Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Which 325 WSM load for Elk w/ x-bolt

Bought a new Browning Xbolt 325 WSM Stainless Stalker for Elk hunting and will be going for my first time this fall. Sure could use some advise on what load has worked well with this gun. 180-200 wt load best? I know different loads work better/worst in different guns. Would like a load I can consistently shoot around 300yards. I am not a reloader. Any help sure would be appreciated. Thanks. Rick

Buy a couple boxes of different wieght and brand bullets.Use the heaviest bullet YOUR gun shoots best

Since you don't reload I'd try some factory 200-grain Accubond's.

I killed two elk with a .325 shooting 200-gn Accubond handloads. I was very satisfied with the bullet's performance. I also shot through a deer lengthwise, through the hip joint no less, at close range and the bullet held together and retained 70% of it's weight.

I'd give the factory AB load a try, and if it shoots in your rifle, use it!

You bought a fine Elk rifle. I saw a Moose shot in Newfoundland with the 325. In one side, out the other diagonally front shoulder to ribs. Factory Win. ammo. I don't know what weight the bullet was. The suggestions about 200gr Accubond seem to be right on. It has a great reputation. Good hunting.

Jeff,

What speed are you getting with those 200gr Accubonds? What powder are you using?

You certainly did! It's light, handy & business like.

200gr Accubond would be a superb choice.

2925 fps, H4350, SAAMI spec for OAL, F215 primer, Winchester brass.

I'm running a little over book max. Primers are nice and flat; none of that sassy rounded bidness.

If you want the exact load, I'll have to get the powder weight tomorrow. I don't want to wake up my wife. Memory says 66.5 grains. Again, that's over book max so the standard disclaimers apply. However, the same load does work safely in both my .325's.

Very keen also to find out about that EXACT load. Cheers

I checked, memory did serve this once. 66.5 grains H4350.

Again, that's a bit over book, I think, so work up to it watching for problems yada yada yada.

FWIW the same powder charge delivers almost 2950 fps with a 200-TSX, which would be another excellent choice I'd think. They sure shoot well from my .325's, as does the 180-TSX at pushing 3100 fps.

The 200-Partition is another one that shoots great for me and would be great for elks.

And finally, there's a 195-gn Hornady that I use for cheaper practice. The other great practice bullet that shoots well (.75 moa) in my .325's is the 175 Sierra. I run it at 30-06 power- around 2800 fps- and recoil is very mild. Different POI than the others unfortunatly. The 195 Horn is nicer that way.

Jeff,

You will put your eye out.

JM

In the early days of .325 WSM, when I bought my first one, there was NO official loading data out there. None. On top of that, we had Winchester over-inflating what the cartridge would do. So guys were chasing velocity, big time, and there was some pretty... adventurous loads floating around the net. There was one that scared the [bleep] out of me... and I'd backed down 3 grains from what the guy had said!

I don't like posting over-book loads but I'm a believer in posting the particulars of a load, if I pimp it. Pretty lame to make claims about a load then refuse to post details IMHO (that's a reference to a poster and thread that might have been before you joined here).

Like that RL7 load I mentioned for .358. If you get one, and run 200's, you gotta try it...

Jeff,

Did you run that load over a chronograph, or are you just estimating that speed with that powder.. I can't seem to get your load to match up with what QL is telling me. To get that speed you are saying, you'd have to be running some higher pressure than I'm comfortable with. Assuming it out of a 23" Kimber Montana.. That being said, have you tried RL17?

I'm just curious as I'm contemplating a 325wsm.

Regarding the original poster's request, don't forget about the 220 Power Point, it's decent bullet, great sectional density, and better priced than the Accubonds and XP3.
I handload (or did until a few weeks ago when he set up his own load bench) for a buddy's .325. With RL17, I'm hitting 2850 with 220 grain Swift A-Frames. 64 grains of it by the way. Been thinking about getting one of my own. The practice/antelope loads are 150 Speers at 3300 with Big Game, RL17 will take it to 3340, but not as accurate.

Have a buddy who shot a large Russian brown bear with the .325 and the factory 200 gr. Accubonds, no fuss at all. They were also the load that shot the best in his rifle.

I shoot the factory Winchester 200gr Accubonds out of mine (as you know is the same gun).

I may have told you that I have a Leupold VX-III 3.5-10x50 with the B&C reticle. The 300 yard and 400 yard marks are almost perfectly located for this cartidge/bullet combo. I guess I would rather be lucky than good.

Considering the range and field performance so far, I don't think I will even dabble in others.

Hopefully you will have good luck with whatever you chose.

That's over a Chrony, multiple times... I do believe my chrono is reasonably calibrated to reality because other loads & cartridges come in about where you'd expect (IE, a little under "book" speeds).

Uh... what pressure is QL kicking out? Do I even wanna know?

WSM Montanas are a 24" barrel BTW...

I have not yet tried RL17. I want to. I've been having to ration my shooting money a little this last year. I have not really been pursuing new loads.

I wouldn't throw an Xbolt at an elk...grins

I have a 2.5-8 with the Boone & Crocket reticle. I concur, with the 200-gn Accubond it lines up perfectly out to 500 yds.

My Montana wsm is 23", fwiw..

I'd have to know coal and h20 capacity to tell you what pressure you are running. I run a few wsm rifles hard, and my primers are still round, fwiw.