Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 325 WSM as an ELK Load?????

What you think about the 325 WSM as an ELK and/or Moose Load?

Perfect. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The only WSM that I would buy and I think makes good sense for elk. But its not "better" than the 338 win may like the marketing says, its still just about perfect for elk.

Yep you should have plenty 'o poop for elk and mooses. Premium bullets will help any cartridge do it's best. The selection of good 8mm boolits is a little skimpy compared to other diameters, but you should find something that works.

BTW, I thought I read on one of these threads that you were picking up your 325 today. What format did you go with?

Totally unable to take anything larger than coyotes or maybe small whitetail deer. LOL

Purchased Yesterday....

Shot my Win70 Ultimate Shadow 325 WSM this morning. I only fired four rounds but it was nice with less than expected recoil. Matter of fact...It didn't feel much different than my 270 WSM.

I am eager to get back out to the range, zero it in and see how it is grouping at 200 yards.

I've often thought about rebarreling my 300WSM to 325 and using 200gr bullets for that same reason of not more recoil and a heavier bullet (200's can be hard to squeeze in on top of the powder for a TSX.

Spot

Make no mistake, it's not as good as a .338, but most ANY .325/8mm is a great Elk, moose, or bear round. I'm not a fan of the short mags. but, if you like it and it shoots good, have fun with it.

Gang....Let me be real clear here....No one is slamming any of the traditional loads.... If I already had a 338WM I would not have purchased the 325. I needed to fill a gap in my gun selection and I have liked what the writers have said about the 325. Case in point...since I own a 30'06, I will not be purchasing a 300WSM. I did not have a light/medium gun, so I purchased the 270WSM. One of these days I hope to go after some of the BIG BOYS up North...the Kodiacs...when I do that, I will buy a 375 H&H. I already own a very nice Bench/Prairie Dog gun in a .223....so I won't be buying the .223 WSSM. I am simply buying the guns I need and that I want. Honestly though....I would like to try out the 243 or 25 WSSM.

Cutting to the chase, I bet my 325WSM will kill an Elk just as good as anyone's 338WM.

Nobody wants you guys to toss your Win Mags and Rem Mags to the Pawn Dealer....But don't critize the purchasing of a WSM when someone needs a gun in a particular caliber slot.

By the way, I have never heard anyone say it is better than the 338WM...It is similiar, but different. I do like the shorter, quicker, lighter action.

Double posted for some reason....

Now that the manufacturers are coming out with more bullets for it, I believe it scratches an itch!!

Paired with a 180 or 200 grain TSX, amongst others, it'll do it nicely!

I enjoy the 300WSM because of what Kimber has done with the 8400's and Montana's. Less weight in a high performance package makes sense for my hunting. A seven pound Kimber Montana in a 300WSM is a lighter carry. A six pound Montana in a 7mm-08 is even better. Again for my purposes I get a high performance cartridge in a lighter package. Makes sense to me. No ill will to the standard calibers - I have plenty myself.

No, the 325 WSM is not a 338 Win Mag and never will be quite as good for ELK, Moose, Caribou, etc. The 325 is a fine cartridge in its own right, but there hasn't been a round produced yet that is as good as the 338 Win Mag for those larger deer species. I own a 325 WSM and my main concern is "Will it survive in the long run?" With Winchester going tits up and Remington obviously bailing out on part of its SAUM line; what is the long run stability of the short mags overall? Also, who will build the 325 WSM other than Browning? The higher priced guns and the custom gun makers cannot keep these calibers viable in the marketplace. Only the average gun buyer purchasing these calibers from major "popular priced" gun manufacturers will enable these rounds to survive. There seems to a lot of uncertainties down the road for the short mags. Just my 2 cents.

You're right. The 325 is better than the 338 for killing elk.
You're right. The 325 is not as good as the 338 for elk.
We're all correct which ever we decide because we see the same world in a different way. I like light rifles with less recoil. Am I wrong? You like heavy rifles and dont mind the extra recoil. Are you wrong?
If my muscles are tired after a long hike, and I flinch at the recoil from a 338, will it kill my elk better than a lighter 325?
Just my $.02.
Just glad to have so many choices to argue over.

I think it is an awesome cartridge that is often maligned due to it having WSM after the caliber. It will take any north american game there is..................

