The 325 WSM is much more akin to the 338-06 than it is the 338 Win. Mag. I too have a friend with a 325 that bought into the hype and after careful load development and shooting factory fodder overy my chrony he now doesn't believe the hype. Velocity from factory ammo ran about 100 fps short of the advertised velocity with 200 gr. AccuBonds. The rifle is a Browning A-Bolt with 23" barrel. Even going to handloads and using different powders with MAGPRO producing the best velocity/accuracy 2950 fps wasn't attainable. In my experience you can attain higher velocities with the 300 Win. Mag. and 200 gr. Nosler Partitions than you can 200 gr. AcccuBonds in the 325 WSM. I've also seen a couple of magazine articles on the 325 and their findings were about the same 2850 fps with 200 gr. bullets and 2650 with 220 gr. loads.

So, I would definitely suggest a 338 Win. Mag. factory ammo is easily found in most areas. There are many more bullets styles and weights available and the 338 doesn't seem to be too finicky when it comes to handloading. If your pal doesn't like the 26" barrel on the Browning chop it down to 24" and you will still have more velocity than the 325 will produce. One thing I know of first hand is that the 338 with a 250 gr. pill will anchor even the largest bears on the North American continent.