Looks like I found you cousin! I was having the same battle a little more than a year ago and as fate would have it the used Ruger showed up at SIR. Brian suggested I give it a try and I have to admit that this is my favourite rifle now. Mild recoil, and very effective on deer. I was using a 140Gr Hornady SST last deer season and I guess I could have been in the 70yd area. The little 6.5 went throgh ribs on both sides and the exit hole was probably big enough to stick a 12Guage barrel through and rattle it around some! My hunting buddy is a .30cal fan and doubted the 6.5x55SE. He called it a Coyote bullet. The end results left no doubt that it is plenty of horsepower for deer.

Both cartridges are great...I sometimes wonder about the Remington Mountain LSS in .260...or the Remington model 7 in 7mm-08....maybe later!