Ups and Downs
 

short or long action, what are the ups, and downs, of each action...lets exclude the bullet all together. just opinions on why ya do or do not like each action, with out talking about loads, weight and trajectory.
basic mechanics.

.....:popcorn:.....

Well, if you don't have a short action, you just suck.

Only cool people shoot short action.

Long action people are compensating for thier short comings and really want to be short action folks.

Remember, its the motion of the ocean.

short action, shorter/quicker bolt throw, which never made much sense to me, as a real advantage.

aren't many benchrest rifles short action simply because a short action is/tends to be stiffer? I assume this probably only is stiffer if all other dimensions remain the same, ie a 1 inch pipe 10 feet long is stiffer than a 1 inch pipe 20 feet long.

short again tends to be lighter, so I would think if one was trying to build an ultra light rifle they would strongly consider a SA.

short action is also short, even if just a 1/2" that creates a shorter rifle, of course rifle barrel length etc...add to length too.

so many options nowadays...


I think the marketing scheme, is shorter action, stiffer action, more accurate rifle for these facts.
Perhaps more accurate cartridges too, shorter/fatter, ie .308 vs. 30-06, but you may be splitting hairs when debating an accurate hunting rifle vs. benchrest target rifle, and a "more accurate cartridge" may not be what makes a hunting rifle more accurate than another, if you're looking to break records it may be an important factor, but I'm sure you can make a custom highly accurate 30-06 just as you could a .308

...... Very well put... Just another way of saying "Short stroke for shorter stroke folk..."

....... I remember many years ago, when I was just a kid, my father caught me out behind the garage with a long action..I was soooo embarrassed... He made me tell my mother and my Sunday school teacher what happened.. that was the worst part!!

Forget short action VS long action...............it's all about caliber & cartridge performance.


Right tool for the right job !


The rest is just all about having the lastest thing out there IMO.

BTW - As a rule I'm a classic cartridge guy, although I do own a .17 HMR & a .204; so I do like "new" stuff too..............

:lolabove: :lolabove::lolabove::lolabove::lolabove::lolabove: :lolabove::lolabove::lolabove::lolabove::lolabove:

Your father did the right thing. I mean look at the man you became.

All these unruly kids running around with long actions.

Most likely blue or purple. Its all in the grip. But ...Back to the topic....

If one already has a couple long action rifles in hunting rounds I'd think going for a short action makes sense for all the benefits it might offer... short stroke, lighter, shorter overall length, stiffer action. In the long run, for a hunter, if 2 rifles that are similar have differerent actions there is little to be seen in the actual terminal performance. Dead deer from a 30/06 or dead deer from a 308. Tell me which is better.