I purchased a KM 325 a few years ago with the intent of using it as a donor rifle to make a 7wsm. I finally have the funds as well as a trip coming up next year that I need to have the rifle for. Problem is now, brass it hard to find and expensive, and I am concerned I'll end up investing in a "dead" cartridge. Any thoughts to a 7mm caliber for the conversion?


Also, where would the campfire send said rifle for an all-in-one barrel/bedding/accurizing. I was thinking of shipping it off to Pac-Nor but I don't believe they will accurize or bed the rifle, as well as get out any of the possible Montana "kinks."


Thanks

I still see 7 WSM ammo here and there and there's some brass out there right now if you look around.

300 WSM should also be around for some time and a person can always neck that down.

Good Luck

This ^^^^

Do the build and secure about 200 rds of brass.

If you can get ahold of 200-300 brass, go for it. Otherwise I'd recommend 300WSM instead.

Converting to 300 WSM is the simplest and best solution.

Sell it. Take the money and run.

Then buy a rifle in whatever 7mm lifts your skirt.

I'd leave it as a .325 and rock on. It will likely shoot very well and kill even better.

Sold my 7 WSM when I bought my Kimber Montana in 280AI. Much easier to feed, the rifle loves just about everything I load for it. The WSM was more than finicky.

I'd keep the 325 and look for another 7mm.

I would go small with a 6.5 RSAUM or go big with a 450 Marlin.

I have a Kimber Classic 325 and am debating rebarreling to 6.5 SAUM...

If you have the donor and want a 7WSM do it, I have three with new barrels and don't regret paying for exactly what I wanted.

I would send it to Adam Bentley of Dresden Gun Co. He knows the "kinks" and does excellent work. He did a super job on my Kimber.

I always wanted one so I think i'd leave in .325 WSM, I bet it would be a killer!........Good luck

GA Precision 6.5saum 4s.
Or 7wsm, if you want a 7 instead.

Excellent advice from the guy who was gushing about the 338 RCM a few months ago

How does it shoot as a .325?

There's always the 7 SAUM.

7 SAUM w Norma brass
Benchmark will make you a great barrel to match contour
Matt Stewart at Stewart Rifles will make it sing

Sell it to me so I can make it a 7 WSM.

7mmWSM is the odd one-out with shoulder set at 1.701"
270wsm, 300wsm ,325wsm are all 1.664"

Who knows, I've never shot it haha.

Thanks I will look into it.

I already have nearly a grand into the gun. I am thinking of just selling it and buying another so I don't drop another grand into it...then another grand on optics.
Having $3k or more into a production rifle...I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Thanks for the replies guys

Just can't help exaggerating, can you?

"Gushing"? You need to re-read what I wrote:

"As far as I'm concerned the .338 RCM is a great cartridge in concept but not without drawbacks, including increased bang and recoil when used in shorter, lighter rifles. In rifles with standard length actions and barrels the .338WM makes more sense."

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._Is_the_338_RCM_completely_#Post11423864

I do find the 20" .338RCM interesting, especially at $499:
https://www.cdnnsports.com/338rcm-hm77rcm-20-wal-sgt.html?___SID=U

If you read the thread most of my comments had to do with the Ruger 20" barreled .338 RCM rifle, as opposed to the .338RCM cartridge itself. The Ruger rifle comes with iron sights, which I prefer, and is, IMHO, in a much handier length than the .325WSM Kimber Montana, which has a 24" length and no irons.

Neither cartridge has much of a future for non-handloaders. As a handloader, I'll take the .338RCM in the Ruger Hawkeye package over the .325 WSM in the Kimber Montana package - without hesitation.

7mm WSM no doubt.

Thanks for digging that old post up and helping me prove my point.

The search feature is your friend. Unfortunately there is little that can be done to improve your reading comprehension or, apparently, your lack of good memory.

Three years ago I borrowed my 325WSM to my buddy after I tagged out on my cow and he fell, knocking his scope all to hell. He punched a cow the next day with a 200gr Partition at 265. He liked the rifle/load so much he bought it and shot his third cow two weeks ago in her bed at 140. That is four cows for two guys in three years. Not a lot of meat damage either. That Kimber Montana is going no where but back in his safe.

I remember you frothing at the mouth over a cartridge with no future life and little practical advantage.

Was I wrong?

Yes. It only happened in your imagination.

That's weird because you posted a link to a thread where you were doing just that.

I hope your kids figure it out soon and call the men in white coats to come pick you up.

What I wrote in that thread is called 'damning with faint praise'. Big difference from 'gushing' or 'frothing at the mouth' but I really don't expect you to get the difference.

What interests me about the .338RCM is the performance from the 20" Ruger package. Being a handloader the, if I were to purchase one I'd also buy a lifetime supply of brass, as I've recommended to others. Any non-handloader that buys one needs to know that ammo could be a big problem.

But, even though I handload, I haven't purchased one because of multiple problems, with brass availability and cost being a big one but reduced performance from the .338WM being another. According to Hodgdon data, a 24" barreled .338RCM would get 100fps less than my 22" .338WM. A 20" barrel on the .338RCM would probably lose 200fps or more. Not really what I'm looking for.

Not sure of your point but plenty of guys neck down 300 WSM and then fire form it for 7 WSM.

I'd rebarrel to 300 WSM (or 7mm WSM) with a custom contour that mimmicks the factory tube, but mic's .618" @ 22" but I'd run it out to 24" and whatever it mic's there. Probably around .610"

The 8400 Montana stock is ideal to soak up WSM recoil. The 8400's biggest fault is the no.1 contour it comes with from the factory.

I had the factory contour duplicated out to the end of the forearm and then tapered to .600 at the muzzle on my 7 SAUM, it balances well but it's not a Montana it's a classic.

