Remington 783 Short Action vs Long Action: Which Magazine Fits?

Short action and long action Remington 783 magazines are not interchangeable — the long-action body is physically longer to accommodate a longer cartridge, and it will not seat in a short-action magazine well, or vice versa. Which one your rifle needs depends entirely on caliber: short action covers .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, .223 Remington, and .22-250 Remington, while long action covers .30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, and .35 Whelen. Here's how to tell which one you have and what fits.

Why the Remington 783 Comes in More Than One Action Length

Remington built the 783 across multiple action lengths so a single receiver platform could cover everything from compact short-action rounds to full-size .30-06-length cartridges. That efficiency for Remington means the magazine well and magazine body dimensions change depending on which action length your specific rifle was built in — even though every version carries the same "783" name on the receiver. Two 783 owners can compare rifles side by side and see almost no visible external difference, yet own magazines that aren't interchangeable at all.

Short Action: .308, .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .223, .22-250

The short-action family covers the most common 783 chamberings. The Remington 783 Short Action Magazine is a 4-round factory-pattern magazine built for .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester, and 6.5 Creedmoor — all three share the same short-action well. For more capacity, the 783 XT holds 8 rounds in the same short-action family (loaded to 8, not 10, for consistent spring function).

.223 Remington and .22-250 Remington are also short-action calibers, but each uses its own dedicated magazine rather than sharing the .308/.243/6.5 Creedmoor magazine: the .223 magazine holds 5 rounds, and the .22-250 magazine holds 4 rounds. All of these are short-action length, but they are not all the same physical magazine — caliber matters within short action, not just action length.

Long Action: .30-06, .270, .25-06, .35 Whelen

The Remington 783 Long Action 4-Round Magazine is built for .30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, and .35 Whelen. It's constructed from steel with a polymer base and holds 4 rounds. It is explicitly not compatible with short-action calibers like .308 Winchester or 7mm-08 Remington — the body length is too long to seat in a short-action well.

Magnum Long Action: A Third, Longer Category

Beyond standard long action, the 783 also has a magnum long-action magazine for 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag — the Remington 783 Magnum Long Action Gun Magazine. It holds 3 rounds and is longer still than the standard long-action body, since magnum cartridges run longer overall. It is not interchangeable with the standard long-action 4-round magazine, even though both are technically "long action."

How to Tell Which One Your Rifle Needs

The caliber stamped on your barrel is the fastest way to identify your action length — you don't need to measure or guess. Match your caliber against this breakdown:

• Short action: .308 Win, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor (4-rd or 8-rd XT), .223 Rem (5-rd), .22-250 Rem (4-rd)
• Long action: .30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, .35 Whelen (4-rd)
• Magnum long action: 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag (3-rd)
• .450 Bushmaster: its own dedicated 3-rd magazine, separate from all of the above

See the full chart on the Remington 783 Magazine Guide for a side-by-side reference.

Why This Confusion Happens So Often on the 783

Unlike some rifle families that use a visibly different receiver for each action length, the 783 keeps a consistent external profile across short, long, and magnum versions. The stock, trigger guard, and general silhouette look similar enough that owners frequently assume magazines are interchangeable simply because the rifles look alike side by side. This mix-up shows up more often on the 783 than on many other centerfire bolt actions specifically because of that visual consistency — it's not a defect in the rifle, just a detail that isn't obvious from the outside.

The practical result is that a customer can order based on "my friend's 783 magazine fits his rifle, so it should fit mine," compare the two rifles, and still end up with a magazine that won't seat past a fraction of an inch. The caliber stamp is the only reliable shortcut — physical resemblance between two 783 rifles tells you nothing about which magazine either one takes.

Buying a Factory-Pattern Magazine Built for Your Exact Action

Every Remington 783 magazine American Rifle Magazines manufactures is built in the USA to match the original factory pattern for its specific action length and caliber family — not a universal magazine sized to approximate multiple 783 variants. That precision is what lets the short-action magazine drop in and lock up the same way the original factory magazine did, and it's the same reason a long-action or magnum-length magazine won't be forced into a well it wasn't built for. If you keep more than one 783 in different chamberings, it's worth labeling your spare magazines by action length and caliber rather than relying on memory, especially if the rifles are stored together.

What Happens If You Order the Wrong Action Length

A long-action magazine won't drop into a short-action well, and forcing it can damage the feed lips or the magazine well itself. If you're not sure which action your rifle is, don't guess based on the overall size of the rifle or stock — confirm the caliber stamp first. It's the one piece of information that tells you definitively which magazine family you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a long-action magazine be modified to fit a short-action 783?

No. The two use different body lengths and feed geometry built around different cartridge lengths — there isn't a safe modification that makes one fit the other's well.

Is 7mm-08 Remington a short-action or long-action caliber?

7mm-08 Remington is a short-action cartridge. It's listed on the short-action fitment chart on our Remington 783 Magazine Guide alongside .308 Win, .243 Win, and 6.5 Creedmoor.

Why does .223 Remington need its own magazine instead of using the standard short-action one?

Even within short action, cartridge dimensions differ enough between calibers that some, like .223 Rem and .22-250 Rem, require their own dedicated magazine rather than sharing the .308/.243/6.5 Creedmoor magazine.

Does the magnum long-action magazine fit a standard .30-06 long-action rifle?

No. The magnum body is longer to accommodate magnum-length cartridges and holds fewer rounds (3 vs. 4) — it is a separate magazine from the standard long-action one.

My two 783 rifles look identical — can I test-fit a magazine to check?

Don't force a magazine that resists insertion past the first fraction of an inch; that resistance is the rifle telling you it's the wrong action length. Confirm the caliber stamp on the barrel instead of test-fitting by force.

One Last Reminder

Whichever action length your 783 turns out to be, resist the temptation to force a magazine that resists insertion -- that resistance is the clearest signal you have the wrong action length, and forcing it risks damaging the feed lips or the magazine well itself. Confirm the caliber stamp first, every time.

Order the Right Remington 783 Magazine

Confirm your caliber against the Remington 783 Magazine Guide, then shop short action (4-rd or 8-rd XT), long action, or magnum long action. Every magazine is US-made, in stock, and ships from Connecticut. Browse the full lineup in Remington 783 Magazines, or see our wholesale rifle magazine purchasing terms for bulk orders.