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Which to people perfer and why?
Are there any benefits to one over the other?
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People who want the fired case not to eject until the bolt's all the way back which makes grabbing the empty case very easy will choose the controlled round feed style (or pre '64 classic feed). Their ejector doesn't touch the case until the bolt's about 1/8th inch from its stop. And shorter round versions in the classic long action have their bolt stop such that it contacts a spacer on the extractor ring so the bolt lug doesn't get peened out of full contact with the receiver's shoulder in rapid fire. And their bolt camming rib tends to make these actions smoother to operate in rapid fire (shots 10 or less seconds apart).
Single loading direct into the chamber is easier with the newer push feed (or post '64) action style. Its extractor slides over the case rim much easier. Some people claim primer ignition is more uniform in this newer push-feed version as the spring loaded ejector in the bolt face pushes the chambered round hard against its headspace stop (belt on magnum cases and shoulder in rimless bottleneck cases; both only when case is correctly sized) and holds it there while the firing pin smacks the primer.
Intrinsic accuracy wise, there appears to be no difference. Rifles have been and are being built with these box magazine actions whose accuracy equals that of single-shot custom actions.
Trivia time....in the 1950's, Winchester made a couple dozen pre '64 classic receivers without the magazine cutout; single-shot actions. Their bottom was solid steel. Very heavy, too.
