.325wsm vs .338winmag
 

Those that have shot these two calibers. Is there a noticable difference in the recoil?
Thanks

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

I'll bet in 5 years you can't get ammo or brass for the .325[8mm Short Mag] Why do they continue to re-invent the wheel?The .338 is established and proven..................Harold

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

DK - I son't know why guys like Pioneer try to condem new cartridges. I bet he owns a .338 and he probably loves it. It IS a great cartridge and like he said, a proven one. But with the newer propellants being designed you can get equal performance from smaller cases than in the past. That, and the firearms/ammo companies do develop new cartridges sometimes jus to boost sales. Look at the 30 T/C. Another similar 308 sized cartridge.
Anyway, as for your question, I know the 338 recoils more than the 300 Win Mag which I had and my 325WSM recoils about the same as my 300 Win Mag did. And my 325 is in a much lighter Browning Micro Hunter as opposed to the heavy Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag. So all othere things being equal, I would say the 338 kicks more than the 325. But each rifle has a different felt recoil. Even rifles of the same model and cal. Some things you can do to change reduce felt recoil is to put a recoil reducer on your rifle or a different butt pad like one from limbsaver.
Remember, felt recoil is different than actual recoil. Actual recoil is a law of physics and can't be changed. Felt recoil can be altered by stock design, recoil pads, etc.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

bronko,

It's kind of like the ".243 Winchester/6mm Remington."The 6mm is actually superior to the .243, especially from a reloader's perspective, but the .243 hit the market BIG well before the kinks got worked out of the 6mm.The .338 is so WELL-ESTABLISHED (i.e. you can buy ammo for it just about anywhere in the world), that any competitive cartridge (anyone remember the 8mm Remington Mag?) has a tough row to hoe keeping up.

The new "short mags" may have a number of advantages to them: 1) Can be chambered in a short-action ("lighter?")rifle, 2)More efficient propellants may get the same job done with less powder.

You're stillspitting the same weight bullet down the barrel at about the same velocity, though. And, from my own experience, THAT (how heavy the bullet, how fast the velocity)is what impacts"felt recoil" the most, notthe powder I burn. And, lighter rifles (i.e. potentially, short-actions) just amplify that. My buddy's light .338 M77 is more painful to shoot than my heavy M700 .375.

I don't see anything earth-shattering in the performance of any of the short-mags to unseat the more traditional, "tried-and-true" veterans like the .270, .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, or the .375 H&H. They were there first, and a lotmorepeople stillswear by them. Doesn't mean that you can't try something new yourself. But, it doesn't mean either that a new cartridge won't be just another "Johnny-come-lately".

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

I gotta side with Pioneer on this too. The WSM cartridges are dying rather quickly, just like the WSSMs have. Not enough other manufacturers jumped with them to make the crtrdiges that formidable to keep. Ruger droppd them as did I believe Savage. Winchester isn't likely to offer them upon the return of the Model 70 nor is Browning. That said, it's going to be a handloadrs cartrdige. Not a bad thing for some as you can tweak to suit your needs but for the non-reloader...it could be tough soon to find ammo.
Now...to the question at hand... same gun, same shooter, I'd say the felt recoil goes a bit to the .338 but again it's all subjective and as said, much can be done with the gun to make it more comfortable for the shooter.

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RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

Stocking ammo doesn't equate to selling ammo.Possible it's surplus from previous buys when the line initially hit the market.They do buy in large bulk. Is Walmart moving lot of the WSM ammo?

I also gotta reiterate that when two of the major manufacturers (Rem, & Ruger) aren't chambering the WSM line, it kinda says something. It also certainly didn't keep Winchester from closing either. I don't see them as bad cartridges just answers to unasked questions...kinda like thenew .30 TC.

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RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

The .338 and the .325 will generate quite similar recoil when firing bullets of the same or similar weight at similar velocities. With the heavier bullets, the .338 has more recoil, contrbuted to by the heavier bullet and heavier powder charge. However, the .325is usually chambered in lighter guns, so it may feel as bad.

How recoil FEELS is very subjective, and has a lot to do with the shape of the stock as well as the gun's weight. A rifle that comes straight to the rear dumps most of the recoil into your shoulder, but one that has a significant amount of muzzle rise cracks your cheekbone too, and that's a lot worse! At least to me.

I certainly would NOT become involved in a dispute as to which of the two is BETTER, but I would opt for a .338 Win. just because there are more good bullets in a wide range of weightsbeing made in this country in .338" vs .323". However, if I had access to all the fine 8mm bullets in the world, such as those being loaded in Germany, it would make the choice much harder! I would NOT BECOME too worried about the availability of brass for the .325 yet. Nothing in the world is stranger than the .348 Win., but despite the fact that the only rifle ever made for it, the M71 Win., was discontinued in 1958,.348 Win. cases are still made from time to time. And relatively few M71's were ever made.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

Sorry Maine, but maybe in your neck of the woods the WSMs are dying out, but I don't see that anywhere else. I think that te WSMs are here to stay. Particularly the 300 WSM and the 270WSM. Yeah, the 7mmWSM and the 325WSM may be lacking in the sales arena but I know at least one satisfied customer regarding the 325. At least as far as accuracy is concerned. I'll let you know in about 2 weeks how it performs on elk when I get back.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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....

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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...

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

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.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

A good friend of mine owns a Kimber in .325. I own a Win. 70 in .338. We have both shot each other's guns and both feel that the recoil from the .338 is just a touch stouter than the .325. As has been said previously, this felt recoil is SO subjective to things as different bullet weights, velocities, stock design, recoil pads, etc. that it can be hard to give a definitive answer that will satisfy everyone. In my mind, if you can handle the recoil effectively with one, you will be able to handle it with the other.

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

Now if they just built the .325 in a .338, I might have to have one of those! As a little btother to my .340:)

RE: .325wsm vs .338winmag
 

There's nothing wrong with the .325WSM accept brass or ammo availability in the future. You will be able to find 8mm bullets till the Second Coming ,brass I think not.I have a FN Browning Safari in .308 Norma Mag that I kept because it is a shooter ,I can get.30 cal bullets forever and I can make my own brass from .300 H+H or FL sizing .338 brass.Why buy expensive Norma factory @ $60 a box?If you like it use it [hoard brass]but to me it's impractical.............no offence intended..................Harold