I was thumbing through my new Rifle magazine (Jan issue) tonight, and scanning Dave Scovills "What`s new for 2008" I see a piece on the popularity of the WSM`s. The 300 is of course the king as to sales with not the 270 or 7MM as 2nd, but the 325 WSM. Scovill states a informal survey has one manufacture claiming the 325 is selling right along with the 30-06!
Is the old `06 becoming that jaded? Is there something about the 325WSM I haven`t reconized yet?

Joe the 325 WSM has the same miserable selection of bullets that the 8MM Remington Mag has and everyone says that caliber is dead. Compared to the real 8MM Mag it's performance is dismal.

Actually that isn't really the case and is a deceptive statement.

It's correct in that the 8mm Magnum declined partially because of limited bullet selection in the US though it's excellent in Europe and elsewhere. But with the developement of the 325 WSM we now have some superb new bullets in 8mm that work extremely well in the 325 WSM including the 180gr TSX, 200gr TSX and 200gr Accubond. You can't apply the same lack of bullet selection woes that hurt the 8mm Magnum to the 325 since excellent new bullets are now available for the 325. Maybe the 8mm Magnum will show a slight upsurge in popularity because of the new bullets.

What the 325 has over the 8mm Magnum is that is isn't quite too much of a good thing like the 8mm Magnum was. The 8mm was a very potent round but required a long magnum action and recoil was a little more than a lot of people cared for. The 325 fits into a now extremely common Short Magnum action and is in a more comfortable range recoil wise.
My Kimber 8400 325 WSM will shoot either the 200gr TSX or 200gr Accubonds into 1/2 MOA at about 2950 fps. The rifle weighs in at about 7.5lbs with scope yet still is in a controllable recoil range according to the dozen or so people I've let shoot it. Most people are quite surprised at how well the Kimber handles the recoil. There isn't any big game animal in the America's that I wouldn't feel comfortable hunting with the 200gr TSX at that velocity, as well as any African Game short of dangerous ones.
It's a great round with a little more umph than a regular 300 mag and is gaining popularity with shooters that are smart enough to give it a chance...............................DJ

Seems everyone I've spoke with on the fire about them really like the 325.When a few educated lonnies tell me it's a good round I've got to believe them.

Myself I hope it becomes more common.

I like mine!
200gr at 2900fps is alright, I guess...

Hmmmm, Maybe I should take a 2nd look.....

My take is it doesn't shine at anything that another caliber won't do better. But then its your money. As for the bullets well they are now also available for the 8MM Mag as well.

I really like my 8MM Mag with 220 Gr Sierra Gamekings at 3008 fps and my 200 Noslers Partitions and Accu-bonds at 3120 fps chronographed out of my 24" bbl. But its a nitche gun.

It`s a nice "nitch"!

What is the nitche??? It seems to me anything that could be hunted with a 300 mag or a 338 mag could be hunted with the 8mm mag (or the 325 WSM) and that makes for one very large nitche.

8mmwapiti

Here's too niche guns, otherwise we wouldn't have any assortment of calibers today:

We'd have the .257 roberts (doing anything the .243s, 6mm wildcats and standard niche guns would do).

We'd have the 6.5x55 7x57 & .270 (doing anything the .280, 7-08, 25-06, .308 and various .264 niche guns do).

We'd have the .30-30, 30-06 and the .300 H&H (doing everything all the .30s and 8mm nich guns can do).

The .35 remington and.350 Rigby did all that the .338 and .358 shorties or mags do.

The .375 H&H would be there on the bigger end. A .222 and .220 swift on the small end. Who needs anything else?

I like my 8x57 better than the .308, my .260 and 6.5x55 better than the .270. I do have an 06, but like the .300 Win and 7RM just as well. I liked the .338x300 I carried in BC and the .335 OTTR I have in a pistol now. My.257 AI is awesome as is my .223 and .204s (plural). I can't wait to get a .243 heavy barrel for long range varmints and targets. Niches are why we have so many differnt calibers to choose from.

NICHE GUNS RULE!

There is "NO WAY" the 325WSM is out selling the 270WSM. I believe that Dave Scovill printed what he was told. The manufacturers quote was intended to sell un-sold rifles the distributors or dealers don't want because of a lack of shooter demand.

Dave Scovill with his industry involvement should know that a 8MM bore diameter is not going to out sell a 270 bore diameter...regardless what the case shape may be.

