325 WSM

spotit1st · Jan 18, 2006

Has anyone out there purchased this gun and have any comments about it. I am looking to buy the Browning Stainless Stalker and I am getting mixed feelings about this caliber.

Any more info to HELP this matter would be great. I just want to buy a gun that is going to be able to take large game and I know the 300 and 338 will do that, but I do not own either one and I am in the market for something in this range!

Thanks for any Help!!!!

257Tony · Jan 18, 2006

I have a .338 and love it. But I have no doubt I could easily get the job done with the .325. The only issue I might have is will factory ammo continue to be available years down the road, and will they continue to develop new loads for it. If you handload, that wont be a problem. That would be a good, fairly light Elk rifle for sure.

RELH · Jan 19, 2006

As Tony said, great caliber for larger game, but will it catch on with hunters buying it so that ammo will not be a problem 5-10 years down the line.

RELH

OKbow87 · Jan 19, 2006

if you were planning on getting it in a winchester you might wanna do it now. it might be a one year produced cartridge from them, could be worth some money one day.

meatmaker · Jan 20, 2006

spotit1st

Looks like the 325 could be a very good cartridge and since there are lighter medium game bullets 150 grain 180 grain etc available it could span the gap for deer up to elk and moose with the right bullet. Since American hunters seem to have an overall problem with calibers bigger than 30 it may end up being like the 338 Winchester. Great cartridge, has a definate place for elk and bigger game but a little too specialized to make an everyone has to have or wants to have one cartridge.

Like you I currently don't own a larger caliber rifle. If I did I may not be in a hurry to trade it off for a 325 but I am more interested in the 325 than anything else I have seen lately. Unfortunately the mortgage needs to be paid etc.

good luck

meatmaker

Nails · Jan 20, 2006

LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-06 AT 09:42PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-06 AT 09:39?PM (MST)

I bought one in WIN. model 70 this fall and i love it. Used it on whitetails here in WI using 200 gr.accu-bond factory ammo, and i can tell you that this was not over gunned for whitetails. This load gave me 3 one shot kills with 2 dropping right where they stood and the third a high lung shot ran about 50 yards before dying in midstride. I really like the short action and the light weight and recoil for a magnum. If you look at the ballistics charts the .325 wsm is as fast as the .300 and hits as hard as the .338 win, all that in a short action.This should make the .325 a great caliber for any North American big game In my opinion the .325 is gonna be around for awhile. Google ".325 wsm" and read some of the articles that you will find, there is some good reading there.

Regards,
Nails.

spotit1st · Jan 20, 2006

Nails how did it do at the range were your groups close did the gun tend to wander?

Thanks guys for all the info you are giving I just don't want to make a mistake buying this gun!

Nails · Jan 20, 2006

I shot 1 1/2" groups off of sandbags, I was happy with that as we don't do any long range shooting here in the timber. I am going to start handloading this year and would expect to tighten those groups up and will be using a better rest like a shooting vise.

Nails.

cheeseheadinOHIO · Feb 26, 2006

Nails - hey another cheesehead... I ended up buying the 300WSM. I thought long about the 325 but as others mentioned, the ammo down the road is an unkown issue. My first season '05 with the SS stalker in Wyoming slayed a mulie at 274yds. Although last year my BAR .308 did the same thing at 220yds. Will try the 300WSM on elk guided this fall. All these magnums mentioned will work. Just don't know how the 325 will sell and if the ammo will be around.
Nails - I always hunted around Mineral Point (unit 75), but haven't been back since 2000. WDNR screwed up my hunting season and spot with the CWD panic. So I have been doing DIY's in WY the last few years. Run into a lot of cheeseheads out there too.
Have a good one.