Elk Rifle chambered for 338 Win Mag or 325 WSM

[SparkyTex]

I'm going on my first elk hunt this fall and im trying to decide between a rifle (i'm leaning toward Kimber becasue I have a Kimber 7mm-08 that is freaky accurate) chambered for 325 WSM or 338 Win Mag. I've been told that the 338 is inherently more accurate and has a much better selection of available ammo (which is probably true). However, the 325 from what I've read is very comparable ballistically and maybe a little flatter shooting. My greatest concern is accuracy out to 300 yrds which is affected by many factors. All things being equal (i.e., good rifle, barrel, etc.) what would you choose and why?

 

[YoteSmoker]

I'd pick a 338 over a 325 any day. Better ballistics and more importantly way better bullet selection as the 8mm never made a big splash in the U.S. You're talking ranges out to 300 yards so if I were looking for an elk rifle I would choose the 300 wm or 7rm or 06 once again, better bullet selection and will kill any elk with ease to 300 yards. Elk are tough but not bullet proof contrary to popular belief. My 50 cal muzzleloader hits them hard at close range.

 

[R Flowers]

I too, would have to go with the .338 Win Mag for my choice as an elk cartridge.

The .338 Win Mag is a proven platform for big game. There are numerous factory loadings available and the bullet choices for reloading are very generous.

The 325 WSM is an interesting cartridge, to be sure. However, the ballistics simply do not impress me. The ammo choices are few and the bullet choices for reloading are quite limited. All 8mm rifles have suffered this fate for a long time. One reason the 8mm Rem Mag failed was the poor choice of bullets available for it.

And it has been brought out in this forum before, the vast majority of 8mm bullets just do not have very good ballistic coefficients.

Just buy a .338 Win Mag and shoot a quality bullet and any elk you hit right will go down.
I personally prefer the 225 Partition over H 4350 in my .338 Win Mag and it puts elk on the ground right now. But then the 180 Partition in my 300 Wby Mag dropped the last two 6 points I shot in their tracks, never took another step.

 

[Guy Miner]

Well... You could just load some 160 or 175 Nosler Partitions in your existing 7mm rifle and hunt elk just fine... I put one of those 175's right through a big bull elk. Excellent bullet performance that dropped him quickly.

But if you want a bigger blaster, I think it's hard to beat the .338 Win mag. A buddy of mine did get the .325 WSM, and has grown quite fond of it. Don't think he's nailed an elk with it, but he's taken a big mulie and was impressed with the performance.

Regards, Guy

 

[YoteSmoker]

Just remember, you will not be use to the change in altitude and even though I am, I still try to travel light as possible. GUY M makes a very good point. Your 7-08 with a 160 or 175 Partition (I'd personally go with a 160 part or AccuBond) will fit the bill and a m84 you are familliar with and confident in will help keep you on the light side and allow you to cover a lot of ground without your arms feeling like they're going to fall off. I still have not found a cure for keeping my lungs from burning when climbing up and down mountains and creek beds all day. Conditioning will definitely help!

 

[FOTIS]

I'd pick a 338 over a 325 any day.

me too! more loads, ammo, more components etc.

 

[Mighty Peace]

My vote is also for the 338WM. My guess is the 325WSM wont be a caliber to last. Not near as popular as the 300WSM or 270WSM.

I personally would choose the 300WM or 300WSM over the 325WSM, and load with either 180 or 200gr ACCUBONDS. My 300WM with 180gr Accubonds (RL-22 powder) has taken elk and moose at distances between 15-450metres- all 1 shot kills.

That way with the 300WM its not too much overkill for smaller sized big game to hunt with later. But like I said, thats my opinion. I am wanting to do a custom 338-06 just for the heck of it though!

As to rifle brand, I never handled or shot a Kimber-just read about them. I personally love my SAKO'S

 

[Desert Fox]

Don't overlook your 7-08. Loaded with 175 grain premium bullet, like the AccuBond or the Partition; it will be a good medicine for elk. The 7MM bullet, because of it's higher sectional density, will penetrate deep, it burn less powder hence less recoil. Don't get me wrong. The 338Win Mag is a great elk cartridge but few people can handle it's recoil. I can attest to that with my 6 lb Howa and it's 20" sporter barrel. Luckily muzzlebreak takes care of that.

 

[Powerstroke]

I've shot many of elk with the 7-08 and 150grn B-Tips. It's an awesome elk round. If your looking for another gun ( because I know we can never have too many ) The .280 or .280AI ? Remingtons "new" mountain rifle. I have the older Stainless version, which has become my favorite...... and yes, still 150grn Bullets

 

[JD338]

Tough to beat a 338 Win Mag for Elk hunting. The 210 gr PT shoots flat, hits hard and delivers deep penetration.
The advantage of the 338 WM over the 325WSM is selection of bullets.

