I have a Ruger 77 MkII in 6.5x55SE, and its a great cartridge. The only complaint I have is that the factory loads are soft because they are concerned about the strenght of the old military rifles. I reload and have been getting a little better loads out of it but I'm not finished. I recommend this cartidge for deer hunters that reload.

I have two M96 CG Swedish Mausers, a Kimber sporterized M96and a Howa 1500 Clasic.
I don't shoot the Swedes much. When I bought them I cleaned them up, loaded up some ammo and tried them out to make sure they shot ok. I hunt quite a bit with the Kimber Swede and the Howa I just got.
The Kimber loves 129 grain Hornady Spire Points. It' shoot the 140 grainer ok but the 129s go into about 3/4" all day long.
My Howa I'm just getting into. While it will take heavier loads the the others I just haven't shot it that much. I shot it to sight it in and it shoot great,but I like the Kimber so much that's what I reach for when I take a Swede hunting.
One thing I can tell you that the 6.5X55mm cartridge is awsome. Very accurate, easy to reload and may be just about the ideal hunting cartridge for deer sized game.
Wake up America! In a modern rifle it's the equal of the .260 Remington and maybe even better. And the .260 should be more popular than it is.

I agree, this cartridge is overlooked in North America. If the average deer hunter experienced the low recoil and great results, this cartridge may become very popular. Case capacity is a little better than the .260 so it should be capable of slightly hotter loads. My issue is finding load recipes, and I really hate personally developing on the edge recipes. Most North American load recipes are softened because the old Mausers are not as strong as the new rifles. Load books should give recipes for the old Mausers and the new rifles separately.

I hate to admit it but I own six 6.5X5X55 from 18 inch to 29.5 inch barrels they are all the old mauser that have been sporterized I dont even use the rest of my guns any more. Check you're ballistic charts from a 30.06 down the swede comes out on top or so close it does not matter and the best part it don't turn you're shoulder black and blue.. Hey JamesB I will still buy the last swede you have that would make seven ( thats a nice number 7 )

Gotta keep one to avoid going into NO SWEDE SHOCK

I guess you're pretty true to your caliber!

Gives up little or nothing to a 30'06? Sir, Please post some numbers to substanciate this claim. The 6.5x55 is a great deer cartridge and fine Elk/Moose round too.... at short range. However, the last I checked, the 6.5X 55 fired a 160gr bullet at around 2400'/sec. The '06 fires a 220gr bullet at 2600'/sec. At 200-300 yards, this conversation is ludicrous as the '06 bullet has 800'/lbs more energy. As much as I like the Swede, and I own 2 of them, my choice for a cross canyon Elk caliber would be the '06 without a second thought. Regards, Rick.

For moose I use Sierra 140 gr. boatails over 46.5 gr of Imr 4831 @ 2700 fps. For deer I use 120 gr. Nosler ballistic tips over 44g of AA3100@ 2400 fps. Mild but effective.. For varmints I use 85 gr speer hollow points over 44.5 gr of IMR 4064@ 3200 fps very accurate !

[quote]ORIGINAL: 48thguns

2 Words!! Sectional Density!!
The "Freight Train" effect of the 6.5 makes it Long for weight compared to similar weights in larger diameter bullets. Thus you'll find that a 160 grain bullet in 6.5 has a sectional density of .328 while a .308 bullet of 165 grains has a sectional density of .248
Noboby will argue that both cartridges are fantasticly effective on a large variety of game. The beauty of the 6.5 X 55 though is it's efficiency of effectiveness given it's mild recoil during the job. In tests for penetration where a 140 grain Sierra boattail bulllet was compared to t a .308 bullets of 180 grains ( it was a Remington Core-Lokt, a known quantity), the "little" 140 grainer out penetrated the 180 every time on the stacks of wet and dry magazines used for the test.
That doesn't prove much though. What does prove a lot is real experience in the field, and the owners of both the 6.5 X 55 and the 30/06 are NOT complaining.

The above post says it all. For most big game use the Swede with 130-140 grain bullets. They will perform much like a 180 grain bullet from the 30 caliber and Sectional Density is the reason for its effect on big game. Just on paper many rounds appear to outdo the 6.5x55 but in the field, it holds its own against the big boys. Also you can't repeat often enough that the 6.5x55 is much more shooters shoulder friendly than most any other round. I have used the 160 grainer but the Swede performs best with 130-140 grain bullets. The SD of the 140 grain Swede is about the same as a 190 grain bullet in 30 Caliber. Most Swdes will get abouit 2700 FPS with a 140 grainer. Even the 129 grain Hornady has more than enough SD for animals the size of elk.

The 30-06 is a fine round and I have owned many of them but when I want to hunt the same size game without the recoil, give me the 6.5x55. Try one in the field and you will be pleasantly suprised if not SHOCKED.