Long vs Short Action: Chart of Rifle Cartridge Lengths

Rifle actions come in different lengths to accommodate different lengths of bullets. Knowing the action length of a rifle is important to understand what length of bullet you can put in the rifle.

In general, cartridges under 2.8″ in overall length are considered short action. Cartridges between 2.8″ and 3.6″ are long action, and cartridges over 3.6″ require a magnum action. However, there are many exceptions such as the 6.5 PRC, which is considered a short-action cartridge despite its 2.955″ length.

The problem with that general rule is that there are so many exceptions. The exceptions occur because rifle and cartridge makers like to bend and shape what we consider “short action.” It also depends on the particular rifle. For example, Browning may make the action slightly longer than Winchester, so Browning may consider a cartridge as “short action” which would require a standard action in a Winchester rifle/magazine. It just depends.

It simply isn’t possible to give specific numbers such as those bolded above to say what is and isn’t a short action cartridge. Those are general guidelines, but there are many exceptions.

Common Rifle Cartridges, and Their Action Lengths

Cartridge	Action Length	Cartridge Overall Length (in)
.17 Hornet	Short Action	1.72
.17 WSM	Short Action	1.72
.17 HMR	Short Action	1.35
.204 Ruger	Short Action	2.26
.22lr	Short Action	1.00
.22 Nosler	Short Action	2.26
.220 Swift	Short Action	2.68
.224 Valkyrie	Short Action	2.26
.22-250	Short Action	2.35
.22 Creedmoor	Short Action	2.83
.22 WMR	Short Action	1.35
.223 / 5.56	Short Action	2.26
.22 Hornet	Short Action	1.72
.222 Remington	Short Action	2.13
.243 Winchester	Short Action	2.71
6mm BR	Short Action	2.44
.240 Weatherby Magnum	Long Action	3.10
6mm Remington	Short Action	2.81
6mm Creedmoor	Short Action	2.80
.25-06 Remington	Long Action	3.25
.257 Weatherby Magnum	Long Action	3.21
6.5 Creedmoor	Short Action	2.83
6.5 PRC	Short Action	2.96
.260 Remington	Short Action	2.80
6.5-300 Weatherby Mag	Magnum Action	3.60
.26 Nosler	Long Action	3.34
6.5-284 Norma Match	Long Action	3.23
6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser	Long Action	3.15
.264 Winchester Magnum	Long Action	3.34
6.5 Weatherby RPM	Long Action	3.34
6.5 Grendel	Short Action	2.26
.270 Winchester	Long Action	3.34
.270 WSM	Short Action	2.86
.270 Weatherby Magnum	Long Action	3.25
6.8 Western	Short Action	2.96
6.8 Remington SPC	Short Action	2.26
.27 Nosler	Long Action	3.34
7mm-08 Remington	Short Action	2.80
7mm Rem Mag	Long Action	3.28
.28 Nosler	Long Action	3.34
.280 Ackley Improved	Long Action	3.33
.280 Remington	Long Action	3.33
7mm Weatherby Magnum	Long Action	3.25
7 SAUM	Short Action	2.83
7 STW	Magnum Action	3.59
7mm Mauser	Long Action	3.07
7 WSM	Short Action	2.85
.308 Winchester	Short Action	2.80
.300 Winchester Magnum	Long Action	3.34
.30-06 Springfield	Long Action	3.34
.300 WSM	Short Action	2.86
.300 Weatherby Magnum	Long Action	3.56
.300 PRC	Magnum Action	3.70
.300 RUM	Magnum Action	3.60
.30-30 Winchester	Short Action	2.55
.300 Blackout	Short Action	2.26
7.62 x 39mm	Short Action	2.21
.30 Nosler	Long Action	3.34
.300 Ruger (RCM)	Short Action	2.83
.30-378 Weatherby Mag	Magnum Action	3.69
.325 WSM	Short Action	2.86
.338 Win Mag	Long Action	3.34
.338 Lapua Magnum	Magnum Action	3.68
.338 Federal	Short Action	2.75
.340 Weatherby Magnum	Magnum Action	3.60
.33 Nosler	Long Action	3.34
.338-378 Weatherby Mag	Magnum Action	3.65
.338 RUM	Magnum Action	3.60
.350 Legend	Short Action	2.25
.35 Whelen	Long Action	3.34
9.3 x 62mm Mauser	Long Action	3.23
.375 H&H	Magnum Action	3.60
.375 Ruger	Long Action	3.34
.378 Weatherby Magnum	Magnum Action	3.65
.416 Ruger	Long Action	3.34
.416 Remington Magnum	Magnum Action	3.60
.416 Rigby	Magnum Action	3.75
.444 Marlin	Short Action	2.55
.450 Bushmaster	Short Action	2.26
.45-70 Govt	Short Action	2.55
.458 Win Mag	Long Action	3.34
.50 BMG	50BMG Action	5.45

What is a short-action rifle? The term “short action” refers to a rifle designed to accept cartridges up to approximately 2.8″ in length, or similar to the length of a .308 Winchester. However, specific rifle designs sometimes accept slightly longer cartridges up to 2.955″ in a short action.

What is a long-action rifle? The term “long action” means a rifle that accepts cartridges between approximately 2.8″ and 3.6″. A common example of a long action is the .30-06 or the .270 Winchester. Long actions are sometimes referred to as “standard-length action.”

What Happens if an Action is Too Short for the Cartridge?

As you can see in the image above, this cartridge will not load in this rifle. This is a short-action rifle, with a cartridge that is too long to fit. The back of this cartridge is pushed all the way back against the bolt face, but the rear wall of the magazine, but the front of the bullet can’t fit down into the mag well. Even if this rifle were chambered for this round, it wouldn’t load because the cartridges wouldn’t fit in the action or the magazine.

This is a common issue when selecting a VLD bullet on a cartridge that is very close to the limit for the action.

Suppose you hand load a cartridge such as the 6.8 Western. Its cartridge overall length is 2.955″, which is right on the edge of what we could possibly call a “short-action” cartridge. You select a Berger VLD hunting bullet which is very long and slender, and you want to seat that bullet far out from the mouth of the case for better accuracy on your particular setup. It’s possible that the cartridge may not chamber in your particular rifle if the action is too short.

Each rifle will be slightly different in how long the “short action” will be. It may chamber in one rifle, but not another.