There is some demand here in Germany for the small-ring Kar98a actions for building slim, light repeating rifles, but caliber choice is usually limited to cartridges up to 9.3x62, not for lack of strength of these small-ring actions. The recoil of a 9.3x64 or a 8x68 will be awful in a light, slim rifle, and for a rifle with enough weight for such cartridges you may use a more-frequent large-ring action as well.