William Dalyrmple Maitland Bell, never saw a 6.5x55. He used a .256 Mannlicher, which is how the British gun makers labeled their firearms by bore diameter. He most likely had a Belgian military rifle chambered for 6.5x53R as that was the basis for most of the ones made by firms like Purdy. It had a little thinner rim than it's twin the 6.5x53R used by Serbia. Bell didn't like the 6.5 for elephants he said the 160 grain full metal jacket bullets bent, and didn't stay on a straight line through the honeycomb bones of an elephants head.

As for readin' you might want to try and remember what it was you did read.