What amuses me is that people go after elk or moose with a bow and it's all good, but as soon as people start talking rifles it seems that one needs some great humongous amount of energy at 300 yards and a certain bullet blah, blah, blah.
The cartridge and rifle are the smallest part of the equation in hunting, especially with the choices these days.
Danged near anything will work that is legal, the parameters being the hunter's own limitations , be it in a bolt, falling block or break action or any other action of rifle for that matter.
The length difference between a short action and a long action is so small it is laughable, especially considering some rifles do not come in true true short actions !
Wanna look at short actions?
Take a look at the Ruger no.1, Browning 1885, Sharps, H&R, etc.
Now THOSE are real short action rifles, they just doon't have magazines!!
Cat