JD338

 

[Jeff Olsen]

I'm going on my first elk hunt this fall and im trying to decide between a rifle (i'm leaning toward Kimber becasue I have a Kimber 7mm-08 that is freaky accurate) chambered for 325 WSM or 338 Win Mag. I've been told that the 338 is inherently more accurate and has a much better selection of available ammo (which is probably true). However, the 325 from what I've read is very comparable ballistically and maybe a little flatter shooting.

I own both, a Remington M700 XCR in .338 WM with a 26" barrel, and a Browning BLR in .325 WSM with a 22" barrel. I mention the barrel length because, for me, the .325 was initially a disapointment ballistically, giving just over 2800 fps with 200-gn bullets at OVER max loads of powder. My rifle shoots factory ammo more than 200 fps slower than advertised, too. So, from my sample of one, I conclude that the velocity figures for .325 were greatly exagerated by Winchester, and that was somewhat discouraging for me, at first.

Then, I made my peace with it. Is it the equivelant of a .338 Win Mag? No, not even close in my experience. However, what it IS, is right between a 30-06 and a .338 in both power and recoil, as well as diameter, and that's hardly a bad thing, right?

So, I'd say buy the .325 if you want a little less recoil, and a little less power, and a short action, compared to a .338. My BLR is a very accurate rifle for what it is, routinely giving me about 1.25 MOA, while my 338 is sub-MOA but they are such different platforms that you can't draw any conclusions from that other than that in a decent rifle, the 325 will be plenty accurate out to 300+ yards for elk hunting.

The difference in barrel length is the big question here. Winchester, early on, advertised that the WSM's got their speed with shorter barrels. I don't know, other than to say that mine sure doesn't!

(I can't resist: think about this, guys. A compact, lever action action rifle, short action to boot, with a 22" barrel that shoots 200-gn 8mm bullets into 1.25 MOA at 2840 fps! In other words, a great timber elk rifle that just so happens to shoot as flat as a 338 or 30-06! I love the thing, after a $100 Neil Jones trigger job)

-jeff

 

[Jeff Olsen]

The 325 WSM is an interesting cartridge, to be sure. However, the ballistics simply do not impress me. The ammo choices are few and the bullet choices for reloading are quite limited. All 8mm rifles have suffered this fate for a long time. One reason the 8mm Rem Mag failed was the poor choice of bullets available for it.

And it has been brought out in this forum before, the vast majority of 8mm bullets just do not have very good ballistic coefficients.

Well, there's a 200-gn 8mm AccuBond! My BLR prefers Partitions, but hey, if you want a quality 8mm bullet with a good BC, there it is!

-jeff

 

[R Flowers]

Jeff, your response made me go out and look at the Nosler chart I have hanging in the garage. While the 200 grain 8mm AccuBond has an ok B.C. it is still not that good compared to the .338 offerings.

200 grain 8mm AccuBond B.C. = 0.379

180 grain .338 AccuBond B.C. = 0.372
200 grain .338 AccuBond B.C. = 0.414
225 grain .338 AccuBond B.C. = 0.550

Like you, I prefer the Partition, but if I wanted to shoot Accubonds I would still rather have the .338 Win Mag. The B.C. on that 225 grain version is really good!!

In fact, at 0.454 the B.C. of the 225 Partition that I use in my .338 Win Mag compares quite favorably, I think.

 

[Brian]

I think you should go with the .338. It's the classic elk caliber, more than flat enough at 300 yards. Just select the proper bullet (accuracy plus toughness), sight in for 3 inches high at 100, and you're good to go.

FWIW -- before I got my .338 (a Ruger M77-II, SS/Syn), I was very worried about being able to handle the recoil of a .338. But when I realized that I'd been hunting grouse successfully with a ~ 5.5 lb 20 gauge shotgun, with 3 inch shells and 1.25 oz loads and no recoil pad, my worries went away.

Unless I don't hold it properly, I think I could shoot my .338 all day without discomfort.

 

[Jeff Olsen]

FWIW -- before I got my .338 (a Ruger M77-II, SS/Syn), I was very worried about being able to handle the recoil of a .338.

Unless I don't hold it properly, I think I could shoot my .338 all day without discomfort.

I had the same fear. My rifle, a M700 XCR, certainly kicks but it's no big deal. I've put 60 rounds through it in an afternoon with no ill effects!

