Greg, please keep us posted regarding you results via the  6.5mm Rogue - we need more crazy people in BR!

Two summers ago, I built a full blown .300WSM and shot  the ten ogive 118Gr. bullets at a MV of 3580FPS (disappointingly slow via full 25" barrel) with a very high degree of precision -surprisingly so. After all my preaching about shootin' at the "right time", I decided I needed more of an edge during windy contitions at three hundred yards . . . funny, the edge was there, but it only worked when I was shooting well enough to either win, or scare the winner half to death anyway . . when the autopilot was off, I was right there with the other mediocre performers THAT day - usually, I was the best of the mediocre! ;)

Meanwhile, even with the muzzle-brake, my wrist would be sore after a single yardage  - the inertial "snap" (while the bullet was still in the barrel I reckon) is amazingly stout as compared to my typical 30x47HBR loads. Also, I got weary watching the powder can go empty so quickly - 74.5Gr. of H-4350; as compared to the .30x47HBR, a 175% increase in powder charge weight!! :eek:

But, a tougher sort could likely have done better with the WSM - the precision is there; I converted it into a HUNTIN' only rig at the close of THAT season (2002) . . this year, B4 the annual mule deer hunt, I sighted it in at two hundred yards, then, over the course of the next hour and a half or so, without regard to wind, shot a six-shot group which measured just under 0.8" (obviously, as conditins go,It wasn't a BAD day); the group a typical "weather report": about .4" high and .8" wide. Then, to verify the trajectory table, I moved the target in to the 100Yd. holder and over the next hour, shot three shots, which resulted in a nifty 0.105"  . . . it'll work for a huntin' rifle! Maybe I should IGNORE the flags more often!  ;)

I managed to win one three hundred yard event, which I promptly decided I would have won shooting a BB gun - my brain was fully functional! ;) At that event, the rig proved precise enough to accommodate my shooting three matches which tallied 50; one of which was a right nifty 50-3X, with the two "misses" inside the ten ring! The best lesson I got out of the expiriment was the reinforcement of the golden rule: YOU MUST shoot at the RIGHT time, 'cause someone else IS !!! "Edges" only work when we are performing at the highest level; salvation exists soley within the realm of religious belief.

Back to your case; I'd put more $$ on your coming up with something viable - the case capacity is closer to sound and with the lighter end of the bullet weight selection, recoil should prove both more tolerable & managable. With regard to the 6.5mm, the BIGGEST question mark is bullet quality at the lighter end of the scale AND combining THE bullet with a twist rate which will provide stability within the "magic window" - Sg between 1.4 and 1.9  . . .

Keep 'em ON the X! R.G.