Doc

Well in our State Washington you know the only thing that takes a gun that large are LR Elk, bear and moose if you ever get lucky enough to get drawn. So it seldomly gets used and at times it goes along as a backup gun. That's why for me it's a nitche gun. I feel other types of hunting really don't require that much brute power. But on the other hand I don't believe in 22's for humane hunting of deer size game.

Really? And the factuual basis for your claim is ... what?

Emotion, personal preferences and wishful thinking don't count...

The statement the .325 is second most popular surprised me. Pretty much all other references I have read in the rags was that the .300 WSM is #1, with .270 a fair bit back at second, and the 7mm & 325 not taking off at all. Of course, Dave Scovill's article is most recent and maybe there was a rush on 325s in 07.

Lou

DJ,
Well said. I think it is a great round and is perfect in the Kimber Montana. For me it is the best of the 8's.
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Actually that isn't really the case and is a deceptive statement.

It's correct in that the 8mm Magnum declined partially because of limited bullet selection in the US though it's excellent in Europe and elsewhere. But with the developement of the 325 WSM we now have some superb new bullets in 8mm that work extremely well in the 325 WSM including the 180gr TSX, 200gr TSX and 200gr Accubond. You can't apply the same lack of bullet selection woes that hurt the 8mm Magnum to the 325 since excellent new bullets are now available for the 325. Maybe the 8mm Magnum will show a slight upsurge in popularity because of the new bullets.

What the 325 has over the 8mm Magnum is that is isn't quite too much of a good thing like the 8mm Magnum was. The 8mm was a very potent round but required a long magnum action and recoil was a little more than a lot of people cared for. The 325 fits into a now extremely common Short Magnum action and is in a more comfortable range recoil wise.
My Kimber 8400 325 WSM will shoot either the 200gr TSX or 200gr Accubonds into 1/2 MOA at about 2950 fps. The rifle weighs in at about 7.5lbs with scope yet still is in a controllable recoil range according to the dozen or so people I've let shoot it. Most people are quite surprised at how well the Kimber handles the recoil. There isn't any big game animal in the America's that I wouldn't feel comfortable hunting with the 200gr TSX at that velocity, as well as any African Game short of dangerous ones.
It's a great round with a little more umph than a regular 300 mag and is gaining popularity with shooters that are smart enough to give it a chance...............................DJ

I know this is a very old thread and my comment will be a necropost. But I love the 325 and often look to revive old threads. I agree with your comment. Also, if I were permitted I wouldn’t think twice about using a 325wsm on a Cape buffalo. A 220 grain Woodleigh or Swift Aframe would be quite effective on one(even other projectiles). Anyhow, I hope I don’t get too mocked by others for commenting on an old thread.lol

Personally I wish they got the 338wsm to perform the way they
wanted. I have a few 30-06 rifles and a 338wsm would have seemed a more practical and worthwhile jump. However, I ended up with two 325wsm rifles and love them. I can rationalize there is enough of a gain in performance (not much- lol) to have gotten the 325s. Besides, it’s always fun to have new rifles and the 325 motivated me to take up reloading.

Well I like the cartridge. Very versatile with handloading. Mild 150's through heavy 220's at good speeds!? Seems like a great hunting cartridge if you don't shoot past 500yd (which to me is unethical for unpracticed). There just needs to be more rifles or a new campaign to promote it... however the XPR and M70's are plenty fine. I complement mine with a 6.5 grendel for target / varmint / light game and a .22 for target / small / v. small game. In cases of overlap with the grendel I'll pick the 325 with proper load for added confidence ofc.

I would like to have one, don’t really need it.

I get that. If you have a 30-06 and 338 no need to buy one. Otherwise, 325 will cover 308 to 30-06 to 338 (*mostly). Means it's good by me.

The 300 WSM shoots the same bullet weights as 325 WSM to the same speeds. Considering the much better BC's and SD's of the 30 caliber bullets the 300 WSM outperforms 325 both near and far. The .013" larger bullet diameter is less than the thickness of a fingernail. That is why 325 WSM never caught on.

I venture to say there is a huge difference in popularity for the 325 WSM from 2008 to 2020. Without having sales data, I think it's safe to say the '06 has a commanding lead over the 325 WSM now lol. To me, it offers nothing over a 300 Win Mag or WSM shooting 200gr bullets at 2850fps or so.

