IMO ...YES & NO depending on whether or not you handload.

I personally looked very hard at this exact comparison in making a choice for a everyday shooter with less recoil than my 40 year favorite 270 in a T3Lite...that I had already bought prior to the surgery and is still NIB & leaning against my desk as I type this, as I was not sure I would ever recover enough from a surgically damaged neck & shoulder to shoot the 270 Lite and had a Tikka WTHunter 695 Hunter Grade 270 I could use for trade goods. I was/may even yet pickup a beater 308 as a truck gun and use 30/30 bullets at 30/30+ speeds for a 100 yard deer capable "plinker". I choose the 6.5 Swede over the 308 Win because I did already had a 300WMg for a 30 cal shooter that I could & have started to download to 30'06/300H&H recoil levels IF I could get heal enough and as stated already had a 270 sitting on go that was too close in performance to a 308 with the same recoil levels in the same gun...and Plus, as much as anything because I had never had one in the 40-50 some odd hunting rifles I've owned and wanted to see what all the yammering was about concerning the Swede from a number of people I respect. I also like to shoot something nobody else has... just to be different I guess. Makes campfire "converstions" more interesting sometimes LOLOL!

6.5x55 SE (aka "Swedish Express" - confirmed as the later 1896 design)
Pro:
1. .264 diameter bullets are weight for weight very high Ballistic Coeffiecnt bullets ie the higher the BC # the more efficient the bullet flys ='s less drop per fps velocity.
2. .264 bullets are very high in Sectional Density ie the higher the SD # the deeper penetration possible in weight for weight & same bullet design.
These two things are generalities and serve as the basic comparison between all bullets and calibers. Typically higher BC #'s are also generally more accurate too.
3. The 6.5x55SE has a 100+ year history of outstanding accuracy and better than it should be game performance, and one of it's "children", the 6.5x284 Norma, is a leading benchrest caliber in competitions up to and including 1000 yard matchs...and why you see more than a few 6.5 Match bullets available. It has to do with repeatable consistency over time and circumstance when you can generate consistent sub MOA groups at any range...with any calber/rifle combination...this is what the 6.5x55 SE has done for over a 100 years and is known best for.

Cons: Very limited choice in factory loaded ammo, & very limited distribution availablity at retail of anything other than a basic hunting load that is downloaded for the hundreds of thousands of pre 1940 & even more pre WW I built rifles.
2. You MUST handload to gain access to the wide choices of excellent bullets and powders that a modern ...aka M98 Mauser & post WW II mfg'd rifles can utilize, and obviously a Tikka T3 fits that description. Using modern bullets and powders IMO with animals up Elk and Black Bear and a capable shooter 400 yard killing shots are a doable thing. IF However this 400 yard+ issue was going to be a steady diet for me I'd look for a older Tikka WTHunter 695 6.5x55 24" Bull barreled Varmint Rifle and happily blast away with bullets from the 120 or 130gr gr Barnes TSX, 125gr or 140gr Nosler Partitions or other various high grade 130 & 140 gr bullets...with the first two choices as my place to start. Nosler now offers, and later this year Hornady will also offer, a Bonded 130gr delrin tipped bullets that at first glance will become my choice for a "best all around" shooter". I have not had a chance yet to work out the best loads for some Nosler 130 gr AccuBonds I bought last fall but the compromise of weight, bullet design & potential for speed seems to be the best solution for my needs in Texas, at least on paper. I found it veeerrry interesting that Hornady jumped on the bandwagon with this latest bullet that mimicks the 130gr NAB's...otherwise the spendy TSX's & NPT's will get the nod for high dollar hunts.
3. limited powder capacity in comparison to any of the more modern post WW II .264 designs aka 260Rem (aka 6.5x308), .264WMg (which preceded the 7RMg), the 6.5x284 Norma and wildcats like a 6.5x'06. At some point I'd consider building a 6.5WSM using 270WSM brass, or a 6.5x284 Norma to get a substantial increase in MV...and address the idea of a rifle capable of 600+ yard game shots on Mule deer sized critters.

These are the basic issues with a 6.5x55 SE and I'm sure other folks will chime with their ideas.

308 Winchester (Not the 7.62x51 NATO milsurp round, even though they are the same size and shoot interchangebly in most rifles).
Pro's: IMO There is nothing not to like about a 308 Winchester, and would be my choice over a 30'06 especially in a 6lb 3oz T3 Lite to use in Texas.
1. Modern design with a shorter more efficient powder column, as such the 308Win has fathered a number of very successful "children" - a 243Win, 260Rem, 7-08Rem, 338Fed, & 358Win.
2. Wide distribution at retail of a wide range of factory loaded ammo from el cheapo aftermarket reloads to almost whatever you can afford.
3. Easy to reload yourself with a wide assortment of components at every level of dirtibution.
4. Excellent reputation for accuracy.
Con's:
1. Not as fast as the larger 30 cal rifles from 30'06 to the various 30 cal Weatherby powder guzzlers. 180 & 200 gr bullets are the gold standard of long range 30 Cal bullets underperform at long ranges due to the lack of MV out of a 308Win are best acheived by the bigger powder capacities...like my 9 1/2lb all up (scoped/slinged & loaded) 24" barreled 300WMg M70 Classic that is over 2lbs heavier than my Swede T3 HunterGrade..that is 6 oz's heavier than the same rig in a T3Lite +'s lots more owie on the busted/barely healed shooting "wing" even after 16 months of rehab.
2. Best performance on game bullet wise is limited IMO to bullets of 165/168gr's weight or less. However there is a wide selection of Elk capable bullets in this weight range that was previously described, and would be my choice as an everyday shooter either in 150's or 165gr'ers depending on waht shot best for me and what I was shooting at.

