[Jeff Higgins]

Factory loaded 6.5x55 ammunition is typically loaded to very low pressures so that they are safe in original Swedish Mausers. Norma is an exception, loading their stuff right up to pressure levels enjoyed by modern rifle rounds. Last I saw, they listed a 160 grain round nose right at 2,500 fps.

Handloaded ammunition can easily exceed that. Using a very slow powder, like Alliant's Reloder 22, the 160 grain bullet can touch 2,600 fps in a strong, modern action.

So, is there some kind of minimum kinetic energy requirement that a load must meet to be eligible to hunt red deer? Or is it just a flat velocity cutoff, regardless of bullet weight or caliber? Lighter bullets at higher velocities in any given caliber will always generate more kinetic energy; as velocity is squared (mv^2), thereby unrealistically weighting speed more than mass. These high kinetic energy numbers tend to impress the impressionable more so than they impress the animals...

Give me bullet weight over velocity any day, especially in a caliber like the 6.5 Swede. Even at the moderate velocities you've seen from the Sako load, it will be a better killer (especially on an animal the size of red deer) than the lighter, faster loads.

But, in the end, the law is the law, so you must comply. The good news is that you can easily, safely exceed that 2,450 fps threshold with the 160 grain bullet using the correct powders. Your rifle is more than strong enough to handle modern day pressures.