Well I may have created a "need" for myself to get another rifle. Actually I found one and I'm trying to justify whether or not I should get it. I've got long barreled heavy rifles that will throw a heavy slug at high velocity; 340 Weatherby Mag and a 375 H&H Mag. I've got light rifles that will throw lighter bullets at high velocity; 7mm Rem Mag, 270 Win, 308, 30-06 and 25-06. What I don't have is a relatively light handy rifle that will throw heavier slugs at more moderate valocities.

The rifle would be used on elk hunts back in the thick stuff, and possibly on large mulies. The local toy store has a couple of 325 WSM's on clearance and they've got me thinking. I just want to hear what this cartridge as well as the 338 Fed and 358 Winchester have going for and against them. Not really thinking of 35 Whelen or 338-06 since I'd like to keep this rifle in a short action.

Thanks in advance.

go 325 wsm and don't look back, who is the rifle manufacturer?

+1 to what masrx writes.
Next to the 30/06 I find the 325 hard to beat. 150-220 gr bullet selection and all that in a rifle that will be smaller and lighter than the average 30/06.

325 WSM all the way. It beats the 338 Federal all the way around. Nothing wrong with the Federal, but I like the 325 and am thinking about getting one myself. PM me if you know of a good deal!

There are lots of ways to skin a cat, but the 338 Fed has really appealed to me. Fast enough, lots of bullets to choose from, small package, recoil is not bad at all and it has enough energy and decent enough ballistics to shoot as far as I ever intend. Matches the reticles very well (at least the Burris B-Plex and Leupold B&C). Also, Federal will have stamped brass available in the next few months, so they say. Very happy with it.

Within reasonable shooting distances for 98% of all hunters anyone of them will do the job.....

remember, there is only one kind of dead, and all three will do that job.

............The 325 WSM is both a longer ranged and a shorter ranged round too. It will out perform the 338 Fed and the 358 Win.

But it seems to me that your 340 Wby, `06 and 308 fill that gap that a 325 WSM can easily satisfy. The 325 WSM can be had in a lighter rifle, but not necessarily in a handier and more manuverable one. For better handiness, speed and manuverability for the brush and timbers, you reduce the rifle`s overall length while still having enough hunting range capability to do what you wish on the game you`re hunting. Either the 338 Fed or the 358 Win are both ideal for what you`re describing. You state yourself,,,"What I don`t have, is a relatively light handy rifle that will throw heavier slugs at more moderate velocities." Also, you`d like to stay with a short action.

On GB, the last time I was on there, there were still some leftover but new Ruger Frontier (stainless target grey) compacts in both the 338 Fed and 358 Win. From alot of personal experience as a Ruger Frontier owner, who hunts hogs and elk with it and because of its shorter length, there is no better a handling, carrying, or manuverable rifle for use in the thicker brush and timbers quite like the Ruger compact.

Sure! The 325 WSM is a better long range round, but for your hunting description usage, the rifle itself also matters a great deal and should be given alot of consideration as well.

How bout the Ruger 338 RCM with the 20 inch barrel? That has got to be a "handy" rifle.

I like the .325. Been handloading for a buddy with one, and been wanting one myself.

.............I`d go for that one too! Forgot about that one! A 20" tube length also makes for a "handy" rifle.

325 WSM is certainly a capable round, but I would hesitate to rate it as any more capable than a 308 or 30-06 loaded with heavier bullets. There is lots of overlap in utility among these types of rounds, and there's ammo availability to consider...

But if the clearance price on those rifles is really good...I mean really good! Well then...

TC

All that really matters is which one (cartridge or rifle) really strikes YOU as the one you want. They all have the effectiveness to create dead critters. More effectiveness won't get them more dead. Good problem to have though!

+1.....based on what you described you can't go wrong with 338 Federal or a 358 Win. A 325 WSM will usually sport a 24" barrel and won't be as handy as the other rifles. Plus it shoots much faster than moderate velocities. You can load up the 338 or 358 with any 225 grain cup & core bullet and it will perform great at close to moderate range.

The opening cartridge list sort of perplexes me: 325 WSM vs 338 Fed vs 356 Win...

These are three wholly distinct cartridges, and really aren't reasonably compared. The .325 is a short fat magnum; the .338 Fed is a fat-bullet .308; and the .356 Win is a rimmed lever action cartridge. Can't really compare them at all, as they all do different things and meet different requirements/desires. If you want to compare the .325, then you have to compare it to the .338 RCM and the .350 Remington Magnum. There you have three medium-sized heavy-duty cartridges that provide relatively the same performance in relatively similar, or the same, rifles.

Same with the .338 Fed -- you can compare it with the .358 Win and, well...that's about it. .356 is a slightly lighter loaded rimmed version of the .358, and there is now a rimmed .338, so I guess that comparison works for leverguns.

Pretty nearly meaningless for hunting, mostly, but always fun for what to own... .

Dennis

First off I'd be inclined to restock (get a stock sub 28 oz's on it) one of your big guns and lighten them up. The 375 in particular is an easy one to shoot even at something around 8 lbs give or take.

If I had to pick one of the others I'd most likely go with a Montana in the 338 Federale round.

Dober

Sorry Dennis, typo on my part in the title it should read 358 Winchester, I've since edited it to read correctly. At least I got it right in the body of my post.

Basically what I'm looking at is a relatively short and light quick handling rifle to take into the brush and black timber. Something that has enough bullet weight to be effective on elk. I had found the 2 325 WSM's that started me thinking along this path. I realize that the 325 is a higher velocity round that the other two, but all 3 fit in a short action and make for a relatively lightweight rifle. I was just looking to get some "real world" opinions on the cartridges I'm considering.

The Cabelas in Billings Mt has a new Montana 325 for $850 or something like that..

Dober

Thing is...if you want to compare cartridges -- the .325; .338 RCM and .350 Remington Magnum are a good comparison. They run from .323 to .338 to .350 in short magnum actions, all with relatively the same weight bullets at relatively the same speeds.

I have a .338 RCM, mostly because I don't particularly care for most of the rifles that .325's are put in and I've never owned a belted case, nor will I. I like Ruger 77's a lot, so when they invented the .338 RCM it was pretty natural for me.

All of which shows why the companies are making lots of different outfits -- cause we all want slightly different stuff .

Dennis

I am a huge fan of the venerable 358 Win. You won't be disappointed.

I had one; I wasn't disappointed. But I like my .338 Fed better. I've hunted with a .35 Whelen for almost 20 years, and will never be rid of it. It is my medium-cartridge go-to rifle under serious circumstances. That said, I'm getting fonder and fonder of rational .338's -- .338 Fed; .338-RCM and, though I don't have one yet, .338-06. I still have a .356 Winchester, for lever work, but I'm unlikely to acquire another .358 Win.

Well, unless sometime in the future there's a really good deal somewhere... .

Dennis

I own two .325's (Kimber and a BLR) and a .358 (M7), so I mos' def have an opinion on the subject!

They are, as Dennis says, distinctly different rounds. Starting with .325, while the rifle itself might or might not be suited for the tight stuff, the round itself is more like a 300 mag than anything else. It's easily a 600-yard cartridge.

But as you say, it's about the rifles it comes in, and (say) a BLR in .325 is a TON of practical utility, not to mention raw power, in a compact package.

.358, on the other hand, is quite simply the most efficient moderate-range game whacker there is! While it is 400-yd capable (with 225-gn bullets), it's best thought of as a 250,300- yd cartridge that flat hammers stuff all out of proportion to the recoil, blast, etc. Love it.

I think they make a great pairing, rather than competing with each other, and in fact the last few seasons my .325's and .358 have the majority of carry time and deer and elk kills for me.

Good luck in whatever you decide! I say, get one of each.