WSMs--why the failure to turn the rifle world around

[Horsethief]

This friends and neighbors, is what I call a learning moment--- thats when I learn something about a topic I didn't know before. Thanks for the great (AND FAST) responses.

Who would buy a 264 WSM if it were standardized?

 

[FOTIS]

...now if someone would just get a .325...

My boy has one----which goes to say I reload for one! :mrgreen:

 

[CatskillCrawler]

I believe they have captured a good percentage of all new rifles purchased. Much moreso than other new cartridges, the RUMs, .30TC, and RCMs. Not so much with the WSSMs though. I think that younger shooters will be more inclined to buy something new. There is still going to be purchases of the more proven and known cartridges. Older shooters who now need a magnum for a lifelong dream elk hunt will be buying the 338WM or 300WMs as that's what they know have worked forever.

The 7WSM and 325WSM have always appealed to me.

 

[cloverleaf]

Well, if we needed somthing truly new to sell stuff there'd be a lot less stuff around. That said, some of the WSM's may be a good thing. Not every good idea gets a fair shake either, the .284 Winchester for example. Other things like the .25 WSSM are all marketing hype. Nothing there that the 25-06 wont do cheaper and easier IMHO. But they sold a few....CL

 

[Anonymous]

CL- I gotta agree with you there. There are a lot of great cartridges that flat just never caught traction they should have.

.284 is one and IMHO the .338RCM is another- the RCM may yet live but the market is pretty well flooded.

The good news is that modern manufacturing will keep these alive darn near into perpetuity. Ammo makers don't have sell trainloads to be profitable anymore. Might be inconvenient, but you can feed some pretty bizarre numbers these days. Oddly- if you have a .308 or .223 you might have considerable problem feeding something nowadays....

 

[BK]

Who would buy a 264 WSM if it were standardized?

Pick me! Pick me!

 

[CMBTshooter]

Who would buy a 264 WSM if it were standardized?

Pick me! Pick me!

I call second.

 

[SJB358]

Who would buy a 264 WSM if it were standardized?

Pick me! Pick me!

Yup!

 

[alaska100]

I have seen quite a few in use. We have a 7 and 325 in the family, both Browning BLR rifles. Our daughter owns the 7 and it is her favorite rifle and my mother uses the 325. she used a 30-30 for years and is very pleased with the 325 WSM.

 

[SJB358]

I have seen quite a few in use. We have a 7 and 325 in the family, both Browning BLR rifles. Our daughter owns the 7 and it is her favorite rifle and my mother uses the 325. she used a 30-30 for years and is very pleased with the 325 WSM.

Sean, what does your Mom shoot out of her 325? It is the WSM I don't have, YET...

 

[alaska100]

Scotty, 200 gr PT someone else in the family does the reloading, but I believe I am correct. 64.5 IMR 4350.

When I spoke to him about the wsm before mom traded her 30-30 in for the 325, he told me he had a 350 at one time and thought it was a good caliber as well, but apparently someone else wanted it more than he did and he sold it. Scotty, my daughters 7 is a very fine rifle and since you also have one, maybe it will be something your daughter will like when she gets a little older. I will talk to you later, as we are about to leave for the day

 

[Oldtrader3]

The WSM's are pretty innovative designs but they do not have much over the 7mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag, certainly not enough to sell a favorite rifle in an older magnum caliber and convert to WSM. The only WSM that I have owned was a .300 WSM. It was very accurate but my son needed and elk rifle when he moved to Wyoming, so he has it but I didn't miss it, certainly not while I had the .340 Weatherby.

I think that the WSM's came along at an unfortunate time. The economy has been bad for 5 years now which hurts rifle sales. However, younger shooters and hunters are buying the WSM's and that is as it should be. I think that these are efficient designs and should be successful in the market. The only two that seem to be suffering are the 7mm WSM and the .325 WSM. The 7mm WSM is a very good cartridge and I hope it survives. Nobody in this country seems to want a 8mm cartridge? The .325 WSM is a good cartridge, doomed by being 8mm.

Strangely enough, the .300 WSM exactely duplicated loads and velocities from my old .300 H&H in both 165 and 180 grain Partitions. Now that I don't hunt much any more, I have only one magnum, a custom 7mm Rem Mag. Now that I have sold my .340 Weatherby and replaced it with a 9.3x74R, I don't really need another magnum.

 

[SJB358]

Sounds good Sean. Have a great day. I look forward to the 325WSM..

That sounds like a great load.

 

[rick smith]

I think the WSSMs will die in the next few years if not already dead. The 300WSM will last but the others will slide into the grave. Really thought the 270WSM would have done better. If Win had gone 338 instead of 8mm it probably would have done better. Personally, having shot all but the 270, I like the 7mmWSM the best.Rick.

 

[big rifle man]

Scotty hit the nail right on the head. The 300WSM is the equal of the 300WM but it can be carried in a much lighter package. My buddies model 700 weighs over 9 pounds ready to go and my Kimber montana weighs about 7.5lbs ready to go. Much easier to carry in mountainous areas.

 

[Oldtrader3]

You do save about 1/2 pound with the shorter action for the WSM's bettween steel in the action and a slightly shorter barrel. I suppose Winchester figured that since the .338 WM had been so succesful, they did not want to encroach on .338 sales, so they went with the .325 WSM.

 

[Kodiak]

I have had the opportunity to load for 4 different WSM rifles; three .270wsm and one .300wsm. One of the .270wsm rifles I owned, for a while. Many of the nickle-plated cases fired in my rifle split thru the neck on the first reloading attempts. It was a stainless Weatherby Vanguard. The other two .270wsm rifles were Savage W.W. guns. Both grouped better than their owners could hold them, with 130s and 150s.

The .300wsm rifle was a glory to load for (180s) and fire! It also was a Savage W.W. rifle. All of the Savages were DBM rifles, with bullets loaded to just clear the end of the box.

Maybe there' something to be learn'd here!

 

[Anonymous]

You do save about 1/2 pound with the shorter action for the WSM's bettween steel in the action and a slightly shorter barrel. I suppose Winchester figured that since the .338 WM had been so succesful, they did not want to encroach on .338 sales, so they went with the .325 WSM.

I talked with one of the Winchester guys a few years back and they said the 8mm was about as big as the shoulder and neck would allow for. No idea about that, but the .338 WSM wildcat is out there for those that would.

I have a couple of good friends with the .325 and both swear it'll do anything the .338 can- including several very respectable griz between them.

 

[Oldtrader3]

That statement does not make any sense about the WSM's being restricted by case neck size to 8mm. The WSM case is based on the .404 Jeffrey case design and dimensions. It is just a little shorter case than the Jeffrey. I would think that the WSM's could easily be chambered up to at least .404 since that is what the case is based on? In fact, a .404 WSM would be a bitching caliber for a WSM rifle chambering. I would buy one of those!

 

[Anonymous]

That statement does not make any sense about the WSM's being restricted by case neck size to 8mm. The WSM case is based on the .404 Jeffrey case design and dimensions. It is just a little shorter case than the Jeffrey. I would think that the WSM's could easily be chambered up to at least .404 since that is what the case is based on? In fact, a .404 WSM would be a bitching caliber for a WSM rifle chambering. I would buy one of those!

I don't believe the issue is physically seating a bullet- but rather just running out of useful case capacity. The WSM goal was to "match" existing .300 ballistics and necked to .338 it just won't match the .338WM.

I've also read that many bullets (especially long ones) leave a gap between the case month and bullet ogive when seated to typical short action magazine OAL. I know in my WSM the OAL is pretty limiting sometimes.

The .338WSM (aka .338 Redneck) is out there those for those inclined.