I’m sure it’s a fine cartridge, but I have my .338 Win. Mag. and never saw the need for the .325.

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It is ALWAYS the Indian. Not the arrow !

Yes indeed!

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Originally posted by 458Win:
It is ALWAYS the Indian. Not the arrow !

But what if the Indian thinks he shoots best with the magic arrows?

Couple of years back I decided I needed a 325 WSM. I’m a Mauser/model 70 guy but ran across a XPR in 325 and bought it.

I will say this, for barebones gun its dang accurate. It took me a while to get used to the magazine but realized it was handy and easy to unload without dropping bullets.

I haven’t shot anything with it, been chasing the same big 8 point the last two years. 325 sure seems to make a lot of since, would liked to had it in my Africa/ Alaska hunting days. If I go back to Africa when I retire that little 325 may go with me. I’ve grown quite fond of The round and the rifle.

There is a much better, more powerful 8mm Magnum: the old 8x68S!

Thank you, Gringo Hunter.

Well, I've sent my recommendations to my son who is in the market for this niche of a rifle.

The Winchester XPR is the winner. First, it is accurate out-of-the-box and my son hasn't liked to bed rifles.
The trigger is good, remarkable for an entry level rifle. It is also lighter than other platforms and less expensive. Models are availble in Turkish walnut, black composite, and various camos.

On the choice between 325 and 338 I left that up to him. But I did point out that a 338 can easily be downloaded 100fps to simulate the 325 and the 338 will be around for the next generation. (He is not recoil sensitive, having used hot-loaded 416Rigbys in Tanzania from guineafowl and oribi to buffalo.) Why not a picture?:


Yes, we ate it, the breasts and legs were fine. Shoot them in the wing-backbone-gizzard area. He's used 338s on guinea fowl, too, but I don't have a picture.

416Tanzan,
I will be interested to see his choice.

quote:

Originally posted by Monastery-Forester:
There is a much better, more powerful 8mm Magnum: the old 8x68S!

There is always something more powerful, the same could said for the 8mm Rem mag.

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But I did point out that a 338 can easily be downloaded 100fps to simulate the 325 and the 338 will be around for the next generation.

The 325 WSM has already been around for 15 years and is still going strong. It will be around for the next generation.

I’m glad the 325 succeeded. It surprised me though. I though the 7mm WSM would be winner in the market, but it was the flop of the bunch.

I agree, the 7mm WSM is a very good cartridge.

IF I recall correctly ?
It seems to me Winchester had a false start with the 7mm WSM. They had the advertising hype in place, then there was a delay, due to them moving the shoulder forward on the brass. I think it was fear of cramming the 7mm into a 270 WSM. If incorrect, someone set me straight.

I was late to the appreciation of the WSM’s. The Kimber 325 WSM was my first, sometime after Winchester closed the doors. Then a used 7mm WSM in a New Haven stainless classic.
I suppose, I had read too much internet about feeding issues.
Then an epiphany. Any Feeding issues were a particular rifle issue not the cartridge. Heck, even some 30-06 and 375 H&H rifles have had feed issues.

Out of curiosity, my New Haven 270 WSM feeds empty brass without issue. I have not tried the others. I have never had an interest, nor seen the importance of feeding empty brass in a rifle. Some people apparently consider it an asset. And appears to relieve them of fears of a WSM feeding properly.

Winchester and Hornady within the past few months did make / release runs of 7mm WSM brass. So apparently the brass is not dead.

quote:

Originally posted by JeffreyPhD:
I’m glad the 325 succeeded. It surprised me though. I though the 7mm WSM would be winner in the market, but it was the flop of the bunch.

Idmay375,
My murky memory seems to say that the 7mm WSM caught on with some target use, long range precision, or something like that. Or maybe that was the 7mm SAUM.

I've heard all the accounts of feeding problems and think there must be something to it in some rifles. Maybe it happens more on the WSM rounds than most. Always wondered though if maybe the 325 was less prone to that because there is simply less shoulder there.

Both the 7mm SAUM and WSM had a following with the long range folks. Though many tweaked the chambers / brass to achieve their goals.

