200 grain TSX bullets, regardless of powder I cannot exceed 2950 fps without excessive pressure 2900 fps seems to be a bit saner load. Same is true with Nosler and Sierra bullets.
If I drop down to 180 grain bullets, I can get close to 3100fps. Not bad velocities, but nothing exceptional.

My big problem is that I have a couple 300 Win mag rifles and even a 300WSM that will easily achieve the same 3100 fps with 180 grain bullets, which have a higher ballistic coefficient. The 325WSM is effectively equivalent to a 300 win mag or 300 WSM with 180 grain bullets. You get a little larger diameter with the 325 (frontal area) in exchange for sacrificing some ballistic coefficient. Not a good trade, in my opinion. And when you start to load heavier bullets, there isn't enough case capacity to get good velocities. And heavier bullets is the main reason to step up to the 8mm diameter.

So the 325 is just another esoteric 300 win mag, effectvely. Not bad company, but nothing special either. I am shooting my 300's and may occasionally use the 325WSM, but overall I haven't been very impressed and could have spent my money on a different caliber rather than "another" 300 wannabee.

BTW, case life has been reasonable, on par with 300 WSM. It is definitely harder to find 8mm components, and the available choices are far fewer than you would find in 30 caliber. My rifle is accurate, although not exceptional, but I don't see a long term future for this caliber.

Bill

 

[Zeke]

No doubt about it, we are a 30 caliber nation!

Dear OP,
It's tough to beat a good 30 caliber cartridge on big game and none of the wsm's will do what a 300 Ultra will since you can push a 168TTSX at 3400fps (3395 with 8 fps sd) with ease.

So, if it's velocity that you want, simply go with the biggest and baddest choice on the block. How much are you REALLY going to shoot a big gun and who doesn't have more than one rifle anyway? If you shoot enough to burn the barrel out of a big game rifle then I suspect you've had a bunch of fun and it's time for another barrel.

Remember, there are incremental trade-offs with every caliber, cartridge and rifle type so simply pick one you like and get to killin'

End of story.

Zeke

 

[delmag1942]

Reread Zeke's post as I wholeheartedly concur!

 

[ELKOHOLIC]

If you can afford to buy 500 rounds of ammo for that gun, you can afford a new barrel.

 

[beech18]

Every cartridge has its pro's and con's depending on the view point. Will the 325 be an effective killing machine out to 300-400 yards. No doubt about it. Its a matter of what your aiming to do with that gun.
+1 Zeke, pick a gun/cartridge and have at it, and start a kill'in.

 

[mtmuley]

A .300 RUM barrel isn't anywhere near toast after 500 rounds if taken care of. mtmuley

 

[polejockey]

Dang llamapacker don,t yo know that logic commonsense and hard facts mean nothing. You take the fun right out of a good debate! Other than that I would say you just about nailed it. I also agree with you Zeke Pick the one that fits your needs the best. I also went with the 300 ultra luv it but as the saying goes no such thing as free lunch. It eats powder like a jet fighter eats fuel and can be deadly at both ends. But It gets there fast and hits hard! Long sessions at the bench aren't all that much fun either.

 

[Zeke]

Polejockey touch on the subect again: THERE ARE TRADEOFFS WITH EVERY CARTRIDGE! None of the mentioned cartridges are going to have the mild recoil of a .243 or the light weight of a Kevlar stocked 300 wsm! Tradeoffs remember, that's why guys usually have more than 1 big game gun! To a point, it almost has more to do with the rifle configuration than the cartridge it uses.

It's true about the ultras. It consume 100+ grains of powder with every trigger pull and kick like a mule.... but oh it's deadly ***IF*** you can shoot it well in the field. The gun needs to surprise you every single time you pull the trigger or you'll have poor results. A miss with a big gun will get you nowhere fast!

We're really just splitting hairs here anyway. If you have a lingering concern about the 325wsm just go with the 300wsm. 2 of my daughters and I have light weight 300wsm's and they kill just like everything else.

Jack O'Conner once said, "you kill with the gun you use"
Think about it,
Zeke

 

[DM770]

If you are looking to push a heavier bullet the .338 may be a better option simply because there are vastly more types of bullets on the market. There is also a huge range of cartridge types if you are concerned with recoil and weight. I also understand the love of the 30 cal, as it is perhaps the most versatile caliber. Shooting fast rounds will be hard on barrels no matter the caliber, but shooting hot barrels is much worse and this is were you will take the most life from your barrel.

 

[piper]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-13 AT 10:48AM (MST)[p]I have an 8mm rem mag, its a great elk caliber I reload and almost always use 200gr nosler partisans, never had a bullet failure in 30 years or so.
The 325 would be a harder hitting elk gun than the 300s but its not nearly as versatile no doubt, if your a one gun guy maybe the 300 is better.
If you reload I wouldn't worry about the availability of components, stalk up and your set.

 

[littlebighorn]

My friend Zeke (I hope he's my friend) knows more about guns/calibers than most of us, and he has regularly "learned me a thing or two about shooting sticks. No doubt others, who have commented, are equally experienced. But since Zeke quoted my favorite (sorry Zeke) gun expert, let me point out that old Jack was never keen on big bore/mule kicking guns. His reasoning was simple. Most of us are too sensitive to the effects of big boomers to consistently shoot them well.
Case in point,
My son and I went on a sheep hunt with two guys carrying Christensen Arms 300Rums. At the range prior to us flying out, neither one could hardly hit a basketball at 100 yards, despite their $3000 weapons guaranteed to shoot half MOA groups. Those two fellers shook like quakie leaves in the wind behind those cannons.
So my thought is before you buy something bigger, see if a friend will let you try a boomer before you buy one. I know guys who shoot lights out with them, but I am not one, and like old Jack I will stick with milder fodder. It doesn't matter how potent the pill if it doesn't go where it's intended.

 

[two7D]

I've thought about getting one. It seems like a cool round. I'm sure it would smash big critters with 200 gr ABs at 500 yards with ease. If you want to shoot 1000 yds plus you might want to get something else.

 

[Elkhunter96]

Just get a 338 win, no reason to go halfway there from the 300 mags.