Well stated Stalkingbear.It really will come down to which caliber you find the most attractive for thegame and type of hunting you wish to do.Example, if you wish to hunt whitetail only a 7mm-08 in short action or a .270 in long action would both work well. That will decide for you whether it is a long or short action. Ihave a Savage American Classic .300 win mag in long action and I love the rifle. I bought that particular caliber, as I wanted something that would be well suited for large North Amercian game and had a pretty good bullet selection. I also got it in blued with laminated stock, as I like the look better than SS and synthetic.I hope that helps a bit.