300 Win Mag or 325 WSM

My .325 WSM is growing on me. For the longest time I couldn’t get it to shoot. After I finally discovered and corrected the problem, it now just puts one bullet on top of another with boring efficiency. I bought it as a lighter solution to my .375 for bear hunting. Now my only gripe is the magazine capacity (3). It is really a fine caliber but it will never replace my classic stalking rifles.
 
For the many reasons mentioned above, I'd go with the 300WM.
The next obvious step up would be the (previously mentioned) 338WM.
My only other suggestion is why not a 375?

If you already have a 30 caliber like a 308WIN or 30-06 save your money.
Put a little more horsepower in that punch with a 375H&H.
After all, a 30-06 and 375H&H is a classic African 2-gun battery.

EDIT - Damn, I just realized this thread is 7 years old.

A 30 cal and a 375 should get most things done without an issue. 300 WM/375 H&H would be my first choice in a pairing, but a 308 win/375 H&H would be a nice combo as well. The 300 WM just gives you more options in bullet weight and distance. Had an ought six for years, it did well, but never fell in love with the round like I did my old 308 win. I’m digging the 300 win mag, it’s the 308 on steroids.
 
My .325 WSM is growing on me. For the longest time I couldn’t get it to shoot. After I finally discovered and corrected the problem, it now just puts one bullet on top of another with boring efficiency. I bought it as a lighter solution to my .375 for bear hunting. Now my only gripe is the magazine capacity (3). It is really a fine caliber but it will never replace my classic stalking rifles.

Recently built out a 338 Federal for my main bear and hog gun, plenty of punch without the recoil. The 9.3 has become a favorite for a stalking gun.
 
Recently built out a 338 Federal for my main bear and hog gun, plenty of punch without the recoil. The 9.3 has become a favorite for a stalking gun.

I agree, the 9.3x62 has quickly become a favorite. If I could only keep three (not gonna happen!), the 7x57 and 9.3x62 would be two of them.

On the .325, if I were doing it over again, I would give serious consideration to a .338-06 or .35 Whelen for a rifle in that class. I’m not a fan of the restricted mag capacity you get with those fat WSM cartridges.
 
That’s funny because I load 220s in both my 325wsm rifles. No problems whatsoever. Do you own one? lol
I owned a 300WSM Savage 16 Bear Hunter.
It was an OK rifle, but there were several things I didn't like.
As @WAB mentioned, magazine capacity was one of them.
The biggest was the way the rounds fed from the magazine.
The steep shoulder made it feel very different than other rifles I had shot.
As a result, I sold the rifle having only fired about 60 rounds through it.

I meant no offense @Vinootz
I'm just not a fan of the short mag craze.
But I would like to point out...
I was specifically talking about the 300WSM vs 300WM with 220 grain bullets.
Not the 325WSM with 220's, which is not a good comparison to the 300WM.

The 300WSM was an answer to a question no one asked.
If you try to load it up to 300WM speeds with 220 grain pills, you run into OAL issues.
Not to mention compression of the powder.
Add to that the price of boxed ammo compared to the 300WM.
The gap just gets bigger.

My wife and I own a 22lr, 300WM, 375H&H and 416RM on the Blaser R8 platform.
We each have our own rifles.
 
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I agree, the 9.3x62 has quickly become a favorite. If I could only keep three (not gonna happen!), the 7x57 and 9.3x62 would be two of them.

On the .325, if I were doing it over again, I would give serious consideration to a .338-06 or .35 Whelen for a rifle in that class. I’m not a fan of the restricted mag capacity you get with those fat WSM cartridges.

Recently picked up a 9.3x74R O/U double rifle...what a wonderful rifle this is going to be for a stalk hunt as it’s compact, light, and shoulders/swings like a dream. Need to put a scope on it, trying to find the mount right now, but even with me not being able to focus on the front bead of the open sites, was still able to put 5 shots in a 3 inch circle at 50 yards. Once I get a scope mounted I’m sure this rifle will be good out to 200-250 yards accurately.
 
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I wasn’t offended. Often on forums there are comments about cartridges in which there is no first hand experience. Personally I don’t do that, and find it funny when others do. No big deal. Shoot well, stay safe.
 
Recently picked up a 9.3x74R O/U double rifle...what a wonderful rifle this is going to be for a stalk hunt as it’s compact, light, and shoulders/swings like a dream. Need to put a scope on it, trying to find the mount right now, but even with me not being able to focus on the front bead of the open sites, was still able to put 5 shots in a 3 inch circle at 50 yards. Once I get a scope mounted I’m sure this rifle will be good out to 200-250 yards accurately.

Awesome, have fun!
 
Hi everyone,

I am booked in to do a plains game hunt next year just wondering what callibers people are using. My main animals will be kudu zebra eland springbuck gemsbok and so on. I want to get a 300 win mag but the gun i am after i am having trouble getting it. There is a 325 wsm in the same make of rifle that i like but would like to know what people think of the 325 over the 300. And is the ammo for the 325 easy to get over in Africa (Namibia) just incase things go missing in transit.
Cheers in advance
Clint
Get a .300Win and consider Tikka. The best accuracy for the $.
 