I do think that the recoil of a .338 could limit field positions, though. I'm not sure I'd want to shoot it prone, uphill, for instance. A buddy with a 338 RUM found he could shoot it from the bench but just about any field position was a problem. A regular 338 is certainly less of an issue, but there are positions I'd rather not try!

-jeff

 

[JD338]

Even the 338RUM recoil isn't that bad. I shoot mine prone without any problems. No brake or porting either, just a Pachmyer Decelerator recoil pad.

JD338

 

[Jeff Olsen]

Huh! I've heard exactly the opposite, too. Oh well... goes to show, one man's pill is another's poison!

What rifle do you have?

-jeff

 

[Brian]

I do think that the recoil of a .338 could limit field positions, though. I'm not sure I'd want to shoot it prone, uphill, for instance. A buddy with a 338 RUM found he could shoot it from the bench but just about any field position was a problem. A regular 338 is certainly less of an issue, but there are positions I'd rather not try!

-jeff

I think there's something to this, especially from prone, though I'm surprised that your buddy had trouble from sitting or off-hand if his rifle fit him properly and he used proper shooting mechanics.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of shooting with a former Palma team member at our range, and Kenny let me shoot his match .308 at a 600 yard target. He's a pretty small guy, the rifle is perhaps a 10 pounder and the .308 isn't big in the recoil department. So I didn't bother to adjust the bench rest for myself and held the rifle improperly against my shoulder. (In effect, I was shooting uphill and used bad mechanics.)

It smarted . . .

Which provides me with yet another reason, if I ever needed one, why I should practice non-bench rest shooting positions with my hunting rifles. Had I shot my .338 with such a sloppy a shoulder fit, I'd still be feeling it.

 

[Jeff Olsen]

I do think that the recoil of a .338 could limit field positions, though. I'm not sure I'd want to shoot it prone, uphill, for instance. A buddy with a 338 RUM found he could shoot it from the bench but just about any field position was a problem. A regular 338 is certainly less of an issue, but there are positions I'd rather not try!

-jeff

I think there's something to this, especially from prone, though I'm surprised that your buddy had trouble from sitting or off-hand if his rifle fit him properly and he used proper shooting mechanics.

I hear you! It's why I'm always surprised to hear people talk casually about shooting the 338 UM with no problems. My buddy is a rifle fanatic and is not recoil-sensitive and has owned/fired many, many heavier rifles to include .375 and numerous 338 Win Mags... but the 338 UM was unworkable for him. The rifle in question was a M700 XCR. I have the same rifle in a reg'lar, anemic, pop-gun .338 Win Mag and have no recoil issues to speak of, other than what I said earlier about having trepidation about firing it prone uphill, or with my back against a tree, etc. So I doubt it was the rifle. The fit of the stock is a possible variable but he's pretty savvy about that stuff, too.

I don't know. My 338 WM is plenty of gun for me! I get almost 2900 fps with a 225-gn AccuBond, which gives me all the reach and plenty of power for any shot I personally would ever take. Then again, it is well documented on this forum that I'm not a big fan of folks taking 600 yard plus shots on game, so...

Back to the subject at hand, which is .325 vs. .338. Reading between the lines of my earlier post, where I talked about my .325 WSM in a Browning BLR, a reader might get my real point- but to be more clear, I think .325 is a great round IF you put the right rifle around it! In a lighter, shorter rifle it has place in the world. For instance, if Remington would chamber their new Model 7 XCR in .325 WSM, I'd be all over it. However, in a full-sized rifle I'd say just go with a 338 WM. The beauty of .325 is in it's compact nature, not in how it matches the 338's ballistics, which in my experience it does NOT.

Kind of like my Toyota Tundra, which in this analogy is the .325 WSM- best truck on the road unless you need what an F250 or larger does, in which case you have to live with the bigger package! And, if all you got in a bigger truck was the capability of my Tundra, there'd be no point in buying the bigger truck.

-jeff

 

[JD338]

Huh! I've heard exactly the opposite, too. Oh well... goes to show, one man's pill is another's poison!

What rifle do you have?

-jeff

I shoot a 700 LSS in 338 RUM with a VXIII 2.5x8 w/ M1 dials.

This is a 4 shot group at 100 yds. I also have shot sub 2.5" groups at 500 yds off the bench.

In prep for a CO elk hunt, I was shooting 20-25 rounds per outing twice a week from field positions. All the range time paid off with a 1 shot kill on a 5 pt bull elk at 350 yds.

My view on recoil is somewhat different from most people. The rifle is going to kick, so what.

JD338