I have shot both and can't say I noticed a big difference in recoil with those guns but recoil isvery subjective. I'd say bothreport more then a win mag but not a scary amount more, so if you can handle a 300 wm you should be able to handle either of these cartridges.

As to which one is better, well for me the "lack" of .323/8mm bullets makes the 325wsm a very distant second, even as a reloader.

8mm cartridges never faired well in this country for some reason. Look at the 8mm Mauser or the 8mm Rem Mag. Both of these cartridges are good game getters. Bullets for the 8mm can be had in weights ranging from 150 gr to 220 gr by Nolser, Speer, Hornady and Barnes. Bullets for the 338 can be had from 180 - 250 gr from the same manufacturers.
The 338 is a fine cartridge and has a reputation as an excellent game anchorer. Yes, you can get more factory loadings for this chambering but its not the only game in town. The 325WSM with proper bullet selection, will more than likely drop an animal just as well as the 338 provided everything else is equal like shot placement, bullet selection, etc.
Will the WSMs stay around? Only time will tell. These cartridges are still pups yet compared to the time tested 300 mags, 338 mag etc. We can't kill them until we have to given them time to go through their paces and see how they perform. And the only way to do that is to listen to people who have used them & relate how they performed. Paper ballistics are fine but nothing compares to actual field observation.

I agree I don't seethe 270 and 300WSM dying either...
In fact Nosler uses the 300WSM to test fire the heavier (180gr.-up)30cal bullets for accuracy, cause it shoots almost as accurate as what a .308 shoots with 150 and 165gr.
I know 3 people who have purchased this cal. and 2 moreseriously looking at purchasing the .325 WSM for a high country packing firearm when they go after moose elk deer bear cause the don't feel like carry a heavier .338 cal 5miles uphill anymore....

Everytime I go to sportsmans warehouse, about 75% of the rifles in stock are in a WSM caliber.

It's annoying because I don't want to buy any of them...

In my area, the short mags are selling. Especially the 270wsm and 300wsm. Many hunters I'm in conversation with have purchased a WSM calibers when buying a new hunting rifle. Ammo is in wally world so I think this is an indicator.

As for the 338, this is a great caliber.......the 325 performance wise in about the same but comes in a lighter package and I believe a little less recoil. I've fired both and the 338 hit mealittle harder. I like a short action bolt. Ammo in the 325 is harder to come buy but I went to Gander, Cabelas, my local gun shops and they all carried 325's

If I everanother rifle it will be the .325. It has pretty muchthe same ballastics of the .300 with a heavier bullet. The .338 is a great round but I like more compact rifles for hunting in thick brush.

As others have said, the sales of the WSMs are acctually doing quite well in sales in my part of the world. I sell guns for a living, along with working on and setting up bows. The 270 WSM is acctually gaining momentum, the 300 WSM has been a steady good seller since it came out. The 7mm WSM was in my opinion the second best WSM developed (second the 300), but it has sadly not caught on very well.

As to the recoil: If you have ever shot a 270 and a 30-06 in the same rifle, that is about the difference in the 300 WSM and the 300 WM as well as the 325 and the 338. Its not much, though it is noticable.

Personally, I think the 330 Dakota absolutely trumps both of them in on target performance. There really isn't anything on this earth I wouldn't hunt with a 330 Dakota were it legal in certain areas on certain game. Recoil wise, though the blast is more substantial, the recoil in my opinion was no more than a 300 WSM, and really not as much as some 300 WMs I have shot. This of course is depenant entirely on the rifle. The 97 Long Range Dakota I had for a while was very easy on the shoulder, though they are certainly more expensive than most rifles chambered in 338 or 325.

I just bought a 325wsm BLR and it kicks the s**t out of my 338 Abolt weight action and length. There is no noticable diff. in accuracy either. Go with 325wsm you can not loose.

I have shot both and I do feel a difference, but I prefer my .338 WM anf the guy I know that has the .325WSM...is thinking of getting rid of it.

The 270wsm came out of the gate flying here and is still selling well. 300 is doing very well also. People around here love 270's so the wsm was a natural.