Id opt for the 300 Win mag over the 325 under any circumstances..I see the 325 as neither fish nor fowl..My ultimate choice has been the 338 win. Mag. as an all around shoot anything rifle, may not be the best on some big Afriacan stuff but Ive seen it work on buffalo and elephant..
 
All this talk about the 300WM. There is another option, the venerable 300 H&H. The old workhorse will print clover leaves all day, and none of the game I’ve used it on could tell the difference between it and a 300WM. And the coolness factor is off the scale. Pair a 300 H&H with a 375 H&H, and you won’t bow your head to anyone.
 
All this talk about the .300WM is because you can find brass and loaded ammunition for it literally everywhere.
I guess when you roll your own you do have a few more options. But almost any ammo can be found now on the interweb. ;)
 
I guess when you roll your own you do have a few more options. But almost any ammo can be found now on the interweb. ;)
The interweb still requires time for delivery. $200 and thirty minutes and you have an ammunition supply and a zero. There is something to be said about a rifle with that kind of regional convenience.
 
All this talk about the 300WM. There is another option, the venerable 300 H&H. The old workhorse will print clover leaves all day, and none of the game I’ve used it on could tell the difference between it and a 300WM. And the coolness factor is off the scale. Pair a 300 H&H with a 375 H&H, and you won’t bow your head to anyone.
Hello Begger,

I’m +1 with you in that, the original H&H .300 Magnum, paired with the original .375 H&H outfits the hunter for pretty much anything, except perhaps a truly heavy / dangerous animal, suddenly charging from thick bush, at extremely close range.
For this, I would compliment the above two excellent hunting cartridges with a .458 Lott.

Anyway, from my grumpy old man point of view, the only reason for the nearly endless list of other .300 magnums was/is sales gimmick.
Very successful sales gimmick but sales gimmick nonetheless.
And furthermore, contrary to various manufacturer’s glittering claims, putting large powerful cartridges into short throw bolt actions only benefits the manufacturer, not the rifle user.
In fact this trend definitely has one very annoying disadvantage to the rifle user.
It is cartridges quite often not fitting into the short magazine, when loaded with heavy bullets.
.325 WSM ? I have no experience with it and do not even know anyone who has this caliber.

Having said all that, I agree with Forrest Halley on the notion that live factory loaded .300 Winchester ammunition is much easier to find these days.
Probably easier to find than all other versions of .300 magnum combined.

Nonetheless, I’m still uninspired by the Winchester version.
I began messing around with rifles and hand loading at age 16 and now I am almost a fossil.
Most of my friends are rifle grumps like me.
And, over the decades I have noticed a certain few cartridges that are not especially finicky about what primers, powders and bullets you feed them, they are almost always inherently accurate.
These are the .222 Remington, .308 Winchester, .300 H&H, .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, .45-70, .458 Winchester and .458 Lott.
Conversely, I have observed more than one .300 Winchester rifle that required much hand loading experimentation (as well as much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth lol), to finally discover an accurate load for each specific uncooperative rifle.

I guess that’s about all the news that’s fit to print around here.
So I’ll shut my trap and sit down now.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.
 
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Maybe It’s just me but I really can’t see the need for a magnum .30 caliber at all, if a .303 isn’t rifle enough I don’t want more powder behind the bullet I want bigger ammunition. Likewise I really see no need for .338 caliber rifles. I had a .340 and sold it because having .375 makes it obsolete.

If owning a .30 cal magnum or a .32 or .33 cal magnum makes you happy then go for it. The first thing I learned On AH is you don’t need a reason to buy guns.
 
Maybe It’s just me but I really can’t see the need for a magnum .30 caliber at all, if a .303 isn’t rifle enough I don’t want more powder behind the bullet I want bigger ammunition. Likewise I really see no need for .338 caliber rifles. I had a .340 and sold it because having .375 makes it obsolete.

If owning a .30 cal magnum or a .32 or .33 cal magnum makes you happy then go for it. The first thing I learned On AH is you don’t need a reason to buy guns.

Have you ever hunted the wide open areas of the central and western U.S.? That's where the 300 win mag and calibers like the 257 Weatherby magnum excel, IMO, i.e. long shots where you want as flat a trajectory as you can get. Which of the rifles from the 257 wby to 300 win magnum you choose really depends on how much bullet you want when it hits its target. The 375 H&H is a fine caliber with a lot of punch at respectable distance, but it wasn't designed for the longer range shooting the aforementioned calibers were and therefore isn't a good substitute for them. To me it boils down to using the right tool for the job. I like the Weatherby for white tail type game and the 300 for elk size game, and both are pretty easy on the shoulder and light to haul around the field.
 
Maybe It’s just me but I really can’t see the need for a magnum .30 caliber at all, if a .303 isn’t rifle enough I don’t want more powder behind the bullet I want bigger ammunition. Likewise I really see no need for .338 caliber rifles. I had a .340 and sold it because having .375 makes it obsolete.

If owning a .30 cal magnum or a .32 or .33 cal magnum makes you happy then go for it. The first thing I learned On AH is you don’t need a reason to buy guns.
Substitute 303 for 30-06, and that’s exactly how I feel.
 

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