.325 wsm vs .338 win mag

brenden1669

brenden1669

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I am buying a winchester extreme conditions rifle, either in ,325 wsm or .338 win mag, ive exhausted my comparing, so i just want everyone elses opionion on witch is the ultimate cartridge, i will use it for moose, elk, bear,etc... maybe deer with a 160 ttsx, anyway lets hear your opinions and ideas...
:ar15:

THANKS A BUNCH
 
It would probably be hard to go wrong with either. A person could debate whether or not the 325 is going to stick around, while the 338 isn't going anywhere. The 338 offers bigger, heavier bullets, so that's where my vote would go.
 
brenden1669 said:
I am buying a winchester extreme conditions rifle, either in ,325 wsm or .338 win mag, ive exhausted my comparing, so i just want everyone elses opionion on witch is the ultimate cartridge, i will use it for moose, elk, bear,etc... maybe deer with a 160 ttsx, anyway lets hear your opinions and ideas...
:ar15:

THANKS A BUNCH
Click to expand...

I own a win md 70 super shadow in 325wsm,and have never shot a 338 win mag. but I bought the wsm because it's light (under 7 lbs) it has moderate recoil and ballistically it's close to a 338 and shoots flatter.Everyone I talked to and everything I read said if you buy a 338 ,don't get one that weighs less than 9 lbs because it's no fun to shoot.I love my 325 and it's very accurate right out of the box,easy to pack also. that's my two cents anyway.
 
both will kill anything in North America dead with one well placed shot. recoil, ballistics, and cost to reload are similar. the 8mm is just inherently cooler ;)

I went with the .325 :)
 
Scott_N said:
It would probably be hard to go wrong with either. A person could debate whether or not the 325 is going to stick around, while the 338 isn't going anywhere. The 338 offers bigger, heavier bullets, so that's where my vote would go.
Click to expand...

Can't argue with that. As much as I like odd ball cartridge, I would go with the .338 Win Mag.
 
I would choose the .338WM. Less expensive ammo if you don't reload, greater bullet selection if you do. More versatile due to greater selection of bullets (160gr up to 300gr bullets). Great classic all around cartridge. Recoil?? Depends pretty much on the rifle I think. My hunting partner swears his sons .325WSM in a Browning A Bolt whacks way harder than his M70 in .338WM. What do I know, I shoot a .35 Whelen AI:redface:
 
The 338 hands down, more bullet choice,more case capacity,easy to find factory ammo.
the 338 will handle 250gr bullets and heavier.I see the 325 as a competion to the 300's more than the 338 win.
 
well

ok i think i have decided .338 win mag, i know .325 is inherently COOLER, but .338 seem more multi purpose, at the end of the day both of them do the same job, and the .338 is in stock where i want to buy it:D. .325 is 6 weeks away.

thanks for the input



QUOTE=brenden1669;5626583]I am buying a winchester extreme conditions rifle, either in ,325 wsm or .338 win mag, ive exhausted my comparing, so i just want everyone elses opionion on witch is the ultimate cartridge, i will use it for moose, elk, bear,etc... maybe deer with a 160 ttsx, anyway lets hear your opinions and ideas...
:ar15:

THANKS A BUNCH[/QUOTE]
 
I just finished typing out my in-depth reason I grab my .338 WM before my .325 WSM (yes, I own both). If you want to read it, look in the thread "WSM's-which one"
 
I'm also thinking of getting either a 325WSM or a 338 Win Mag.
325WSM:
pros
1) more accurate of the 2 (short action),
2) lighter rifle (short action),
2) less recoil.
cons
1) difficult to find ammo,
2) fewer 8mm bullets

338Win Mag:
pros
1) extremely powerful at long range (better than 375 H&H!),
2) very accurate,
3) easy to find ammo,
4) huge selection of bullets
cons
1) massive recoil,
2) heavier, less accurate (long action)

When I consider all of these pros and cons, it's clear to me that 338 Win Mag is the winner.
Give me easy to find ammo, and a greater bullet selection and 325WSM would be the winner.

Alex
 
To me the only choice is whether you want a short action (325) or long action (338). They'll both do the same job. If I didn't reload, I'd go 338 win mag based on widespread factory ammo availability.
 
AlexF said:
1) extremely powerful at long range (better than 375 H&H!),
2) less accurate (long action)
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How do you figure that? Accuracy (outside of the operator) is purely a function of the rifle, and the difference between a short and long action is so negligible that it is not worth considering.

The weight difference is also negliglible, 4 oz actually, in a factory winchester. If you trimmed the extra 2 " of barrel that they put on the 338, things would be pretty tight.


Now, the power thing.

You may think you are making a fair comparison by compairing the heaviest 338 bullets with the lightest 375 bullets, at 250 gr, but that is wrong. You are comparing a short for caliber bullet with a long for caliber bullet, which adds up to a major difference in ballistic coefficient. Compare a 250 gr 338 with a 300 gr 375, or a 180 gr 338 with a 260 gr 375, and you will see the real difference.
 
I can not understand hunting with these canons. What turns people onto these. I have shot 375 H&H 300WM. but have never felt the need to take one out hunting. I have taken Moose Deer and Bison all with a 30 06 and never did I feel under powered. I did move up to a 7m Rem Mag 5 years ago but only because I wanted to try some longer distances.

So what don't I understand?
 
steve62 said:
I can not understand hunting with these canons. What turns people onto these. I have shot 375 H&H 300WM. but have never felt the need to take one out hunting. I have taken Moose Deer and Bison all with a 30 06 and never did I feel under powered. I did move up to a 7m Rem Mag 5 years ago but only because I wanted to try some longer distances.

So what don't I understand?
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You can hunt everything with a 30-06 and 180 grs. You can also drive everywhere in a K-car. Some of us like shooting the big guns, some don't. That is really it.
 
As mention you should stick with the .338 instead of the .325. The life of the .325, along with the .270/7mm WSM won't be long. So unless you want to be stuck forming brass and reloading, or stock piling reloading supplies or factory ammo for the next 50 years I'd stick with the .338.
 
As others have said they will both do the job on anything in North America - as will other cartridges.

With all due respect I don't buy that the 325 is flatter shooting, or more accurate, or kicks much different than it's bigger brother. Factors like these will be more rifle and shooter dependent than on the respective cartridges.

Things that are true for the 338: there are a lot more bullets available, there are more loaded cartridges available, and it has a higher probability of being around in the future.
 
i ve shot both and there is less recoil in the 325 wsm that s physic. less velocity, less powder ...

both rifles i shot were winchester model 70 one in extreme weather in 325 wsm the other in sporster with longer barrel in 338 win mag.

i ve shot too a BLR in 325 wsm that was a little more over a 308 but not that bad at all ...

i ll say more a 8x64S or 8x68S than a 338 win mag but still a very good caliber.
 
I love the .325
1- it has given me a much broader ranger of bullets for my 8mm mauser.
2- I personaly watched a guy shoot a 3 shot 1/4" group with a kimber .325 @ 300 meters & his shoulder was just fine.I hope it stays around just to make my 8mm more fun.
 
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