Possibly on the 325 and feeding. But, I don’t think 325 had an advantage. I say this because, the only issue that I have ever had with a WSM feeding was a 325, an early production Kimber Montana.
But I have an identical rifle produced later and no issues. When I contacted Kimber, they asked for serial number, and said they knew exactly what the issue was.
So, to me an issue with feeding is with the specific rifle build or poor design/execution. Short and fat may require a slightly different geometry to feed smoothly. Several other cartridges do. I have 6 different rifles in the 4 different WSM cartridges, that one is the only issue that I have had.
But, not the only rifle issue that I have had with other manufacturers.

quote:

Originally posted by JeffreyPhD:
Idmay375,
My murky memory seems to say that the 7mm WSM caught on with some target use, long range precision, or something like that. Or maybe that was the 7mm SAUM.

I've heard all the accounts of feeding problems and think there must be something to it in some rifles. Maybe it happens more on the WSM rounds than most. Always wondered though if maybe the 325 was less prone to that because there is simply less shoulder there.

I'm no doubt a fan of the 325 WSM, but a fan of a rifle that feeds. Therefore the XPR. In all my years and I've been around. I've never seen a push feed rifle feed like a Winchester XPR. The single stack magazine holds the round at least 3/4 the length of the cartridge best I can tell as it goes into the chamber. Dangest thing I have seen in a push feed rifle.

I'm a Mauser guy, have two barrelled actions on my bench I'm working on. But at 500 bucks a pop, I will have a pile of XPR's. I can't hardly buy Blackburn Bottom metal for one of my Mauser projects.

I discovered the way the magazine holds the round while trying to unload the magazine. Most magazines you can push a little bit and round pops out, not on an XPR. May be other rifles designed the same way. May not be controlled round feeding but it sure seems to be very reliable feeding. Just my two cents.

I think the HS Precision single stack detachable magazine works similarly.

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Originally posted by LHeym500:
I think the HS Precision single stack detachable magazine works similarly.

Just a reminder: keep in mind that it is not the "325 WSM" name that makes this cartridge so good, but the 8mm-caliber bullet it shoots.

The same goes for all the 6.5's and the rest. Launch the same bullet at the same speed from other rifles, regardless of names, and the bullet performs just the same.

I absolutely love this cartridge, wish it was doing better commercially, concerned with availability of components in the future. I've got two, a kimber montana and model 70 extreme weather. The kimber anchored a big billy goat as it was heading for the cliff and this rig is pretty lightweight with very reasonable kick. My favorite cartridge, just wonder about it's future.

It has surprised me that the 325 is doing so well as it seems to be. Considering it's a short mag over 30 cal and 8mm to boot, it seems to be doing much better than I had expected. I'd enjoy trying one even though at this point I don't really have a use for it. Hopefully it will have staying power in the market. It does seem to fill a niche of sorts and not many new rounds can say that.

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Originally posted by robert lerner:
I absolutely love this cartridge, wish it was doing better commercially, concerned with availability of components in the future. I've got two, a kimber montana and model 70 extreme weather. The kimber anchored a big billy goat as it was heading for the cliff and this rig is pretty lightweight with very reasonable kick. My favorite cartridge, just wonder about it's future.

I have had an 8mm magnum since Remington released it in the Classic series. Aside from the largely theoretical advantage of a short action and less recoil what advantage does the 325 have over the 8mm magnum? If the 8mm mag num kicks to much use a lighter load. With the 8 mag ‘s much greater case capacity you can the heaviest bullets at significantly more velocity. The 8mm mag has served me well on 2 African safaris with largest game taken was an eland who succumbed to 220 grain Swift A Frames driven at a velocity unobtainable by a 325sm. A waterbuck 2 gemsbuck, and a kudu will also testify to the effectiveness of an 8mm mag. It has never let me down if I do my part and place the bullet properly.

this indian will stick with the .338 win in this crowd, however about all I use these days is the 30-06, and I could have done that to start with thruout my long life..

I think it is a very good cartridge, and the Kimber Montana a very good lighter weight platform. I would have preferred a floor plate and open style trigger on the Montana. But, I still like the rifle lots.
No telling the future but I am keeping the 325’s that I have.

I prefer larger bores for my moose hunting. But, I am moving forward with the plan of using a 325 this year. I am having the barrel shortened on one. And hope to hand load 200 grain TSX for satisfactory results. My biggest concern is to be able to get a bull to cooperate.
I do not visualize the 325 with a 200 TSX working much differently than a 338 Winchester and 225 TSX. Hoping for the opportunity to verify.

quote:

Originally posted by robert lerner:
I absolutely love this cartridge, wish it was doing better commercially, concerned with availability of components in the future. I've got two, a kimber montana and model 70 extreme weather. The kimber anchored a big billy goat as it was heading for the cliff and this rig is pretty lightweight with very reasonable kick. My favorite cartridge, just wonder about it's future.