doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com 6.5 restricted in UK or elsewhere?

Can anyone confirm the rumor that lighter cartridges such as the 6.5X54MS have (or will be) restricted from use on any big game in the UK or elsewhere?

Under the Deer Act 1991 in England and Wales, the minimum legal requirement for shooting deer is a .240-inch calibre rifle with a muzzle energy of at least 1,700 ft/lbs. For Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer, the minimum is a .220-inch centrefire rifle, minimum 1,000 ft/lbs muzzle energy, and 50-grain bullet weight.
England and Wales (Deer Act 1991):All Species (Red, Fallow, Sika, Roe): Minimum calibre .240", minimum muzzle energy 1,700 ft/lbs.Small Species (Muntjac, Chinese Water Deer): Minimum calibre .220" (centrefire), minimum energy 1,000 ft/lbs, minimum bullet weight 50 grains.Bullet Type: Must be soft-nosed or hollow-nosed.
Scotland (Deer (Scotland) Order 1996):General: Minimum calibre .240", minimum muzzle energy 1,750 ft/lbs, bullet weight 100 grains, and velocity 2,450 fps.Roe Deer Only: Minimum bullet weight 50 grains, minimum muzzle energy 1,000 ft/lbs, and velocity 2,450 fps.
Northern Ireland:All Species: Minimum calibre .236" (6mm), minimum energy 1,700 ft/lbs, and 100-grain bullet weight.Small Species: Same as England & Wales (.220", 1,000 ft/lbs, 50-grain bullet).

Hope this makes it clear.

So, it appears the 6.5X54MS cartridge may be disqualified for deer hunting with some common bullet and barrel combinations.
For example Chuck Hawks reports that a 140 gr. bullet from a 20 inch barrel only has a muzzle energy of ~1,600 ft.lbs. Interestingly, he also reports that some 120 gr. bullets pushed faster have a ME of 1,700+ ft. lbs.
So one would qualify for deer hunting, while the other load would not, at least when fired from a 20 inch barrel (the barrel length of many of the classic Steyr Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbines).