I shot my one and only eland with a 6.5x55 using 156 grain Norma factory loads.
I had planned to shoot the eland with a 375 H&H, but we were stalking a herd of Springbuck when we jumped this guy out of his bed and he presented at a perfect angle to put the bullets into the heart and lung area without having to shoot through heavy leg and shoulder bones. I shot it 3 times, all 3 bullets hitting lungs or heart and would each have been fatal, but I kept shooting until the PH said to stop. The PH was skeptical of my choice of the 6.5x55 for my light rifle, so we went over the correct aim points and angles on the game that I was scheduled to shoot. I also shot a box of ammo on his range to show him that I could handle a rifle safely and shoot 4 MOA offhand and 2 MOA off the sticks. The outfitter recommended Norma factory loads for the 6.5x55 and Winchester factory loads for the 375 H&H as they were regularly stocked items in Maun. Also, as recommended by the outfitter, I brought 60 rounds of ammo for each rifle with me and, IIRC, had to pay some sort of import tax on each round of ammunition that I brought into the country, but don't recall getting a refund when I brought ammo back home with me. That was over 30 years ago, so things have almost certainly changed since then.
The pair of rifles that I put together for my next, final, trip to Africa are a pair of Interarms Mark X mannlichers in 7x57 and 9.3x62, with the plan to shoot the larger game with the 9.3x62 and a properly constructed bullet in the 250 to 300 grain range. Plan, plan, plan, but be prepared to adapt to the unexpected and overcome it with the resources at hand.
