Having had a 6.5x55 in a light rifle I understand it's appeal. It remains a popular choice in the Nordic countries but the harvest reports I've seen from those countries show the 30-06 as being more often used when moose hunting. And the 30 calibers are far more prevalent when wild boar are being hunted. A couple years ago I saw a Norwegian report of the gun sales by caliber and the 30-06 and 308 were the two most popular calibers chosen. So, highly unlikely that the 30's are going to be overtaken by the smaller calibers even in the countries most often associated with them. To each their own. I no longer own anything smaller than the 06 as I often hunt alone in bear country. I don't think that discussions of BC, SD, etc are going to change what guides choose to carry for back up when dangerous game is an issue. I also know of several brown bear guides who have a caliber minimum and it's not 6.5. Could it kill a 1000+ lb coastal brownie? Of course with a perfect shot, but your not going to convince them to give up their 375's and 458's for back up work. That of course is the extreme end of the scale but also applies to any big game pursued. The question remains, what is the 'best' caliber for the game, type of hunting, and terrain that will be encountered. There are states that allow .22 caliber centerfire rifles for big game hunting. I have a brother who kills a mule deer every year with his .223. To me thats taking the SD,BC argument to the extreme and from my perspective borders on unethical. There are far too many types of hunting and terrains in North America to narrow the field to eliminate 30 caliber and above. If recoil is the determining factor in choice of caliber then you'll have to limit your hunts accordingly. If a .22 rimfire causes you to flinch I suppose you could always take up knitting.
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