I am no fan of recoil either. All things equal of course the Swede will kick more. You are still talking more powder and a 40% bullet weight increase so...even so, not that many other rounds will kick noticably less than one.
I have rifles comparable to both: a 6mm and a 260 Rem. The 6mm kicks less but is wood and a little heavier. I think it is rare to find a 6.5 and a 243 in the equal rifle weights so I think it might be slightly moot. While I love my 6mm and find it perfect for Texas deer, for a big fat northern buck I would feel better squeezing off a 6.5/140 at one of those monsters. Your odds of a complete pass through are just improved.
Take a look at a CZ 550 (available in 6.5x55). We got my Dad one in 6.5x55 and he has not touched his sledehammering 7mag since. Compared to some new light weights rifles (Tikka or Browning) it is on the heavy side but it weighs what a standard rifle always weighed up until recently so its not like dragging around a varmint rig. I would not even call it heavy -just not lightweight. Comes with a great recoil pad (on top of the heavy coat you will be wearing in the field) and its own good rings all of which make it a great bet for recoil sensitive. Fantastic set trigger for targets and zeroing scopes too. Thing is a blast to shoot -and will freak you out first time! It is an honest pussy cat even compared to my similar 260Rem Browning -which isn't bad, but more than any 243 I ever shot. Think you would enjoy shooting either rifle and in other circumstances might point you to a 243 - this just isn't one of them. Let us know what you decide.
