.325 WSM
Encyclopedia
.325 Winchester Short Magnum (also known as .325 WSM) is an 8 mm (.323 in) caliber
rebated rim
bottlenecked centerfire short magnum
cartridge
that was introduced in 2005 by Winchester
. It is a member of the Winchester Short Magnum
family of rifle cartridges.
The .325 Winchester Short Magnum was designed to take on the thick-skinned and heavy-shouldered big game animals found from Alaska to Africa. Combining the velocity of the .300 Winchester Magnum
with the knockdown power of the .338 Winchester Magnum
, the .325 Winchester Short Magnum offers the power needed to take on big game animals in a lighter short action rifle. Like all .300, 8 mm and .338-caliber magnum cartridges the .325 Winchester Short Magnum cannot be universally used on African game since certain sub-Saharan Africa
countries have a 9.53 mm (.375 in) minimum caliber rule for hunting Big Five game
.
(83 grain
) H2O cartridge case capacity.
.325 Winchester Short Magnum maximum cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimetres (mm).
Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 = 35 degrees. The common rifling
twist rate for this cartridge is 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 6 grooves, Ø lands = 8.00 mm, Ø grooves = 8.20 mm, land width = 3.10 mm and the primer type
is large rifle magnum.
According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives
) guidelines the Winchester Short Magnum family of rifle cartridges can handle up to 445 MPa (64,542 psi) piezo pressure. In CIP regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
The .325 Winchester Short Magnum is a Delta L problem
cartridge, meaning it can present unexpected chambering and/or feeding problems. The Delta L problem
article explains this problem in more detail.
The German 8x68mm S
cartridge introduced in 1939 is probably the closest ballistic twin of the .325 Winchester Short Magnum. The .325 Winchester Short Magnum is considerably shorter and fatter and has a more radical rebated rim, much steeper shoulder angle and a shorter neck (7.82 mm) than the 8x68mm S. This makes the 8x68mm S case with its 9.11 mm long neck better suited for loading long heavier bullets and due to its sleeker exterior shape bound to cycle more reliably in bolt action rifles in extreme situations. On the other hand the proportions of .325 Winchester Short Magnum promote good internal ballistic efficiency that allows the .325 Winchester Short Magnum to fire shorter lighter bullets at slightly higher muzzle velocities whilst using less propellant than the classically proportioned 8x68mm S.
or SAAMI
(Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) sanctioned maximum pressures.
This comparison is not totally objective since the 8 mm Remington Magnum
and .325 Winchester Short Magnum operate at 445 MPa (65,000 psi), the 8x68mm S
at 440 MPa (63,817 psi), the 8x64mm S
at 405 MPa (58,740 psi) and the 8x57mm IS at 390 MPa (56,564 psi) maximum chamber pressure. Higher chamber pressure results in higher muzzle velocities.
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
rebated rim
Rim (firearms)
A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. The rim may serve a number of purposes, the most common being as the place for the extractor to engage...
bottlenecked centerfire short magnum
Magnum
Magnum may refer to several things:* Moses Magnum, a Marvel Comics villain*Magnum, P.I., a television series** Thomas Magnum, the lead character...
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
that was introduced in 2005 by Winchester
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
. It is a member of the Winchester Short Magnum
Winchester Short Magnum
Winchester Short Magnum, or WSM, refers to a family of rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridges developed in the early 2000s by the U.S. Repeating Arms Company, the maker of Winchester rifles and one of the oldest firearms manufacturers in the United States...
family of rifle cartridges.
The .325 Winchester Short Magnum was designed to take on the thick-skinned and heavy-shouldered big game animals found from Alaska to Africa. Combining the velocity of the .300 Winchester Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum is a popular, belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963 as a member of the family of Winchester Magnum cartridges. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard length...
with the knockdown power of the .338 Winchester Magnum
.338 Winchester Magnum
The .338 Winchester Magnum is a .33 caliber belted rimless bottlenecked cartridge introduced in 1958 by Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester. It is based on the blown out, shortened .375 H&H Magnum. The .33 is the caliber at which medium bore cartridges are considered to begin...
, the .325 Winchester Short Magnum offers the power needed to take on big game animals in a lighter short action rifle. Like all .300, 8 mm and .338-caliber magnum cartridges the .325 Winchester Short Magnum cannot be universally used on African game since certain sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
countries have a 9.53 mm (.375 in) minimum caliber rule for hunting Big Five game
Big Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
.
Cartridge dimensions
The .325 Winchester Short Magnum has 5.39 mlLitre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
(83 grain
Grain (measure)
A grain is a unit of measurement of mass that is nominally based upon the mass of a single seed of a cereal. From the Bronze Age into the Renaissance the average masses of wheat and barley grains were part of the legal definition of units of mass. However, there is no evidence of any country ever...
