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Long action vs. Short action

Ranger188

Silver $$ Contributor
With all being equal, you could have the same barrel placed on each.
Same caliber, I mean everything the same,
is a long action as inherently as accurate as a short action?
 
Just my opinion but im saying yes.. calibers that require a long action can be just as accurate as one that can be shot in a short action..
 
Why would the length of the action have any effect on accuracy? Once the round is chambered the action itself has zero function in the firing process. Plus, if one wanted to be able to load longer rounds for whatever reason, the long action can be more flexible in that regard. The only possible negatives to a long action are the miniscule amount of extra weight, and the slightly longer cycle times.
 
It sure is, in fact the longer firing pin has more mass and I prefer that. Any bracket racer knows mass' effect on velocity.
 
The Remington custom shop made all 40X rifles on short actions, they thought the short actions were best for accuracy. Ive seen long actions that shot really well.
 
With all being equal...I mean everything the same, is a long action as inherently as accurate as a short action?

If they weren’t could you shoot the difference? And will it matter for your application?

If the answer to either of the above is “no” go with different reason for choosing.
 
If they weren’t could you shoot the difference? And will it matter for your application?

If the answer to either of the above is “no” go with different reason for choosing.
Agree. What I was thinking but didn't put into words.
 
If they weren’t could you shoot the difference? And will it matter for your application?

If the answer to either of the above is “no” go with different reason for choosing.


i have seen several of ranger188's groups and yes he could shoot the difference if their was one... kind of a snide reply for not knowing someones ability if you ask me.....
 
i have seen several of ranger188's groups and yes he could shoot the difference if their was one... kind of a snide reply for not knowing someones ability if you ask me.....
Wasn’t meant to be snide at all. Just a couple of logic flow questions I ask myself about pretty much everything I do when it comes to shooting.
 
Making the choice to me is way more about the length of the cartridge and the length of the bullet you are going to shoot. You don't need a long action for a 6PPC no matter what bullet you use. A 6.5-284 with 85 or 90 grain would work great in a short action the same case with 140 or the newer longer bullets not so much. I saw a Remington custom shop rifle in 300RUM that they built on short action that you could not unload a live round with out removing the bolt. To me that was just plain stupid.
 
I'm building a 284,(so 160-184g bullets) as a beginners F class.
Have a short action and it's fine for single loading, but if I have a live round, have to pull
bolt out. Don't know if this would become a PITA or not.
I have a little time to get a long action and not have to worry about the ejection problem.
That was my only concern.
 
Hard to say because I would not build a PPC or something of that nature on a long action and as far as I know, nobody ever has. And of course a person would never build a 300 Norma or 338 Lapua on a short action so that will never be tested either.

I’ve read about certain mid length 6.5mm rounds being built on both a long and short action. The 6.5 Remington Magnum is traditionally a short action round, but I’ve built my last 3 rifles in that chambering using long actions. I highly doubt there’s any short action versions in the 6.5 Rem Mag that could outshoot my long action versions. If they did, it probably wouldn’t be due to the action length.

You’ll hear the same with the new-ish 6.5 PRC. Some guys go short, others long, but I’ve never seen or read anything that lends an accuracy advantage to the guys using short actions.

I have had good luck finding accuracy and precision with large magnums in longs actions or varmint/target rounds in short actions. I’ve also struggled to find an acceptable level of accuracy with both types of actions/rounds at times. So I would have to say that a long action can be just as accurate.

I think the only obvious advantage to a short action is weight savings, if that’s what you’re after.
 
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I have a long action chambered in 7.62x39mm which is a very short cartridge and it is a great shooting rifle.
 
I'm building a 284,(so 160-184g bullets) as a beginners F class.
Have a short action and it's fine for single loading, but if I have a live round, have to pull
bolt out. Don't know if this would become a PITA or not.
I have a little time to get a long action and not have to worry about the ejection problem.
That was my only concern.
I have to pull my bolt to extract .284 and 7 Sherman Short loaded rounds in a ‘medium’ length action. With a side bolt release it is no hassle at all.
 
I'm building a 284,(so 160-184g bullets) as a beginners F class.
Have a short action and it's fine for single loading, but if I have a live round, have to pull
bolt out. Don't know if this would become a PITA or not.
I have a little time to get a long action and not have to worry about the ejection problem.
That was my only concern.
Really not a big deal. I have a long throated 260 Rem that won't eject a live round without removing the bolt. It was a little tedious finding the lands via the "Wheeler" method but after that I can't remember even removing a live round.
 
I (and probably most) F-TR shooters have to pull the bolt to eject a live 308. It becomes normal.

Open guys can weigh in.
 
I seem to use my SA 284 win more than the LA version. I use mostly the 160-168 grain bullets and they function fine in mags but even if I decide to shoot the 175-180s, I do the same, pull bolt to remove live round. If I'm hunting with the longer bullets, I'll use the LA platform rather than the SA. I'd probably go with a LA if I shot the 180s predominantly.
 

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