Buzzkill,
As someone who has just bought a new 6.5x55 gun and very excited about it I might not be the most objective on your question. Regarding the availability of the cartridge I've noticed that the local gunshops rarely carry the round here in Georgia. On the internet it's a different story thanks to the 6.5x55 being a old military round with a loyal following. I just received 500 rounds of Swedish military surplus ammo at a cost of $0.50 per round for target practice and 100 rounds of Prvi Partizan at a cost of $0.65 per round for hunting/practice purposes. It will take me a couple of years to deplete my inventory