I agree Brad's comment about 8400 stock, my 7WSM is so much nicer to shoot than the previous 7WSM 70 Classic shooting 162's or the 300WSM Extreme Weather shooting 155 Scenar's or 180's.

RDW,
What barrels did you use and who did the work?
Thanks!

In my opinion, the 300 wsm in Kimber Montana is the ultimate utility rifle. It has the horsepower to utilize a 200+ effectively, the 180-168s are pile drivers. If speed is the need, 150-130. The Montana soaks up recoil nicely, and is still light enough to hump in the mountains.

May not be the most glamorous, or have the highest BC bullets available, but based on the Montana platform is pretty hard to beat for NA hunting.

My point is caution...Not everyone is aware of the shoulder location differences for head spacing -
To avoid weakening the web and inducing the possibility of head separation, one should create a
false shoulder on the neck of 300wsm.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I seem to remember your calling the Hornady hotline after your RCM erection wouldn't subside after 4 hours.

Lilja and ITD for all three.

Or you could take the 300 WSM brass and neck it UP to 8mm and save the cost of the conversion.

Good point

Blame it on getting old if you want but your memory seems to be full of things that never happened. You're like the dumbocrats Reagan described when he said "It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so.”

But I doubt the first part of Reagan's statement that applies to you.

So you didn't get so excited about the RCMs that you called Hornady?

You said you remember me doing it but now you're confused? Kind of proves my point about you and what Reagan said about dumbocrats. But I'm not at all surprised.

No, I never called Hornady about any of the RCM cartridges. When thinking about building a .338-375 Ruger wildcat I did call them about custom dies and was quoted a price of $150. Since I wrote about doing so on this forum and that is the only time I've spoken with them, you are once again conflating things in your mind. In other words you are remembering things that never happened.

Take your meds.

You never called Hornady?

I can almost visualize you mouthing those words while Bill Clinton's voice is dubbed over.



You can find your original post right here:

Coyote Hunter Lied

What to do with a 325 WSM? Shoot the darn thing.........

Thank you for finding that - my mistake as I had completely forgotten about that call. It was in regard to the accuracy of Hornady's published .300RCM data, not the .338RCM which is the subject of the conversation here.

After reading the link you provided I do remember the call. Tim and I talked about the .300RCM data and he confirmed it was correct as published. The whole conversation was very short - probably no longer than a minute or so.

There is however, a pretty big difference between being mistaken and lying. While I made a mistake, I didn't lie. Lying requires intent, which was absent when I wrote the post. Not that I expect you to understand that.

Whew! Does that mean this pissing match is over? I sure hope so.

Part of me wants to troll a bit to get it rolling again just to see how long we can keep them going back and forth

Arguing with Coyote Hunter is one of my favorite pastimes, right behind hunting, fishing, and skiing.

I'm not sure what I'll do with my spare time if he concedes so easily.

Conceding nothing, but while you're in a funk wondering what to do, I'm in The Bahamas with very limited internet connectivity. And having a great time.

Just don't post any pics of you in a swimsuit and everyone will be ok

I want one for a 6.5SAUM.

Did one on a Win Mod 70 WSM EW and was very nice, but I sold it

The Montana 6.5SAUM would be very nice.

Cheers, Chris

It would be. I was eyeing a 270 WSM Montana on the used rack yesterday thinking it would make a dandy 6.5

I haven't read the thread so I apologize if I'm repeating stuff.

I had a .325 Montana that I had rebarreled to 7 WSM... a 7 WSM Montana is a very potent rifle, of that there can be no doubt. Recoil is manageable.

As you've noted, headstamped 7 WSM brass is rare and expensive. You'd need around 200-250 cases to get through a barrel. I think you could finangle that on Gunbroker for ~ $500-600.

Here's a couple other comparable options that at least have brass available. First would be 7 SAUM. Nosler/Norma are making it. Second would be 6.5 SAUM. Either neck down 7 SAUM, or else buy headstamped brass from GAP..... GAP has adopted the cartridge and is calling it 6.5 GAP 4s. Nosler brass won't be any cheaper than 7 WSM off Gunbroker, just easier and less drama. GAP brass is Hornady and is $165/100.

For what it's worth, my 7 WSM Montana has ~ 1000 rounds through the barrel, and so is well into middle age... which has me plotting the next move for it. IF WINCHESTER MAKES MORE 7 WSM, I'll probably do that again... I have the reamer. However, I think the highest and best use of a WSM Montana might be the 6.5 GAP... it'll match the drift of the 7 WSM, at significantly less recoil, and what won't it kill effectively that a 7 WSM will? That's my current thinking. I'm about to finish a 6.5 GAP build on a Rem 700.... so I'll have that reamer too......

On the brass front. My buddy just bought Winchester 270 WSM brass from normal internet channels at a normal price for WW brass. It's POSSIBLE Winchester/OLIN are running the WSM's again, which would mean sub-$50/bag WSM brass again..... That. Would. Be. Awesome.

i was thinking about buying one to do a 6.5, maybe the new hornady round, was wondering how the action feeds a saum case,,,

I assume it would run just as well. I've read that the new 147s at high speeds are fouling badly, however. 0.7bc at 3050 is amazing.

Premium ammo and components are also available, unlike the 7wsm.

Jeff, Olin just did a run of 7mm WSM brass last month. I picked up 3 bags locally for Dober at $40 a bag. Cabela's had it in stock for a while too at that price.

Thank you.

If you are going to rebarrel, then do the contour Brad suggested in the 6.5 SAUM Gap 4s. That will give you the best bullets in a nice package which would not recoil much.

Otherwise, you are gaining nearly nothing over lightish bullets in the 325. Just shoot it as it is.