Dedicated Tiny 10 rifle build

[Mtn_Infantry]

Damn you! Now I'm looking at changing calibers to the 6 ARC. Lol

First world problems.

6 Arc with a suppressor is extremely quiet and soft shooting.

 

[ftrovato]

I noticed Tikka was offering different twist rates in their .223's. Tempting me to set up a new one!

I have had this custom build on order from Parkwest for 18 months! I did a 1-9 twist 223 Rem.
Shipping to me next week.

Cant wait to take her to the range and hunting!

If opportunity presents I will use it to finish my Tiny 10 in 2026-27.

 

[Hedge774]

This is always an interesting question. First you need to shoot behind the shoulders to keep from really messing up the pelt.mine have been shot with several different rounds.

Blue diker and sharps grysbok 22 hornet 40 gr solids
Kilpspringer 9.3x62
Common brown diker. 9.3x74
Oribi and cape grysbok 6.5 Grendel
Samara dik dik 7 RM
Steenbok 338 RCM
Red diker and suni 500/416

Since you are also looking at sptingbuck and impala size animals. In the 22 and 6mm class of rounds you will need to look at much tougher bullets that won’t expand rapidly. In my Grendel I used 120 gr hornaday gmc/cx bullets at 2550. (Customized howa mini)

Good luck with whatever you decide to dedicate to hunting the little guys. They are a rewarding experience.

My Howa mini is a treat, as I'm sure yours is. In 7.62x39, I would feel very confident taking it for any game up to an Impala. (Within reasonable range. For me, probably 150 yrds.)

 

[skydiver386]

Close usually. The rifle doesn't have to be a tack driver IMO.

Mmmmmmmaybe.

Blue and Red Duikers are usually shot at very close range in thick cover.

Klipspringer can be very close, or across a canyon. Where @tinktink12 and I hunted in the very far north part of Limpopo it looked like parts of Sedona Arizona.

Stalking was very difficult, as rocks about the size of small potatoes were all you had for footing. We did spot several pairs of Klipspringer, and each time we did I wouldn't have felt a 25-06 was to much.

That's why building something effective from 25 yards to 250 yards is such a difficult engineering task.

 

[slam8031]

All of these are great answers. I have used a 6.5 cm with 143 eldx for 4 of my 8 tiny ten. Little hide damage and excellent for other larger animals. The bule duiker fell to a shotgun from a blind. I used a 300 black out for the common duiker with supersonic hornady ammo. And I used a 375 for the damara. As others have said, ammo choice and shot placement matter most!! Good luck with your build. ranges from 15 yards to 154 yards for Klippie.

 

[Rimshot]

I know theOP said dontdeviate from caliber but......

I would buy a Blaser BD14 chambered in 22 Hornet/6.5×57R/20ga sorted. Many of the smaller duikers etc. Are better taken with a shotgun

This really is the perfect solution. I have a BD-14 and D99 Duo with small rifle, large rifle, and shotgun. I've used the 22 Hornet with 50 gr soft points as close as 40 yards out to 247 yards on tiny ten. Definitely need light winds to make good shot placement on a 20 pound antelope at 247 yd with the 22 hornet. Much beyond 200-250 yards and the large rifle velocity will be low enough to minimize cape damage and have better wind deflection than the 22 hornet, or any other 22 caliber. Even at 40 yards the soft points are leaving very small exits at hornet velocities. Almost used the shotgun barrel on the fleeing duiker at 40 yards but he paused so I decided to send the hornet bullet. At 247 yards the velocity was too low for the bullet to expand. The klipspringer at that range was fatally hit and laid down, but was still alive when the trackers go to him. I did use the shotgun to shoot a bunch of birds one day, so it was nice having the one-gun for all solution. I brought a handful of TSS shotshells to use on tinys but didn't get the chance.

The 22 hornet really is forgiving with the soft point bullets on tiny ten. No need to worry about trying to avoid bone or the shoulder - just aim where you would on a bigger antelope and it'll turn out fine.

I think 223 velocity will be too high at closer ranges unless you load it down some or do careful testing in gel with different bullets, maybe aiming for 222 velocities with 55 gr SP or Norma Oryx. Still, much beyond 250 yards gets very challenging with even a little wind with these low BC bullets.

If you genuinely want a gun that's fur friendly from shotgun range out to 300-350 yards, I do think you're looking at a multi-caliber gun like Blaser makes.

 

[analog_peninsula]

Go retro 1930s with a Savage 99 in .250 Savage.

 

[Andrew NOLA]

6mm BR

Easy to load for, very accurate, lots of bullet choices

Target bullets generally dont expand well, so those might be a choice

test them on grapefruit and see what happens

That what I do for prairie dogs - if it blows up a grapefruit at 100 yards, it will blow up a prairie dog

if it pencil holes a grapefruit, it will pencil hole a PD.

 

[M48scout]

What about a 350 Legend? Not super high velocity and perhaps bullets for deer would not expand enough to cause excessive disruption.

 

[CBCanada]

22 Hornet - has been suggested by many before in previous tiny ten threads. I’m sure it’s a suitable cartridge and fun to build, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 22 hornet at the range…. Would be neat.

