RE: 2 Simple questions...?
Hi ir655,
Mainehunt summed it up very well!
Today there are companies that make actions in even more lengths. Pretty much (and these are just generalizations) the short action most people talk about take cartridges up to the length of .308 Winchester cartridges, (ex: .243 Win, .260 Rem., 7-08 Rem, .308 Win, .358 Win., .350 Rem Mag, etc.). A long action (or " standard action" to some) will handle cartridge designs up to .30-06 Springfield in length, (ex: .25-06, .270 Win., .280 Rem., .30-06, .35 Whelen, 7mm Rem Mag., .300 Win Mag., etc. to name a few). Now the standard or long actions will also accommodate short action cartridges...but it fairly negates their biggest advantage....the ability to fit in a " short action" .
And there are companies that make actions specifically for other purposes. Several companies make " an even smaller action" for calibers like the .223 Remington, the .44 Magnum or the 7.62X39mm, (like Ruger, CZ, Sako, etc.). And some companies (Ruger, CZ, etc.) make an extra long action, (Magnum action), for cartridges like the .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, etc. And a very few companies will make actions to fit a specific range of cartridges like the 7X57, 8X57, .257 Roberts, etc., which are in between lengths of the " short action" calibers and the " standard or long action" calibers.
Hope that is NOT thoroughly confusing!