just found out i broke a shock last year. i have a different shock from a different year sled. the older shock is shorter but if i move the lower shock mount forward one hole it fits. the older shock is a fox w/ adjustable knob that mounts by handle bars. the sled is an 01 with act shock. what affect will this have on my sled? as you can tell i ride pretty hard at least hard enough to snap a shock. so would it be better to replace the shock with oem or would this work fine?

also the shock i want to put on is 1" shorter

Are you talking about the front or rear arm shock??
I personally would install the proper shock as everything in your suspension is calibrated to deliver a balanced ride.
There are lots of shocks for A/C on Ebay,it would be safer than to install something that might cause more damage and a bad ride quality...