Just for clarity since I have noted some people confused sometimes about which model of Mannlicher he was using, the Schoenauer action or the older model by Gibbs,
I have found that Bell used a Mannlicher Schoenauer carbine for shooting elephants, probably the one in the American Rifleman article - (later gave it up in favour of the .275 Rigby because he said the little rifles were too 'delicate') but he also said they he used the ealier model of Gibbs Mannlicher for hunting for the pot while on safari, and that he had to use that particular rifle as a single shot because he lost the stripper clips for it. (You know the model I mean - I forget now)
He probably did this becuase the sights on the rifles would have been regulated for differetn ammo, - the 'elephant rifles' for the solid ammo and the older model Gibbs for softpoints.
(This last is just my speculation after reading where he said that the first thing he did whenever he went to aFrica was put up some targets and file all of his gunsights till they were spot on. This also brings to mind the notion that whenever he went on safari he would take new rifles with him. This sort of bolstered by my noting that someone had the records from Rigby that showed that he had bougth 6 x .275 Rigby mausers from them over the years)
He actually started out with 2 x .303 lee enfield sporters made up by his friend the gunmaker Joeffrey, then went to the 6.5x54 Mannlicher, then he started witht he .275 Rigby (7x57), then he went to the .318 Westley richards in a double rifle, but had trouble with ammunition for it (the actual rifle is owned by someone on the forums today and the left barrel has a serious headspce problem - hence the cases splitting) so he went back to the .275 Mauser.
He also shot elephants with a large bore double rifle too...he did a lot of things, people sort of forget we are talking about a man's life work here...if someone came to write about me one day fifty years from now and characterise me from what caliber I used for hunting, well, I think they would have a hard time knowing where to start....