Iar45, you wont be sorry going with a 6.5x55 Swede, especially if you build it on a 98 or Savage, Remington/Ruger or other modern action. I just finished a build on a Savage action, with a 26" varmint taper, 1-8 twist. I am shooting the 6.5x55SE Data, which starts where the older mauser 96 stops. .In 37 years of gunsmithing I have built over 100 rifles in this caliber. In the 80's and 90's ordered them by the dozen when I ran a shop full time, kept 3 of 4 in the rack for sale at all times, a lot of game has been taken in eastern KY with those rifles, from 50 yds in the timber, out to 400 yds and further in hayfields, and on old coal strip mines which have been reclaimed. I used have taken deer with 120 and 140gr soft points. For whitetail I prefer the 120 grs, have taken a ton of deer with them, and my longest shot on a buck was in a 20 acre hayfield I varmint hunt on, at 510 yds. Holler at me if you decide to build one, I have done extensive load work and can steer you in the right direction.