SPORTING ANSWERS
Advice on changing calibre
STALKING
Q I’ve always used a .308 for stalking fallow and the odd roe, but unfortunately age is getting the better of me and I fancy a slightly gentler rifle. A friend of mine has a lovely little Sako in 6.5x55 that I’ve used and like very much, but I’ve no experience with this calibre. I wonder, will it be as effective as my .308?
A I currently use a .260 rifle for roe and fallow that is ballistically very similar to the 6.5x55.
In fact, the rifle I had previous to this was a 6.5x55 — or ‘Swede’ as it’s sometimes known — and I can confirm that it will most certainly be up to the job on these deer species and larger.
The Swede sits nicely between the .243 and .308 calibres in terms of size and is renowned for its inherent accuracy and softer recoil.
If reloading, the Swede can be loaded with a nice, light, flatter-shooting bullet for fox, and perhaps roe, and loaded with a 120-gr or heavier bullet for larger quarry, such as fallow.
The Swede is also an excellently performing cartridge