Super awesome cartridge for those of us with lots of 8x57s, plenty of bullets from sps, and a love of good deals on M70's and Kimbers so chambered. Some day I hope to fire correctly head stamped ammo in mine. Maybe I'll splurge before it's rebarreled to 7WSM.

Ahh the 06 has a commanding lead over most cartridges- lol.

I own two 325wsm rifles. I made sure I got plenty of brass. So much that I could go through two or three more barrels. Besides, there is still brass out there for it. Great cartridge.Is it close to dead? Pretty much so. No matter to me. Also, Winchester still offers the XPR in 325wsm and do a run of ammo every so often if someone were willing to venture into it.
Quite a few custom ammo makers produce it too. It’s the only oddball cartridge I have in my collection. And I love it. On another note, 8mm has been around a long time. There are only a couple of cartridges with it’s renowned history. To have an 8mm magnum is to have a time tested caliber with ageless performance. A magnum only makes it better in some ways. People that own 325wsm rifles love them. There is so much more I could say but I’ll spare you.

Darn skippy! I have an idea that should I find another XPR on fire sale, to get it and cut it down to match .30-06 over 500 yards. But only if I find a smokin' deal.

I hunted elk many years with a 300 Win Mag/180 Nosler Partition and never had a problem. I then picked up a Browning BLR in 325 WSM because I wanted a lever action elk rifle. I've been using 180/200 TSX and 200 ABs, but haven't had a chance to shoot an elk yet. The only benefit I see over 300 or 338 mags is you get a shorter overall gun with the 325's short action (270 & 300 WSM too). That aside, using similar constructed bullets I don't think there is really any big different between 300, 325 and 338 mags (338 gets the nod if you need to load real heavy bullets).

I need to get some .325 WSM brass.... I havent even been thinking about it. I have two rifles, but only about 40 rounds of brass. Funny thing is, I was trying to get more brass for my 7.82 Patriot and found that it is $100 for 20 rounds of brass. Been thinking about getting a couple boxes of 20. While getting ready for the range today, I found 3 boxes of 20 rounds of brass I had bought years ago, back when it was $40 for 20... and saved. I had totally forgotten about it. I need to pick up some 325 and do the same thing.

When 325 brass was hard too find (too expensive), I bought 300 WSM brass, neck sized it and it worked fine.

@Oakster
As MOW mentions, you can neck up 300WSM brass if you feel like doing that. Maybe more manufacturer selection that way. Otherwise, there is Nosler, Bertram, and Winchester brass available in size 325 WSM.

I always see 325wsm on the internet. I haven’t looked close enough to see if it says “out of stock”. 300wsm brass would work fine too. Necking up .015 is no big deal. Winchester does a run every couple of years. I used to have no problem getting Nosler brass for it(expensive though). Not sure if they offer it any more. I also got some Bertram brass in 325. You could just pay up and get cartridges from an ammo maker. Double Tap, Hendershots,Wisconsin Cartridge, Selway and quite a few more. Hendershots is highly expensive but the others average
$62 for a box of 20. I had Double Tap make me 200 rounds. It was accurate ammo. Some cartridges are expensive to keep when they are not mainstream. It is what it is. 325wsm prompted me to finally take up reloading. Good luck. You should find enough on the internet.

Shot my first elk with the 325, a decent spike at ~400lb. Off-hand at 200 yards while he was steeply quartering away. I had tape over the muzzle so I think the POI shifted from where I wanted because it was checked later the next day. No matter... 200 AB went through the left pelvis at an angle, sailed over the stomach and intestines, evaporated the back half of the liver. Couldn't find the bullet but maybe it rattled around in the body cavity after that because there was no exit. Overall am very pleased with the performance. And I will never tape over the muzzle again (to keep out debris).

A former coworker swore by the 325 WSM for the elk hunting he did - I know he's shot quite a few elk with it. Based on his praise, when I found a used Kimber Classic 325 WSM a number of years ago, I bought it. I have shot it some with mixed results - likely more a Kimber roulette thing than the cartridge. I do like the rifle so have been toying with the idea of rebarreling to something else in either a 6.5 or 7mm short fat something. I just dropped it off with a gunsmith yesterday to have a 7mm SAUM barrel installed and am going to have a lot of 8mm bullets to sell in the near future (or acquire an 8x57 of some flavor ).

The 8mm Mauser has always been a good cartridge, equal to the .30-06 for practical purposes. The 325 should do everything it does, but the WSM's never caught on because they don't do anything meaningful that the old cartridges do not. The PRC's take a better shot at doing more things better, but I still think they don't make much difference for most people in most situations. If I still had my 8mm (7.92x57mm), I'd be set for life.

No one mentioned the 8mm 06

8mm 06 is a fine cartridge. The 325 flat out bests it. Hail the 8mm bore, overlooked because it was "German".

Loved my .325 since the day I first pulled the trigger on it. Shoots good, feels good. Bought it when it came out, because I didn't have one, not because ballistics couldn't be matched by something else. It's now one of my go to rifles, my 14 yo is currently pulling the trigger on it for off range oryx. He was apprehensive on range day, but after the first shot, "Not bad" and sent several more. My aspect to reloading is a bit different, I pick a bullet for a caliber and don't generally change up. I run 220's in the .325, 180's in my .300rsaum, and 125's in my 300win Sendero.....with that being the case my calibers don't cross unless something comes up that I require them too. Chance to add one to the collection, chances are you'll like it, plus you'll own another rifle😁

I bought one right after they came out with it. It's what launched me into reloading. I bought 4 bags of Winchester cases, 8 lbs of H4350, 1000 CCI Mag primers. Bullets have been no problem, in fact, every time we have a Dem in the WH I've been glad I'm shooting a 8MM. As far as it's performance goes I have no complaints. I shoot 200 Grain TSX bullets and put a load together for the 160 Grain TSX as well although I've never hunted with the 160s. I shot a nice bull at 200 yards who took 2 steps and dropped. The deer I've shot with it just flop. It kicks like hell though (9 lb gun). It really could use a brake. My 300 Win Mag with brake is tame compared to the 325.

Yes there is Winchester,Nosler and Bertram brass. I’ve accumulated all three brands. It is not all that hard to get. A little pricey but attainable. Winchester is the easiest to come by.

I know a lot of hunters and shooters across the country and I only personally know 1 person that owns a 325 WSM and I don't think that he hunts with the 325.

I have two 8x57, two 8mm rem mag and a 325wsm. The 325 is a tremendous offering in my opinion. Recoil is minimal for the performance.

I put brakes on both my 325s. 5 1/2 lb. and a 6 1/2lb. rifles, shooting 220gr bullets, producing 35 ft.lbs.of recoil energy, really made me appreciate brakes. A bit loud, but testing loads and drops from the bench are more tolerable now.

I can't comment on the sales, efficiency, or popularity of the 325wsm as I have no experience. I do know that when the 325wsm came onto the scene that it was a shot in the arm for those of us who enjoy shooting our 8mm niche rifles. I have a modern action 8x57 and the bullet selection (while small) is better than its ever been. Suffice it to say that the 170gr Hornady SST has turned my 8x57 into a bad mama jama of a deer rifle.

I agree. I thoroughly love the 8mm caliber.

I jumped on the 325 WSM not long after it came out. Have enjoyed hunting with it, and it drops pretty much everything like the Hammer of Thor hits it. I know it's WAY overpowered for whitetail, but it's nice to have that power when a 300+ lb feral hog wanders up.

Hornady 195gr Interlocks, 200gr Accubonds, and 220gr GameKings all work well here.

I like the cartridge. Many cartridges duplicate out of the barrel bullet performance.
I cannot see a .323 diameter 200 grain TSX at 2800-2950 FPS lacking for performance on hoofed game in North America. Same could be said for the 220 grain Swift A-Frame at 2750- 2800 plus FPS. At least for the distances that I shoot, these would work.

A 200 grain 8mm swift AFrame moving 2750 will kill anything on this planet. You can bank on that.

I’d like to get a 700 in 8 mag. I’d be the only guy in deer camp with one.

Unpopular cartridges with low sales here in the states have their advantages. And yes, you’d likely have the only one in camp which is kinda cool when your buddies aren’t in the mood to mock you. When I show up with one my 325 wizzums at camp or at the range, some have a stymied expression after they ask. But it’s the fact that it draws their attention in the first place that makes it stand out. When they see that short beefy cartridge they just can’t resist their curiosity and start asking questions. Happens every time I load and shoot one at the range. After I put brakes on mine, I’ve noticed the benches on either side of me end up empty after I shoot a bunch-lol. Apparently the blast is too much for some. Practical cartridge? Not really. Awesome performance? Pretty much so. Kool factor? Definitely so.