Tiny 10 Specific Calibers

[ActionBob]

I like a 22 Hornet. Slow but effective. A 22 K Hornet has potential for better accuracy. Might be a little light for Impala sized critters at range. I really like this cartridge but always have a larger caliber rifle within reach when hunting in Africa. Even if a tracker has to carry this second option.

Consider a 7x57 or 7mm Mauser, or a 275 Rigby as long as tbe throat is opened to handle 175 grain round nose bullets. It has the advantages of lots of ammo available in Africa as it is as common and nostalgic a cartridge as you will find in most of Africa. As Iconic as you can get. Corbett made it famous shooting tigers and leopard with it.

Another option is a 30-06, it will have more recoil in standard ammo but you can buy low recoil ammo... Although most women can handle a 30-06 as ling as it is not a real light weight rifle. This old cartridge probably has more options available in factory ammo than the next closest two cartridges A great option to consider is a 220 grain slow moving soft, especially if it is a bonded bullet. It will be less likely to blow up a cape on a little critter and hit hard and penetrate on large animals.

So to sum up, a 30-06 is probably the high end of your recoil requirements but would be the most capable overall and she could take any plains game up to and including Eland. If you go this way. Buy a good quality bolt gun that fits her well because it is literally a caliber capable of handling her needs even for Elk or Moose and for the rest of her life.

7x57 can do almost everything the 30-06 can with less recoil. But you may need to reload or byy custom ammo to get as many ammo choices.

A 22 Hornet is possibly the best rifle caliber for the Tiny Ten, but although capable of taking Impala sized game, it needs to be close and accurate shots. Falls short for the larger antelope.

Philip Glass' recommended makes a ton of sense. But very important you use a very tough bullet that will not expand on impact with soft skinned critters. And limit it to probably nothing bigger than a red hartebeest. It will way out perform a 22 Hornet on larger critters. But hit a shoulder on a small critter and will likely have a big exit hole.

Stay away from the fast movers and especially with expanding bullets.

 

[skydiver386]

Fellas, the OP asked for recommendations for a rifle tor his Girlfriend that is learning to shoot. A 375 H&H probably doesn't fit the bill.

Depending on your budget, Savage made a Lady Hunter model in .223 that would probably be perfect. They have discontinued that caliber in the Lady Hunter model, but Tina has seen several and bought one last year.

 

[tinktink12]

My animals of choice are the Tina’s Tiny10. I was a fairly new big game hunter when I went to Africa to hunt. Besides birds, I had shot only a pronghorn antelope before going to Africa. I did not like a lot of recoil and I wanted an accurate gun that fit me. I think the Savage lady hunter fits me really well and it is made especially for a women. They don’t make it in 223 any more but you might find a used one or you call Effie at the Savage Customs shop and she can get you one. I took a Savage Lady hunter in 257 Roberts (ordered from the Savage custom shop) to Africa to shoot the Tiny’s with. It was a little more power than I needed but did the trick without to much damage to the animals. I used Barnes x bullets hand loaded. Next time I will use the 257 Roberts with hand loaded Hammer bullets. The Fur hammer version for the Tiny’s and the Barnes x bullets for anything larger. Either are a perfect choice for your novice girlfriend and I love both of my Savage lady hunter 223 and 257 Roberts. I love them so much I am ordering a third one specially made heavier to handle the recoil of a 30-06.

This is me with my 223 Savage Lady Hunter

 

[Hedge774]

Why not the 6.5x55 Swede? I've only shot the grey duiker, but I'm taking my Swede along with my 375 when I go back in April. I have some 140 gr match that I was going to use for Steinbuck and Reedbuck. Am I looking at a cartridge that is too fast for the littlens?

 

[Arac]

I can't say what it would be like on the Tiny Ten, but when my wife showed interest in hunting and shooting I bought her a .270 as an anniversary present. She took her first big game animal, a Sitka Blacktail deer later that year. Those deer are small, not as small as most of the tiny ten, but a smaller Sitka is probably the size of a large Common Duiker. We shoot behind the shoulder and it is generally a small hole in and out. We used 130gr Partitions in the .270 and 175gr Partitions in my 7mm RM. The load in the .270 was relatively mild.

Point is, if you like your .270 it would probably work ok.

