Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 338 RCM vs 325 WSM

... excepting, of course, the state of delusion.

(See posts by .325 fans).

Yes, of course...there is that...

Dennis

338RCM only in the Ruger compact hawkeye package.


325wsm only in a straight grip take down BLR.

Seen a couple of misquotes here regarding .325 WSM velocity. The 220s can do mid 2800s. I developed a load with both 220 Sierras and 220 A Frames and RL 17 that averages 2850, which I believe is what the factory loads are supposed to do (although I clocked them at just under 2800).
As has been said, does it matter? I don't know, but since we're arguing over little differences, might as well get the facts straight.
Can you handload 225 grain .338 RCMs to those velocities without double secret probation magic squirrel sniper powders? Not according to Hodgdon, Hornady, or the loads I've seen posted here. And remember, the WSM case has greater capacity than the RCM case. So it should stand to reason that it has a little more velocity potential when all else is equal.
Does that make either one better? Up to you.

In the interest of full disclosure, you might actually also point out that the .325 was intentionally misnamed to make it sound larger than it is after Winchester gave up on development of a 338 WSM. (Note: Chuck Hawks claims they "failed" in the attempt). The .325 WSM actually measures .315 and should be named the 315 WSM, but I suppose they didn't really like the sound of that.

"All else," as it turns out, isn't equal at all.

8mm bullets (in the WSM and other modern 8mm's) are .323 in diameter.

Huh?

K_W what did you measure? Outside rifle land to outside rifle land in the barrel bore? That's like calling a .308 bullet ".298" .

Per Chuck Hawks: "In the same class as the .300 short magnums is the .325 WSM. This cartridge came about as the result of a failed attempt to create a .338 WSM. The .325 WSM is intentionally misnamed to make it sound bigger than it is. It actually has a .315" bore diameter and should have been named the .315 WSM. It is an 8mm cartridge and its performance is nearly identical to that of the .300 WSM. "

The .325 wsm fires the same .323 diameter bullets that the 8mm Mauser and 8mm Remington Mag do. Calling it the .325 is not misleading, or at least any more so than the .340 Weatherby name is. Personally, I feel that the .325 wsm is best of the wsm bunch. But then again, I do like 8mms. To say that the .338 RCM is vastly superior to the .325 is silly, but then again we are gun loonies around here.

I'm guessing that this may be the new .270 vs .280 arguement.

Wise words.

I hope this doesn't mean we have to exhume O'Connor...

Man that thing is ugly....pig isn't very pretty either!

Can't wait to get my rifle back from Ruger. Brass dies and a lot of .338 bullets dateing all the way back to the 60's. Just need a rifle.

LC

[bleep] no, it isn't. I'm getting killed! It's brutal. I'm not spending much "new" money on gun stuff this year.

The Swaro AV I got, was "only" $799 on closeout at Natchez. I sold two Leupold 2.5-8's and Alumina covers and got $775 out of them... so that covered it.


It's a Very Nice Scope. The Swaro 3-9x36's that Doug has had for $679 would be another good one on a Kimber, though his have that wonky #4 reticle.

The only real knock on the .325 is the bullet selection. There's everything you need... UNLESS what you want is a very high BC bullet for very long range stuff. In that regard, the 8mm bullets fall short- at least the ones I'm aware of... which I think is most of 'em but if there's a good, high-BC 8mm hunting bullet I'm not aware of, it'd make my day to be corrected!

The best there is is probably the 220 Sierra. BC .520 I think.

Just checked .520 for the 200 grain Matchking and .521 for the 220 Gameking

You can hunt with Sierras?!

one or two folks may have killed one or two animals in the past with them

Jeff, you need to open that .323 up to .358 and quit messing around...

I tried a little RL 17 in mine Saturday...

...seems my gun likes about 72 grains of it under a 250.

Now, I know you guys are getting into B.C. numbers and all that, and that my little 250 grain Nosler Partition only has a .446 B.C.

But... 2803 fps average kinda makes up for it <grin>