Huntr

The only WSM that interests me thats for sure. My next rifle will be either that or 338WM I think. So far, I have to admit the 30-06 (and many other cartridges) have done fine for me on both Deer and Elk. But I have to agree with anyone that says the 338WM is the quintessential Elk round. Personally I have had excellent results with 300WM,30-06 7mm, 270, 270WSM and finally full circle back to the 30-06. All my Elk kills have been pretty much bang floppers with all of them, but the shots were well placed (except with one risky neck shot with the 270WSM loaded with failsafes, 140Gr.-still a bang-flopper). I have long since gotten over my magnum stage and am happy to be armed with the 100 year old wonder gun again. Right now I'm down toa 2 gun battery and both are 30-06's (I know boooooring). 30-06 was was kind of like when man invented the wheel-it can be made out of different materials but you can't change the shape.

Took the 325 back to the range today and shot up a box. I'll tell you something....the perceived recoil of the 325 is much less than the 338 and my rig is a Ultimate Shadow at about 6lbs 12 ounces, before scope. I am very accurate with this rifle...something I could not do with a 338. By the end of the box, I was punching tight little holes and enjoying the shooting. Not sure how many 338 owners will tell you they like to go to the range and shoot 20-40 rounds. Everyone I know who owns a 338 tell me, I love my gun, but it beats the hell out of me.

And I will agree with some above....the 338 is better....it is better at 200 yards and closer. But if you start looking at the performance, the 325 at 200, 300 and 400 yards, it is every bit as hard hitting as the 338 and it is flatter. The trajectory is more like the 300 Win Mag. It may not be the best Alaska rig, but I think it is superior to the 338 in the upper 48.

I gotta tell you...if I was hunting Browns...I would prefer the 338. But honestly, since I have a 270WSM and a 325WSM, my Brown Bear rig will be a 375H&H.

Also, I swung by Sportsman Warehouse this morning, to pick up some more .223 for my Model 12. While there I looked for another box of 325. I could see the labels on the shelves where the boxes should be, but...no boxes.... About that time the store manager walked down the isle. I asked him about the 325 ammo....he said....it goes sooo fast...I can't keep it on the shelves. I asked him about the 325 gun sales. He said they get a 325 in about every two weeks and it is gone in less than two days. He said that 338 sales are really slowing down with the 325 being offered.

Honestly, I think the 325 is here to stay.

Of the WSM's that will stay....I think they all will (270, 300 & 325)except the 7mm, which they screwed up...after the fact.

By the way, I will shoot another box next weekend and I will post the targets for your viewing pleasure.

IF your .325 kicks far less than a .338 Win Mag , it's probably because your loads aren't shooting nearly as fast as you think they are. Do you own (or have owned a .338 Magnum)? IMO - the recoil of the .338 Winchester Magnum is often overstated. The .325 WSM should generate about 29 ft \ lbs of recoil and hte .338 Win Mag will produced about 35 ft \lbs. Neither one is punishing, but far more than say a .270 Winchester which has about 16 ft\lbs of recoil.

Checking Barnes bullets web site, the 185g .338 TSX has a higher Ballistic Coefficent than either the 180g or 200g .323 TSX. So, not only will it start off 200 fps faster, it will be flatter and retain considerably more energy. The 225g .338 Accbond's BC smashes the BC of the 200g .323 Accubond.

http://www.barnesbullets.com/prodtsx_new2006.php
http://www.nosler.com/index.php?p=11&b=5&s=3

I also noticed there is a serious descrepency in the BC of the 200g .323 Accbond between Nolser and Winchester.

http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/cfrdetail.aspx?symbol=S325WSMCT&cart=MzI1IFdTTQ==

I am sure the .325 will serve you well, but it's not a .338 Magnum. Doesn't matter what range you are at. Factory ballistic charts are often misleading and sometimes flat out wrong.

I stated in an earlier post that I owned one of each of these calibers. Yes, I do feel the 338WM a tad more when on the bench. But firing from the shoulder, I can discern very little difference in recoil. My 338WM is a Remington 700 customized with a Lilja barrel, Jewell trigger, Borden Rimrock stock and has a S&B 3X12X50 scope w/#9 reticle. I have found this rig to be super accurate with 225 gr. Northforks, a pleasure to shoot and extremely deadly on elk. I like my 325WSM a lot, but I just think I set for a long time with the 338WM.

The .325 WSM is a sufficient elk or moose round. These animals have been cleanly killed by much lesser (meaning either smaller in diameter or less energy) cartridges. Three things remain: bullet placement, bullet construction, and effective range.

Personally, I think a Browning BLR (pistol grip style) in .325 WSM will make perhaps the most perfect mixed country elk rifle there ever was. Light, quick handling rifle with lots of wampus. Nice timber or open country gun. I'm gonna have to buy one myself.