700 long action

[Medic80]

What’s the advantage to having a long action in 308 with the Remington 700

 

[x462290]

Ample room to increase OAL if shooting heavies with an increased freebore.

 

[fdkay]

What’s the advantage to having a long action in 308 with the Remington 700

There is none.

 

[Hawk in WY]

There is none.

Try telling that to the Marine Corp.

 

[Terry Cross]

Try telling that to the Marine Corp.

What do the Marines say is advantageous about such a beast?

./

 

[TurboTrout]

Would this lend itself to conversions?

Didn’t Remington have a bolt for the mil that was a 308/338 combo kit?

 

[Badshot308]

What do the Marines say is advantageous about such a beast?

./

I thought that it was the US Army that used the long action so that they could convert the rifles over to 300WM. Didn't the Marines build their M40's on short actions?

 

[Terry Cross]

I thought that it was the US Army that used the long action so that they could convert the rifles over to 300WM. Didn't the Marines build their M40's on short actions?

Correct..... thus my question to Hawk. Maybe he has other info.

And it took 3 decades for Big Green to start actually converting some 24s to WinMag. ....

Just in time to have the Mk22 adopted......

./

 

[Hawk in WY]

I thought that it was the US Army that used the long action so that they could convert the rifles over to 300WM. Didn't the Marines build their M40's on short actions?

Correct. My error.

The point I was trying to make was at least one service found one advantage to the .308 on a long action.

 

[fdkay]

Correct. My error.

The point I was trying to make was at least one service found one advantage to the .308 on a long action.

There are two stories postulated on the reason for the long action, one was that it was for the eventual switch to .300 WM, another was that there was a mistaken belief that there was a huge surplus of 30'06 match ammo still in inventory and they would build the rifles in 30'06, once the proposal went out and it was discovered that there was insufficient ammunition, then the change was made to .308. I would believe the later just because it is stupid enough to come from the Government.

Either way, there is no advantage to building a .308 on a long action, unless that is the action that you have, then you might as well build a 30'06 and take advantage of the greater capacity.