What is your caliber choice for the tiny 10?

Next time I head to Africa I plan on going after a lot of the smaller antelope. Grysbok, blue duiker, etc. What would be the best caliber choice to go after these little guys? Is the .22-250 too fast? Is the .223 just about right? Looking for opinions and experiences.

So I have shot all of mine with a 300 gr solid from a .375. Worked fine with .375 holes going and coming. However, were I taking a dedicated little guy rifle it would be a .22 hornet. Even a heavy for caliber .223 - even more so a 22-5o can leave an enormous exit wound in something the size of a jack rabbit - Oribi and common duiker somewhat bigger - blues and suni somewhat smaller. The old hornet would seem just about perfect.

First off it depends on which country as well as which area in that country you will be going to and which ones you will be targeting first as there is not a single caliber that would suite all.

22-250 is a bad idea as the speed is too high same for 223, lower velocity for most and heavy constructed bullets or solids. Shotgun in some cases.

See below for some recommendations.

I have found a combination gun with one rifle barrel and one shotgun barrel the best for most except Oribi and Klipspringer...

Tiny Ten Species
• Damara Dik-Dik-Namibia, close range, lower velocity cartridge or even large caliber with solids or combination gun.
• Blue Duiker-very close range, shotgun or combination with rifle barrel loaded with solids
• Common Duiker (also called Gray Duiker or Bush Duiker)-close to medium range, normal hunting caliber with heavy bullets at lower velocity or mentioned combination rifle when calling or 375 H&H with solids
• Red Forest Duiker (also called Red Duiker, Natal Duiker or Natal Red Duiker)-normal hunting caliber with heavy bullets at lower velocity or mentioned combination rifle when calling or 375 H7H with solids
• Cape Grysbok (also called Southern Grysbok)normal hunting caliber with heavy bullets at lower velocity or mentioned combination rifle when hunting at night
• Sharp's Grysbok (also called Northern Grysbok)normal hunting caliber with heavy bullets at lower velocity or mentioned combination rifle or 375 H&H with solids
• Klipspringer-normal hunting rifle, longer range shots hard bullets as light constructed bullets at high velocity will cause havoc to the cape. They have hollow hair and are very susceptible to hair slip when using high velocity calibers and field prep is not good.
• Oribi-normal hunting rifle could be close range or long range depending where you hunt them.
• Steenbok (also known as Steinbuck or Steinbok)-normal hunting caliber with heavy bullets at lower velocity or 375 H&H with solids
• Suni-close range, normal hunting caliber with heavy bullets at lower velocity or mentioned combination rifle when calling or 375 H&H with solids

Thanks for the suggestions. I shot a steenbok this year with a 300 grain .375, not a solid. There was some big damage on exit on the front quartering shot. I took a southern duiker with a .30-06 and it passed through with almost no damage. I find I like hunting the little guys and want to target oribi, blue duiker, cape grysbok, vaal rhebok on my next SA safari. I definitely don't want to use my .300WSM on them and am wondering if I should just stick with the -06. I don't have any experience hunting with the lighter calibers but was considering a .243 or would that be about the same as using the -06?

Rider717 said:

Thanks for the suggestions. I shot a steenbok this year with a 300 grain .375, not a solid. There was some big damage on exit on the front quartering shot. I took a southern duiker with a .30-06 and it passed through with almost no damage. I find I like hunting the little guys and want to target oribi, blue duiker, cape grysbok, vaal rhebok on my next SA safari. I definitely don't want to use my .300WSM on them and am wondering if I should just stick with the -06. I don't have any experience hunting with the lighter calibers but was considering a .243 or would that be about the same as using the -06?

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30-06 would be very good for the ones you mention if you shoot it well, (may be a bit short on range for the Vaal rhebuck), you may need to take 300-350 yard shot on one, for blue duiker shotgun, the outfitter should be able to sort you out with one...

I would recommend the following :
A .375 HH Magnum for long range shots. 270 grain bullet . My .350 Rigby Magnum could also comfortably do it with the 225 grain bullet.
A 12 gauge shotgun firing a 3 inch shell loaded with #1 or AAA for Duiker , if you can get close .
I have used the above two weapons on Roe deer with good success

My suggestion 7 x 57 ( 275Rigby).

I can tell you from experience a 180gr , a Barnes TSX out of a .30/06 at 20 yds will leave a large exit hole on a steinbok.

Hunting birds in RSA some years back, I flushed a small antelope about the size of a Texas jack rabbit and reflexively drew a bead on it with my 12 gauge - it would have been an easy shot, just like shooting rabbits with a .22. Fortunately I had already shot what looked like a midget bobwhite quail and wanted no more midgets of any kind.
Our guide saw it too and told me it was a record book "something" and was hiding in the crop field.
I would have to be very hungry to shoot one of those - as hungry as eating a jack rabbit, which we some times shot for chili meat.

Reckon those little "somethings" are as good to eat as jack rabbits?

I’ve loaded 180 grain Speer hot-Cors at 2500 in my 30-06 (because it’s accurate and not to push the upper velocity limits of the bullet) it seems not to damage raccoons or groundhogs to bad. They obviously pass through but don’t seem to expand much in that small of a critter. Also a 223 with 55 ballistic tip kills much better than 06 on little stuff with that load.

I wonder how the 150 gr. 30 caliber solid would do in the 30-06.

I hadn't thought about using a solid in the 30-06. That might be the way to go. Trying to decide if I need to add another, lighter barrel to my setup and what caliber I should get. My .300WSM left some grapefruit size holes in springbuck this year so I know I won't use it on the little critters. I also like getting to sample the results of the hunt and don't want to ruin the meat or the cape. By the way steenbuck is quite tasty!

