Nitro,

The powder issue would be at the worst for actions like Rem 700 and Wby Mark V where the back of the barrel is counterbored to take the protruding bolt nose.

In my opinion the best action design is the Model 70 and mainly because of the bedding configuration.

Actually I am very big on matching the rifle to the calibre, at least if the rifle is at a custom or semi custom level. So Mauser = 404, 375 and so on.

The actions I have most commonly owned over the years have been Sako, M70, Rem 700 and Wby. Generally I have always been happiest when the rifles I owned were of the same brand. When I have had a mixture of them at the same time then I continually fall into the trap of comparing them.

Both Mauser and M70 both share in common being actions that were disigned for specific reasons whereas other actions like Rem 700 and Wby Mark V have design features that were marketing driven.

Mike