I'm sure Marius has seen his fair share of hunters using lighter than recommended calibers and making spectacular kills with them.
...I'm also willing to bet that he has seen more than his fair share of hunters who couldn't shoot well (for whatever reason: lack of skill, poor eyesight, poor range judgement, etc). and put a bullet of marginal caliber in a less than perfect spot and loose that animal. Would it have been better with a larger caliber/bigger round? Maybe...
The 6.5 is a great round; have one myself,and I love it. But I think that there are better choices out there for large African game, and the fact that there are so many different species of different sizes and weights that one might run into, I'd rather be overgunned than undergunned.
If the O.P. can't afford another rifle, or is just plain bent on taking that 6.5, I think I would recommend that he load up with premium bullets, practice, and choose his shots carefully.
