An interesting idea, indeed.
I also like the concept of shorter action. Especially when talkin bolt actions a rifle with a short action is remarkably nimble to handle. Bell actually described it best in his book when talkin about his .275 Rigby. He is so enthusiastic about it, it's actually amusing. But having compared, say, a Sako .30-06 and .308 I definitely agree.
And why wouldn't this apply to a lever action, as well: makes the entire rifle shorter + lighter = joy to handle.