Short action or long?

[CBDR]

I thought I had a grasp on the understanding of the difference between a SA & LA. Just for the sake of keeping it simple, lets say I want to have another bolt gun built in 7.62. When I look at Surgeon actions, why do they make both a short and long in 308? I may be way off the mark but does it have anything to do with if you later want to switch calibers or barrels. Question, is a 300 wsm a short action or long. Sorry for such a basic question.

 

[rd_kng]

I can't explain why you would want a 7.62 in long action, but the 300 WSM is a short action magnum.

 

[WeiserBucks]

They're probably referencing the bolt face . 308 win is a short action cartridge, as is the 300 WSM. Many manufacturers will describe an action based on its bolt face .

Example: a short action with a 308 bolt face can be used to build a 308 , 243 , 260 7mm-08 and others because they share the same bolt face .

There are also long action cartridges that also use a 308 bolt face , 270 , 280 , 30/06 ect.

 

[CBDR]

Yes, it was the bolt face. TKS

 

[Senderofan]

I'm in the middle of a build right now......that I've decided to run a long action over a short. I have a 260 Improved that I use Berger 140 gr. VLD's in a Remington short action. This rifle is, because of the OAL of the cartridge, a single shot. My new build uses the same cartridge but I'll be using a Defiance Mutant long action That will allow me to run an Accurate mag that is designed for .30-06. So, I'll have magazines that will hold five rounds.

 

[...]

The M24 is a long action .308......they do this so they can easily rebarrel to 300 win mag.

Ide imagibe another benefit to this is it would allow you to shoot short action rounds in really heavy bullet weights without wondering if the rounds will fit in the mag