Wow...I may need to swap off my NIB 270 for a 308 T3 Lite yet and continue to narrow down my loading bench assortments...Just Not Yet!

Hope this meandering thought process regurgitation helps you understand why I have done what I did but there is not a bad choice either way here IMO.
Ron

Thanks for the info!! I did not metion that I have a 12 year old son that is eat up with exotic hunting in Texas. We have a place in the hill country and will continue to hunt red sheep, Ibex, and others shooting across box canyons up to 400 yds. I am trying to get the most accuracy, best performance, with as little recoil as possible (like most I assume); I am not convinced I need to jump on the 300 wagon just yet. As my collection of rifels goes, this 6.5 seems to bridge the gap for my son along with serve me for the time being. I have not started the reload business yet but would like to get into it. I know one thing, Tikka is my first choice in gun make. Again, thanks for the help!

With a 12 year old in the mix & not reloading don't overlook a 260, 7-08 or 270 either. With the 270 I might change out the pad for a ready cut to fit to screw on Limbsaver for about $20-$25 bux. Be sure to use enough glass to see well at 400 yards, plus I'd also suggest something like the Burris Ballistic Plex/Leupold Boone & Crockett crosshair system to take some of the hold over/under guesswork out of the deal. I've been very satisfied so far with a couiple Burris FF II's & their Customer Support as well what little I've needed them, but Leupold is Leupold and is the bench mark of Customer Service.
Ya'll have tons of fun and be sure to take a camera every time you step out of the house headed to the ranch.
Ron

Thanks Ron! As always you have been a great help.

Very good info. Loved this round for a long time. Thanks for the insight.

I have been looking for a good deal on a Tikka in 6.5. If anyone knows of for sale around North Texas then please let me know.
dennis.sumrak@sbcglobal.net

WileyCoyote, you are full of excellent info., thanks a bunch. I bought a 6.5x55 configued in a small deer rifle, either woman or child size, with an 18" barrel, a mauser 96 action, and a fancy Fajaen (sp?) walnut stock for $100. The stock is fully bedded and it has a Timney trigger in it so someone spent some money setting it up. The stock was a little beat up and scratched so I stripped it, steamed the heck out of it and Tru oiled it and it looks brand new. I have to say, even though its still a work in progress, I love how the 6.5x55 shoots. Even in this light little rifle, it shoots very soft. My father shot a little doe with it this year and it blew a pretty good hole in her so I'm very satisfied with the bullet performance. Like WileyCoyote said, just order your ammo off Midway or something like that and there are many, many choices ranging from very inexpensive to just as expensive as any other caliber. The 6.5x55 is no more expensive to shoot than any other domestic caliber, you just can't typically find ammo on the shelf.

It's kind of hard to find a cartridge that the Swede doesn't compare favorably to. It's maybe the most overlooked and little known bullet around.

Shot a 100+lb doe late last season in Dec '09 at about 125 yards using the Swede & Sierra ProHunter 120gr'ers...This was the only deer I have ever killed that dropped in place DRT mid stride at the behind the shoulder sweet spot impact. No wiggle, no jump, just folded up and sat down backwards at impact like putting a hole in a bag pipe.

Been working with 130gr Nosler AB's this year and getting 1 hole 3 shot groups at about 1 grain of RL19 under max max Alliant Book loads running about 2750/2800fps. Getting close to the same accuracy out the AB's using some leftover H4831SC at just a tad slower too...but the RL19 seems to be the real deal. The AB's .488 BC's are almost the same as the .485 BC 129 gr Hornady SST's too. Whenever I can do a side by side and pick a winner I'll buy a K or more whenever I can find a Bigtime Sale and call it good for everything for the rest of my time with this 'un.

Only got one critter, a mature WTail 120lb spike, in front of the crosshairs this year and the big mouth 9.3 Mauser that was in the blind for hogs only needed to speak once as always...with the Swede up next like last year, but alas no more shots were available during last weeks Late Doe-Spike Season. S'posed to make another trip later this spring for hogs before it warms up too much so I'll prolly get to try the Swede's 130AB's on a big porker sometime soon.
Ron

you will love the swede, it will do everything you ask from it, wileycoyote,, glad to see someone else that loves this round as much as i do. good shooting, headshot