Being from the country in which the 6,5x55 is one of the most used calibers I might have a go at this? Ohh, I qualify by having shot exactly ONE moose with it. Why not more? Well, while I do think that it is perfectly capable of killing any living moose on this sphere we call Earth I do not think it is perfect for the job. I prefer cartridges with bigger, heavier bullets. This is simply because I do not always have a situation where I can pick my shot and then I want a bullet heavy enough to kill eventhough it might have to pass through the point of the shoulder (the knuckle) on a moose quartering towards me. A 6,5x55 with a 130 gr TSX might do just that but as it is not legal for moose here it's a moot point for me. I've seen more "bad shots" from 6,5's than most other calibers - to be honest many was because the bullet used wasn't up to the job. So for me the combination of the available, legal bullets with the rather small diameter and weight of the 6,5 makes it less desirable then fx a 9,3x62, 30-06, 8x57JS or what ever might float your boat. The 6,5 is used less and less here for our larger species. In the south the wild boar population is increasing and in the north the bear population is also increasing. A lot of hunters simply want a little more bullet than our "National Caliber" can handle.
Then again, if I ever get in a situation where I was forced the use the 6,5x55 I would keep hunting and not worry a bit! As long as the nut behind the butt use some common sense it will do what it is supposed to.
//K9_75
