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

Realistically, how much velocity will you gain by rechambering from .300 RCM to .300 WSM? Just curious...

Dennis

Dennis,

it s just because i love the 300 wsm not velocity in mind that s just me.

"338 RCM vs 325 WSM"

This should have never become an option for a debatable topic between a pair of factory offerings.

What clearly happened here is that Winchester dropped the ball by not giving us the 338 WSM.

The reasoning; "Because it wouldn't quite match the ballistics of the 338 Winchester Magnum."

So..... the 323 WSM does ? Hardly..!

I can tell you first hand, If Winchester wanted to equal (or exceed) the ballistics of the 338 Winchester Magnum they could have given us a 358-WSM.


I tip my hat to Ruger/Hornady for having the balls to give us a smart and well designed cartridge case in which to load .338" bullets.

I don't care about all the marketing hype behind the cartridge as though it's supposed to closely duplicate the 338 Win. Mag. It won't, and it doesn't have to... I could care less.

The fact that with simple hand loads it will equal the same energies as my 35 Whelen, (and do so with same weight bullets having a slightly higher S.D.)is all I need to know.

Combine that with the handy package that Ruger is building to chamber this round in and that right there is enough for me to send the Winchester "wanna be" with it's little 8mm ball back home.

Long live the 338 RCM..!

Can't say it better myself... .

(Not that I don't dearly love my .35 Whelen too...!)

Dennis

There is not much difference but I belive of thetwo I would pick the 325 wsm. But I like the 338-06 better than either.

I'm glad we all can agree the 325WSM is the best!

Isn't agreement GRAND!

Hey Randy- putting a new scope on my .325 Montana... ordered a 3-10x42 Swarovski AV. It is one of the few "light" scopes out there other than Leup.

RCM for me

Very nice Jeff! Real Estate must be doing good in Oregon....

I don't own either but when brass and dies for the .338 RCM show up here I'll be buying a Lil'l Ruger to feed...

Nothing wrong with the .325 if that's what turns your crank..

I'm sure there are at least three or four who do... .


I am not one of them, however, and neither are any people I know... .

Dennis

Dennis,

I'm on your side-and I have the experience (and Rifle) that counts.
Assenbling some 338 RCM as I write. Prolly be a pretty cold day in hell for me to think that the 325 would ever be better or kill anything deader.

Nothing wrong with the .325 if that's what turns your crank.. [/quote]


My "Crank" is a 358-WSM, and that scrawny necked case is what I use for a handle. Lol..!

My "Crank" is a 358-WSM, and that scrawny necked case is what I use for a handle. Lol..!
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.35 anything is crank turning for me as long as it doesn't have a belted case. Just rolling some cast in paper tonight for my .35 Whelen.. Await'n for them to dry..

No brainer, the 325WSM gets my vote.

Why the 325WSM? Firstly, you have various brands, models and types of rifles to choose from. Secondly, you have a great array of factory cartridges that are loaded with some of the most respected hunting bullets on the planet � these will handle any medium and large game requirements. Equally important, there are more than enough projectiles for hand loading to choose from. These will handle virtually any game animal with the exception of some dangerous game species.

Hey folks, my first post here. (Cherry officially popped)The name is Mark, and I am 358wsm's brother. I am currently in Afghanistan making some money and saving some bucks (both financially AND because I can't be in the woods.....lucky bucks). As such, I have had the time (craploads of time) to study and research, compare and contrast every medium bore out there.

I already own a 7mmWSM in a model 16 Savage and seriously thought about simply slapping a 325 barrel on it. Cheap instant mid bore. Then I started thinking about what I would really use this for. See, I grew up in Upstate NY which presents you with every shooting scenario you can imagine. From long fields to thick timber. From small doe whitetails, to big black bears. Then I ended up in Alabama, where we have deer and pigs. I have a gorgeous .300 Savage in an original Savage 99F. It's more than adequate for anything I'd hunt in either place. So, really, no need for a mid bore.

So, why am I in this conversation? I'm bored. Did I mention that I'm in Afghanistan!? My family likes to make excursions to Newfoundland to get us some moose meat each year. This is why I bought the 7mmWSM. Back when I bought it, I was a fan of the high speed little balls (hold your jokes). I have since then looked back over my hunting experiences and recall the difference in a whitetail I shot with my 300 using a 130gr hornady doing 3000fps and a whitetail I saw shot with a 12ga slug. Both at very similar ranges and both in the "pocket".
My 300 caused a significant amount of hydrostatic shock and destroyed some of the shoulder meat (lots of it actually) and the 12ga just bore a nice fat hole through it. Needless to say, I'm a fan of fat and slow inertia now.

Given all that, as a reloader, and somebody that wants a nice short carbine like gun that can be adequate for the large Alaskan bruins but not too much for a small whitetail. I simply cannot find ANY 325WSM rifle out there that can hold a torch to the already available Ruger Hawkeye Compact Magnum. So, yes, the rifle availability is what has sold me on this. Now, to seal the deal, I started researching bullets, as I am a reloader.

Comparing BC's, and SD,s as well as availability of a box of 338 balls over a box of 325 balls in stores, the numbers favor the 338 lead and copper.

All that to say, even though I have the money to make a custom rifle of any sort, I can't have anything made that can be enough of an improvement over the RCM rifle to warrant spending it.

The 338 RCM in the Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact Magnum is simply the most complete all around all purpose North American big game factory rifle combination available on the market today, AND is rather difficult to out do in a custom build without breaking the bank to get very minor advantages out of. It is also the rifle I will be buying as soon as I get home.

To each their own, happy shooting folks!

Thats what I did simply because I like the Kimber Montana a little better (just a little) than I like the Ruger Hawkeye. Otherwise its a draw. They are both near perfect calibers and rifles for what I love to do....rough country muleys and elk.

We are SO spoiled these days when it comes to this stuff. Love it.

I just took my hawkeye SS 338 rcm out to the range to check it for spring bear. First shot cold bore was exactly centered and 2" hight at 100 yards, right were I sighted it in last year before carrying it around the hills all fall. Next two in about the same spot make a 3 shot group just a hair over 1". Next round throught the chrony at 2656 fps just like last year. I'm loading 225g interbonds over RL15 and I'm running them fairly hot. Another half grain and bolt lift got a little sticky.

I have shot better groups with different bullets and powders but 1" seems good enough to me for this gun. The thing I like about it is that it is consistant. I'll take a gun that consistanly shoots 1" to the same place over one that does an occasional 1/2" and walks around.

The little rifle with its VX III 2.5-8 is proving itself as a combo I can count on. I'd like to take it to texas and practice on some wild hogs.

Bb

.338 RCM kills pigs real nicely in Texas...







Lots of fun and a great rifle for it. I suspect it will actually kill pigs in any state that has them... ...

Dennis