Maybe moving up slightly to be able to launch 70-90 gr pills to ultimately deal with wind conditions better. You don’t have to take longer shots, but you have the option to and a ton of bullet choices.

223, 243, 6mm, even 22 Creedmore if you want to get real nerdy.

If I think if this was me I’d go this route…

.243 Model 70 Featherweight or Super Grade, would find a nice used example, proper glass.

Also would be quite handy in the event a nice springbok or impala wanted to present an opportunity.

 

[Rimshot]

What about a 350 Legend? Not super high velocity and perhaps bullets for deer would not expand enough to cause excessive disruption.

OP wants 300-350 yard capability so that may be stretching things

 

[M48scout]

OP wants 300-350 yard capability so that may be stretching things

I did not notice that. I see what you mean.

I like what's been mentioned so far with selection of a 243 also. Could be pretty explosive up close though. Kill them pretty dead however.

 

[Flbt]

Alright, this is possibly going to create a storm but I'm going to ask. All I ask is please help keep on tack with the two calibers I'm asking about.

I'm making a dedicated Tiny 10 semi-custom rifle build and will handload the ammo for it. Do I absolutely need to, no. Am I going to because I want another gun, yes.

I'm up in the air about a .223 shooting a Barnes 70 grain TSX bullet. The other option I was looking at was a 6mm Creedmoor shooting an 80 grain bullet. Now, I realize an expanding bullet like a TTSX might be too much for the 6mm due to velocities out of that gun. Then I thought about guys that shoot the Tiny 10 with the .375 H&H with the solids. So then my thought was to go with the 6mm and shoot essentially an FMJ bullet so it doesn't expand and only punches the hole like a .375 would do. Obviously the 6mm bullet velocities are about 700-800 fps (some more based on powder selection) than the .375. For more food for thought, I'm also going to try for the Springbok slam as well on the trips.

I'm leaning more and more towards the .223 the more I think about it. However, I'm maxing out the grain weight on the .223 whereas I'm at the bottom of the grain weight for the 6mm and could load bigger bullets for deer here in the states.

Where I'll be hunting, I was told to be prepped to shoot out to about 300-350 and that could be both on flat terrain as well as you in the Eastern Cape mountains. I did some long range shooting in a former life and I've been studying ballistics and such like crazy. That said, it's paramount that I preserve the hide as much as possible because all of the Tiny 10 will be full body mounted.

So let's hear your thoughts. Thank you!

How small are the T-10?
And how close is the 6mm creed to the 6mm rem? 80 gr federl sp is rated 3450 - to 3580 ( or very close to those) depending on when the box was made.
A red and the little bigger gray fox and big coon there not much left there big holes in the hide
And if it hit bone it does a mess on whitetail I have seen. Both shoulders bad blood shot now the hole in the hide not that bad less than a in.
The 223 with heavy better bullets 62-64 supposed deer bullets were not that bad on the smaller stuff and I would not use them on deer ( fl size deer) but they did work well on turkey

 

[Flbt]

I know it’s not the 2 you’re looking at.
But what about the 22 creed?
I really don’t know much about it.
But heard it uses heavy bullets for a 22 like the lower end 6mm bullets.
So kinda split the difference in speed and bullets?
But don’t let me talk you in to it for deer.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Any .22 caliber small case round, .222, .22 Hornet, .223 Rem, or .221 Fireball with some type of bullet that's not hard on pelts.

 

[Flbt]

If it’s sim-custom are you having a barrel made?
A 223 with a fast enough twist for the now heavy 22 bullets?

 

[Wildwillalaska]

While I’m not even a plainsgame fan by the slightest sense of the word, I somehow allowed the intrusive thought of the the tiny 10 with a double, doing as many as I could with either my 450 or 500 and solids.

Like most silly notions, as it took hold I decided their may come a time where I need to reach further distances, which somehow added logic to the illogical purchase of a custom Mauser in 22 Savage Hi-Power.

Will at least prove an interesting one to fiddle with a bit. If building a dedicated rig, I’d lean into the 6mm creed likely.

 

[Flbt]

I did see where someone said something about the 350l
If it was loaded with a subsonic maybe a modern take on a rook rifle?

 

[Est.1970]

Last week coworker was showing me pics of his AR hunting rig. He uses Barnes 70 grain TSX so I thought I would share that info.

16” with 1:7 twist. 200 yards and in. Our does are around 100 pounds dressed out. Every one is DRT with huge expansion and some break up. None exit. He hasn’t tried TTSX. Larger entrance hole than 223 at most angles. About twice as large?

If you build anything in 223 or 556 I would recommend a 1:7 only. That shoots any 55 and the heavyweights so you have more options. My 1:7 government profile 20” loves 55 grain JSP Federal from nickel cases the best, but I love 75 and 77. I’ll be trying Barnes 70 TSX later on his recommendation.

I love the Ruger America gen 2 with AR mags. Can you carry that to Africa, or would they balk at that detachable AR mag? That is 1:8 twist.

 

[Nkawu]

In South Africa the wildcat 6x45 (223 necked up to 243) is very popular, so much so that you can get factory ammo for it. It doesn’t loose out much to the 223, but you can shoot up to 100 grain conventional bullets at a mild velocity for the smaller stuff.