Reduced loads in 30-06 work okay using solid bullets. 223 with softs work great! 243 Win with reduced load would work too.

I used a 22 Hornet on my Cape Greysbuck. It performed perfectly making very small holes. Used a 375 H&H for several. Of course a solid is ideal but sometimes you get a chance when you get it and may just have to shoot what is in your hands and loaded in your gun. Common duiker behind the shoulder, soft zipped right through and had two little .375" holes. On a steenbok I shot a tad back and blew the whole rumen out the off side.

Think slower moving bullets and those that are not real explosive.

So l asked this question to my Grandad tonight , who actually hunted these things in Kenya in 1968 . He gave his following preferences :
A .375 HH Magnum using Western Cartridge Co. 270 grain bullets .
The advantage of bringing a rifle in this caliber is obvious. You've also got a decent chance of bagging the bigger stuff with the same gun using 300 grain solid FMJ rounds . He was using the Winchester Model 70 which l use now , when he was in Kenya.
For Duiker and Smaller antelope which you can stalk close , a J Stevens Double barrelled side by side 12 gauge shotgun loaded with AAA . Modified Choke , both barrels .
He also had a friend who brought a Winchester Model 70 in .220 Swift for the small stuff. My Granddad used it to take a Dik Dik with a neck shot , but generally said that the 48 grain bullet is too fragile . My grandad also recalls seeing " .22 short Saloon rifles " being used by the locals to pot Duiker with great success .

As several wise gentlemen have already stated, pretty hard to beat a .375 with solids. So far with this set up I’ve taken Steenbok, Common Duiker, Klipspringer, Bushbuck, Serval and Jackal with the desired result of two small holes in the hide.
Next year I’m heading to Mozambique for Buffalo and more of the Tiny 10 and planning to take 2 guns. The first will be a .375 H&H loaded with 300 gr A-Frames and 300 gr solids which pretty much covers anything from Grysbok to Cape Buffalo.
The second, while quite unnecessary, will be my Drilling (16x16 X 7x65R) with some 173 gr FMJ’s/170 gr softs and #1 Buck. In addition to Buff which is the main focus, I’m hoping to spend some time hunting Suni, Oribi, Red Duiker and Grysbok (bushbuck, warthog, etc) with the Drilling.
Seems like an FMJ in 7mm or .30 cal would be pretty good for small, thin skinned critters, especially if hunting Klipspringer at longer distances.

Rider717 said:

Thanks for the suggestions. I shot a steenbok this year with a 300 grain .375, not a solid. There was some big damage on exit on the front quartering shot. I took a southern duiker with a .30-06 and it passed through with almost no damage. I find I like hunting the little guys and want to target oribi, blue duiker, cape grysbok, vaal rhebok on my next SA safari. I definitely don't want to use my .300WSM on them and am wondering if I should just stick with the -06. I don't have any experience hunting with the lighter calibers but was considering a .243 or would that be about the same as using the -06?

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As mentioned, If you are planning on hunting a Vaal Rhebuck, you need to be prepared to shoot out to 350 yards, so the 300WSM would be a great choice for that. Not to say that the shot WILL be that far, but it could be. Vaal Rhebuck are not very hardy animals, and you should simply try and stay away from the shoulders, whether you choose something like a Barnes or a conventional lead core bullet. A big factor is the bone fragmentation that cause the shrapnel ending up in a big hole.
As far as the rest are concerned, for the Blue Duiker, it would depend whether you are hunting one over hounds or not. Over hounds, it will be with a shotgun.
We consider the Tiny 10 and Vaal Rhebuck our specialities, so please feel free to drop us a message if we can assist in any way.

Take Care,
Marius Goosen

Rider717 said:

Next time I head to Africa I plan on going after a lot of the smaller antelope. Grysbok, blue duiker, etc. What would be the best caliber choice to go after these little guys? Is the .22-250 too fast? Is the .223 just about right? Looking for opinions and experiences.

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I was extremely successful with my Ruger .223 and Barnes TSX ammo. It does little damage to the tinys but can still take down larger game. I took a Vaal Rhebok, Cape Grysbok, Red Duiker, Bushpig, Cape Fox, Caracal, Serval, African Wildcat, and a like of Springbok last year with my suppressed .223. Turned the pig off like a light switch but a shot to the neck of the Serval did little damage. THE perfect setup!
Stay away from .22-250 there will be nothing left of your trophies. If you are after big game you can always use a .375 with solids. Feel free to pose more questions. Excited for your upcoming Safari!
Philip

Philip Glass said:

I was extremely successful with my Ruger .223 and Barnes TSX ammo. It does little damage to the tinys but can still take down larger game. I took a Vaal Rhebok, Cape Grysbok, Red Duiker, Bushpig, Cape Fox, Caracal, Serval, African Wildcat, and a like of Springbok last year with my suppressed .223. Turned the pig off like a light switch but a shot to the neck of the Serval did little damage. THE perfect setup!
Stay away from .22-250 there will be nothing left of your trophies. If you are after big game you can always use a .375 with solids. Feel free to pose more questions. Excited for your upcoming Safari!
Philip

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Phillip, How windy was it on the day that you took the Vaalie? That would be my only concern with the .223 . It will certainly be enough gun, but 9/10 times, winds are very strong in the areas where the Vaalies live.
Always say that the day the wind stops blowing there, I think they will all die.

Shot a Grey Duiker with a .243 at close range, hit the shoulder, and it was a mess, what a huge hole !

Shot a Steenbok with a .22-250, at more than 200 meters, high double lung, and it wasn´t very destructive.