Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters True Short Action

I'm looking into getting a light weight .308 bolt action rifle. I was wondering which manufacturers make a true short action and which just put an insert in their long action mags?

Thanks, TJ

Lots of them-

True short 308 actions are currently made by-

Winchester - m70

Remington m700 ,m7

Ruger M77 Hawkeye

Kimber m84

Sako- m85/A7

Browning X Bolt/A bolt

Marlin XS7

Savage 110? (I cannot keep up with their exact confusing model number system)

Ultra light Arms m20

Cooper m54

Weatherby Vanguard

Howa 1500

Plus a host of other semi custom makers like- HS Precison, McMillan, Jarret etc.

Tikka?

Nope. Not the Current models.

Dr Dale Schuerman in Arizona has his own patented action that has a shorter bolt throw than conventional bolt actions. Dale is one of the nicest guys to talk to as well if you're interested, and he has been quietly building his rifles for quite some time. His website has a lot of information about his rifles and his action as well.

If you want a 'TRUE' action, w/o having to get it trued, check out below. Otherwise, I like the QC in Sako and Howa out the box and the design features, and a Cooper 54 if in your budget. Nothing wrong w/a ULA/NULA either.

Buying quality hurts once.....

http://www.6mmbr.com/actions.html

Ruger #1 would be the shortest yet.

Shorter than a #3 ? ..but now we're getting into singles

Or a T/C

Savage 10, 11, 12 etc., the 2 digit designates the short action.

T/C Encore or Contender = ultimate short action.

I'm not sure of the actual length of the actions, but the length of the ejection port, the distance between front and rear receiver bridge, and bolt throw on a short action Savage is almost exactly the same as everyone else's long action. Their long actions are about 1" longer than everyone else.

The Remington 7's are the shortest of the common actions, but the ejection/loading port of a short action 700 is shorter than on the 7's.

The Ruger Hawkeye is not a short action. It is a standard action.

One of the nice things about a rifle like the NULA Model 20 is that you have a lightweight short action, but with a 3.00" box magazine. That give a lot more flexibility with the 308 when compared to the standard 2.80" box.

I'm a big time Model Seven fan... I don't need a shorter action in a 20" barreled Model Seven. If you can find on of the Model 7XCR Camo rifles still for sale (they only made them for a year or two) you'll have a great rifle. I have several and they're great little rifles and very accurate. I've replaced the stocks with McMillan AWR stocks and had them bedded and IMO there isn't a better production rifle for someone that likes lightweight rifles.

$bob$

Stiller Predator TAC-30

http://www.viperactions.com/actions/tactical_detail.htm

dennis the Ruger is a short action
all Blasers are a short action length rifle regardless up to 375 H+H length
best common short action if you want a short rifle was the Rem. 600 current Rem. 7

They will fit a factory 7x57 mauser, that is not a short cartridge. I call a short action a 2.8" action as do most others.

If Ruger is making these, I haven't seen one. I bought a brand new Hawkeye 3 years ago and it was not a short action.

Have you ever directly compared the action length of a Hawkeye chambered in .308 to one chambered in 30-06?

I bet you have not.

The .308s are not built on 30-06 length actions -I can tell you that much for sure.

FWIW, Ruger has NEVER chambered their 7x57 bolt rifles on a .308 action- they have always been chambered in their '06 length actions. Besides, in terms of the OPs question, any mention of 7x57 Rugers is pretty moot point,anyway.

Every marque of the Ruger m77- the original, Mark IIs AND the Hawkeyes have been built in both standard '06 length actions AND true .308 length actions.

Have tang safety Ruger 77s in .270 and 7x57. Appear to be the same length to me. Have a 77 MK II in .308 for sale and the action without a doubt is shorter than the tangs. Now the .308 may not be 2.8", I haven't measured it, but it sure don't have a block in the magazine, for example like Interarms Mk Xs do in short rounds. IIRC the "short action" Model 700 is longer than a Model 7. So is the Model 7 a short action but the short action 700 not? Inquiring minds......

Thanks for all the replies! You have given me plenty to plow through. Guess I better head off to Gunnies to get a feel for the problem. Decisions, decisions. This is the part I like.

TJ