) H2O cartridge case capacity.
.325 Winchester Short Magnum maximum cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimetres (mm).
Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 = 35 degrees. The common rifling
Rifling
Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...
twist rate for this cartridge is 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 6 grooves, Ø lands = 8.00 mm, Ø grooves = 8.20 mm, land width = 3.10 mm and the primer type
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
is large rifle magnum.
According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives
Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives
The Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives is an international organisation whose members are 14 states, mainly European....
) guidelines the Winchester Short Magnum family of rifle cartridges can handle up to 445 MPa (64,542 psi) piezo pressure. In CIP regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
The .325 Winchester Short Magnum is a Delta L problem
Delta L problem
The delta L problem is a condition that occurs regarding certain firearms chambers and their practical incompatibility with ammunition made for the corresponding chambering....
cartridge, meaning it can present unexpected chambering and/or feeding problems. The Delta L problem
Delta L problem
The delta L problem is a condition that occurs regarding certain firearms chambers and their practical incompatibility with ammunition made for the corresponding chambering....
article explains this problem in more detail.
The German 8x68mm S
8x68mm S
The 8x68mm S rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge and its necked down sister cartridge the 6.5x68mm were developed in the 1930s by Mr...
cartridge introduced in 1939 is probably the closest ballistic twin of the .325 Winchester Short Magnum. The .325 Winchester Short Magnum is considerably shorter and fatter and has a more radical rebated rim, much steeper shoulder angle and a shorter neck (7.82 mm) than the 8x68mm S. This makes the 8x68mm S case with its 9.11 mm long neck better suited for loading long heavier bullets and due to its sleeker exterior shape bound to cycle more reliably in bolt action rifles in extreme situations. On the other hand the proportions of .325 Winchester Short Magnum promote good internal ballistic efficiency that allows the .325 Winchester Short Magnum to fire shorter lighter bullets at slightly higher muzzle velocities whilst using less propellant than the classically proportioned 8x68mm S.
8 mm cartridges compared
Maximum muzzle velocity comparison in % of the probably most proliferated European and American 8 mm rifle cartridges out of 650 mm (25.59 in) long barrels loaded with relatively light to heavy 8 mm bullets to their CIPCIP
-Business:* Carriage and Insurance Paid to, an Incoterm* Construction in Progress, in accountancy, a balance sheet assets item used for assets being constructed, e.g...
or SAAMI
Saami
Saami or SAAMI can stand for:*Sami people*Sami languages*Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute...
(Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) sanctioned maximum pressures.
| Bullet weight gram (grain) | 8.23 g (127 gr) | 9.72 g (150 gr) | 11.34 g (175 gr) | 12.96 g (200 gr) | 14.26 g (220 gr) | Case capacity (%) |
| 8x57mm IS (7.92x57mm) | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 8x64mm S 8x64mm S The 8x64mm S is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire cartridge developed as a military service round for the German Army who never issued it... |
102.7 | 102.7 | 102.8 | 102.9 | 102.9 | 110.3 |
| .325 WSM | 108.7 | 109.1 | 109.0 | 109.3 | 111.1 | 131.7 |
| 8x68mm S 8x68mm S The 8x68mm S rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge and its necked down sister cartridge the 6.5x68mm were developed in the 1930s by Mr... |
108.4 | 108.5 | 108.7 | 110.5 | 112.3 | 136.5 |
| 8 mm Rem. Mag. | 111.9 | 112.3 | 114.5 | 115.3 | 116.0 | 157.1 |
This comparison is not totally objective since the 8 mm Remington Magnum
8 mm Remington Magnum
The 8mm Remington Magnum belted rifle cartridge was introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1978 as a new chambering for the model 700 BDL rifle. The 8 mm Remington Magnum's parent case is the .375 H&H Magnum...
and .325 Winchester Short Magnum operate at 445 MPa (65,000 psi), the 8x68mm S
8x68mm S
The 8x68mm S rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge and its necked down sister cartridge the 6.5x68mm were developed in the 1930s by Mr...
at 440 MPa (63,817 psi), the 8x64mm S
8x64mm S
The 8x64mm S is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire cartridge developed as a military service round for the German Army who never issued it...
at 405 MPa (58,740 psi) and the 8x57mm IS at 390 MPa (56,564 psi) maximum chamber pressure. Higher chamber pressure results in higher muzzle velocities.
See also
- Winchester Short MagnumWinchester Short MagnumWinchester Short Magnum, or WSM, refers to a family of rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridges developed in the early 2000s by the U.S. Repeating Arms Company, the maker of Winchester rifles and one of the oldest firearms manufacturers in the United States...
- List of handgun cartridges
- List of rifle cartridges
- 8 mm caliber8 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the empty cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the loaded cartridge.All measurements are in mm .-Pistol cartridges:...