My Airedale was about 70 pounds in these pictures, so you have an idea of how small these deer are:

 

[Mwag]

218bee, 25-20, 32-20, 22hornet, .
256 winmag, or even a rifle in .38 special with lead bullets would work.

Long distance, flat trajectory and speed will not work with the lil guys

 

[skydiver386]

Why not the 6.5x55 Swede? I've only shot the grey duiker, but I'm taking my Swede along with my 375 when I go back in April. I have some 140 gr match that I was going to use for Steinbuck and Reedbuck. Am I looking at a cartridge that is too fast for the littlens?

The 6.5x55 Swede would be excellent for the task.

I've never thought of it before, but the long 154 and 160gr round nose FMJ or solid bullets that have always been popular in the Swede at its fast twist rate would zip right through. Expanding bullets of the same weight would be almost perfect for Impala sized game, and recoil would be mild for a new shooter.

Almost every major manufacturer list 6.5x55 ammo in their lineup. Just use the specific bullet type for the intended species.

 

[ActionBob]

Why not the 6.5x55 Swede? I've only shot the grey duiker, but I'm taking my Swede along with my 375 when I go back in April. I have some 140 gr match that I was going to use for Steinbuck and Reedbuck. Am I looking at a cartridge that is too fast for the littlens?

I certainly would not use 140 grain match bullets. I think they would be to fast and likely to really blow up on impact, especially if you hit a bone as @skydiver386 said, heavy for caliber bullets are your friend

Ruger made one in their limited run of Hawkeye African series. Not sure of the twist rate.

 

[Hedge774]

I certainly would not use 140 grain match bullets. I think they would be to fast and likely to really blow up on impact, especially if you hit a bone as @skydiver386 said, heavy for caliber bullets are your friend

Ruger made one in their limited run of Hawkeye African series. Not sure of the twist rate.

I've got the funny looking 156 grainers too. Makes total sense. Thanks guys.

 

[GeoffB]

As @Philip Glass and others have recommended a .223 with 70gr Barnes TSX would be the top pick for a tiny ten specific caliber based on my experience. Second choice would be the .22 Hornet. But the Hornet would be a stretch for Klipspringer and other tiny ten animals at the longer distances they sometimes present at.

I have taken eight of the tiny ten so far and have doubled up on three of the tiny ten on a few other trips to Africa when they presented. I love the challenge of hunting them. I have shot these tiny’s with a number of calibers like .243, .270 and 7 X 64 while hunting other species. With the .243 I have used brass solids hand loaded to the same point of impact as the soft points that have worked well especially at distance when the wind was blowing. But when using traditional expanding bullets in some of these bigger calibers I have destroyed these tiny animals providing the taxidermist with a challenge to try and sew things back together. Two of these tiny’s hit with the bigger calibers where a "let’s look for another one" option when the capes were destroyed. If you are not wanting to take any trophies home or maybe euro skulls only then then slightly larger calibers like a .243, .257 or one of the 6.5’s with Barnes bullets may suit you better. Just have a suppressor fitted to reduce the recoil for your partner and the noise reduction for the PH and your trackers around you. From what I have experienced this .223 + 70gr Barnes combination hands down makes the least amount of cape damage and provides an ability to take shots accurately out to 200yds. You can also take some of the smaller plains game like Impala, Blesbok and Springbok as well if she chooses. Just remember this is a tiny ten specific recommendation and you will need to find a rifle with at least a 1:8 twist to stabilize this 70gr bullet weight.

Earlier this year in August I used this .223 combination in Africa to take a bunch of smaller game and night animals such as Spotted Genet, Spring Hare, Bat Eared Fox, Caracal and two more of the tiny’s the Red Duiker and Sharps Grysbuck. I was very happy with the result and it worked as intended.

 

[rnovi]

Nothing wrong with a 300gr. .375 H&H Solid…

 

[Il luccio]

Man, I appreciate the responses. I think a lot of this is confirming a lot of what I was thinking. I think @Philip Glass your suggestion was along with @tinktink12 exactly where my head was at. It seems like with a good mono bullet you can get away with the higher velocity of the .223. I’m leaning towards that as I don’t currently hand load, but I do think it’s something I may do in the future, so while the 6 x 45 is interesting maybe not workable.

