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

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

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.

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".

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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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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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.

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.