To me it's a light cartridge with a modern case design. It's accurate, and there's alot of factory ammo, and plenty of quality brass available. It's got quite a following, but it ain't anything magical. Rather sloooow in my book, but I bet eastern whitetail won't notice.
All true. And deer in the west don't notice either.
I have both the 6.5 and 6mm – neither will do what a bajillion others won't. But I'm just a hopelessly possessed deer hunter that happens to shoot a bit. And I'd just as soon run 50 rounds through either of them in a morning versus a 30.06.