I’d like to start her small and build up to her being able to confidently shoot something like .30-06 or at least a .270/.280. She tried shooting my .20 gauge with trap load and that seemed catch her but surprise. My plan is to buy and bring a Sako 90 .30-06 and so push comes to shove if she says I want to shoot the kudu, etc. she will be able to use it. I’ll have to look into the Lady Hunters. Barring that I figured I would put a .223 barreled action in a boyds adjustable stock. (Probably something I would do for any guns she may shoot).

 

[Il luccio]

The 6.5x55 Swede would be excellent for the task.

I've never thought of it before, but the long 154 and 160gr round nose FMJ or solid bullets that have always been popular in the Swede at its fast twist rate would zip right through. Expanding bullets of the same weight would be almost perfect for Impala sized game, and recoil would be mild for a new shooter.

Almost every major manufacturer list 6.5x55 ammo in their lineup. Just use the specific bullet type for the intended species.

This is interesting. Wouldn’t this be sort of akin to using a 6.5 CM and just working up a reduced load to match the 6.5 Swede (forgive my ignorance of handloading, I’ve never done it, I just know that ballistically the Swede and the CM are extremely similar) ? Because that is also something I have toyed with the idea of doing. Especially, because I’d be much more convenient this rifle could also be an effective whitetail cartridge and 6.5 CM fits that bill perfectly. That being said I don’t currently reload, but it seems like a very intriguing side hobby. Like fly tying. I think my girlfriend might enjoy that more than me.

 

[NorthernNomad]

I have absolutely no experience with the Tiny Ten but I have nothing better to do today so I’ll throw my two cents in here. I think the .223 and the smaller short action cartridges like the .243 and 6.5 Creedmoor would probably be the most practical options, but I would also consider some of the other mini action cartridges like the 6 Arc, the 6.5 Grendel, and even the 300 blk for light recoiling and efficient cartridges on small to medium game. I also really enjoy shooting 44 Magnum and 357 magnum from lever guns and both of those would be great options inside 150 yards for anything up to medium sized game. Because they are slower rounds as well you shouldn’t get as much damage as you might with a fast cartridge.

 

[ActionBob]

This is interesting. Wouldn’t this be sort of akin to using a 6.5 CM and just working up a reduced load to match the 6.5 Swede (forgive my ignorance of handloading, I’ve never done it, I just know that ballistically the Swede and the CM are extremely similar) ? Because that is also something I have toyed with the idea of doing. Especially, because I’d be much more convenient this rifle could also be an effective whitetail cartridge and 6.5 CM fits that bill perfectly. That being said I don’t currently reload, but it seems like a very intriguing side hobby. Like fly tying. I think my girlfriend might enjoy that more than me.

Just be sure it can handle the 156 grain bullets

 

[longrangehunterII]

The easiest to shoot well and accurately would be a .223/5.56 and a scope capable of dialing and/or using a mil-dot reticle. My personal favorite is the S&B Klassik line of scopes, which either have illuminated reticles, or parallax adjustments.

This setup allows very accurate shot placement out to 600 yards. There’s very good ammunition available for the .233/5.56. Barnes X’s, Nosler’s Performance Bonded Solid Base, or the Speer Gold Dot ammunition would be great choices since you don’t hand load. Use the most accurate and she’ll be fine since shot placement is what matters for quick clean kills.

The 6.5 CM/6.5x55 are both great choices, ammo is available worldwide for both, and easy on the shoulder of the shooter.

The 270 Winchester is a fairly big step up on the recoil department, even more so for a 30’06 Springfield.

Most shots are off the sticks, which is an acquired skill that takes practice. The less recoil the better IMO.

In the end if it’s pleasant to shoot she’ll shoot it more, more often and become very proficient with it.

The 22 Hornet was and has always been a favorite in Africa for the Tiny Ten. It was the usual camp rifle for hire in that capacity. Whatever the Hornet can do the .223 will do better, especially out to distance.

You’ll be able to bring your rifles with you each day and more than likely you’ll be together. Having a small bore and your medium bore will round out your weapon of choice as they arise when needed.

Good luck, and keep up on the practice. That way it’ll be second nature when the time comes, and less stressful.