What are the major differences between a short action and long action?
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MCgunner
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Well, bolt guns ARE inherently easier to get better accuracy out of and, well, I only have one lever gun. I love the BLR, but not enough to pay the money for one when I really don't NEED it, LOL! Hell, I'm going retro lately in my hunting, anyway. Got this damned archery disease I can't shake and the black powder thing, too. LOL! I wouldn't be so afflicted if I didn't live where you can't see a deer more'n 100 yards, I guess. Just trying to put some sport in it and I'm tiring of the handguns.
Hey, talk about your ultimate short actions, that Hawken Hunter Carbine is it!
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=17&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
Hey, talk about your ultimate short actions, that Hawken Hunter Carbine is it!
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=17&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
MCgunner
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About 1200 fps with a 385 grain .50 cal Hornady Great Plains bullet. I am sorta scared to shoot a sabot 240 .44 bullet over my chrono, afraid the sabot will smack it, but a 250 grain Lee REAL bullet (didn't work, too light for the fast twist) clocks over 1400 fps from it, so I reckon a 240 is up there with a hot .44 mag from a 6" N frame. All shots fired with 90 grain equiv. Pyrodex RS. It is very accurate with either bullet, a little moreso with the sabot. I get 2" at 100 yard groups with the sabot, but I kinda like that big chunk of lead. I have a 360 grain Minie mold for that shoots well, too, but you have to use soft lead. Hard range scrap doesn't seem to work well, doesn't spread the skirt. So, hell, Hornady great plains bullets are cheap enough. LOL
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Paradiddle
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The internet told me I could cycle a short action faster during a zombie attack.
Don't tell the Brits their Enfields were really slow......
Don't tell the Brits their Enfields were really slow......
Just wondering....why does the length of action matter in a longer heavy heavy gun? I mean the barrel weight and length are going to make it higher velocity and more accurate. Are you suggesting simply that because of the weight and length you might as well just have a larger round to handle it. So basically in your opinion you don't need that size of gun for that size of caliber?
The .308 is known for being an accurate round. It's possible that a short action, being a bit more rigid for a given strength of construction, helps that. Or maybe it's just accurate because a lot of accuracy shooters have dinked with it, so people know how to get the most from it (gunsmiths, reloaders, etc.).
The question is, what kind of "varmints" are you going to shoot with a .308 at 500+ yards? Mutant 100 lb. prairie dogs?
The question is, what kind of "varmints" are you going to shoot with a .308 at 500+ yards? Mutant 100 lb. prairie dogs?
krs
Member
Hey, prairie dogs are downright mean when they go over 100 lbs. It must piss 'em off to be so chubbie so they take it out on hunters. You'd BETTER use at least a .308 or the things will come mess you up serious! It's no laughing matter.
Uncle Mike
Member
More velocity yes... more accurate, no-
Match the action length to the cartridge you need to utilize...
Match the length of the barrel to the amount of powder you need to burn-
Match the weight of the barrel to the fact that a heavier barrel can get off more shots in succession before it needs to let cool and the added weight is a bonus in the prone position, or any position for that fact... but this is not the rule.
ArmedBear said:
Hmmm ... what exactly was their design criteria?
If you look at the Savage Weather Warrior ...
.308 Win > 6.5 lb
.300 WSM > 6.75 lb
.300 Win Mag > 7.0 lb
... or the Remington Alaskan Ti
.300 WSM > 6.0 lb
.300 Win Mag > 6.25 lb
... the .300 WSM reduces the overall weight of the rifle while almost maintaining the ballistic performance of the .300 Win Mag. OK, a 1/4 lb may not be much to some, but don't forget to account for the difference in weight between the ammunition too ... it may or may not be significant depending on your application. If you need .300 Win Mag performance, why would you buy a Savage 116 model when you have the option of a .300 WSM (16 model)? The only hunting advantage of the .300 Win Mag over the .300 WSM is magazine capacity, but a spare magazine or two would solve that. Another advantage of the .300 WSM is that although the Savage short actions are long, the Savage long actions are supposedly VERY long. I have both a .300 Win Mag and a .300 WSM (Remingtons). The .300 WSM is reserved for hunting (150gr to 180gr bullets), and the .300 Win Mag is reserved for long-range competitive shooting i.e. 600 yards plus shooting 208gr or heavier bullets. I think the .300 WSM gives us options and I think it's here to stay. If it were "invented" first, the question might arise as to whether or not the .300 Win Mag would ever have been necessary or wanted.
http://www.savagearms.com/16fcss.htm
http://www.savagearms.com/116fcss.htm
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_700/model_700_alaskan_Ti.asp
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MCgunner
Member
I want something light, easy to carry in rough country, short, easy to swing around a box blind. Handier, lighter the better. That's what I see is the short action role, at least in guns like the M7. If I'm going to have a big heavy gun, I'll have a long action or magnum action and more power/range. Just because it's a .338 win mag don't mean I can't make it shoot sub MOA, ya know.
As for lots of shots and cooling the barrel, it only takes me one....
Of course, yes, we do tend to have better riflemen in Texas. 
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