Tiny Ten

[Philip Glass]

For those of you that love the tiny ten like Philip: Do you tend to get full body mounts of them all so you can appreciate the difference in size, coloring, etc when you look at the mounts. Or do you lean towards shoulder mounts, or Euro?

Also, I feel like when I have looked it up before some lists of what constitute the tiny ten might differ slightly by 1 or 2 animals. Is that correct, or is there a set in stone list?

I have done mostly shoulder mounts because of the display I've created. I believe most would do full mounts. The "Tiny Ten" phrase has been used differently by different people. For instance there is a RSA version. The SCI Milestone Award is listed in the recent June 2026 Safari magazine on page 133. It requires 10 but lists 13 to choose from. Most of us like to go by the traditional Tiny Ten which even AI recognizes!
Sorry my pic is old and does not include the sought after Sharpes Grysbuck.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I use a .243 with Barnes TSX. Works well on Tiny 10 and small cats

 

[farmer_john]

I have a question to those much more experienced than me. why is there a trend towards 22 hornet vs say a 223? for tiny ten?

 

[Rimshot]

I have a question to those much more experienced than me. why is there a trend towards 22 hornet vs say a 223? for tiny ten?

223 could work but you need to be much more careful with bullet selection. Also I think the high impact velocity could cause trouble if you hit shoulder/bone. A heavier for caliber bonded or mono would be the place to go, both keeping velocity down in the 2700-2800 fps range and keeping the bullet together to make a small exit. With the higher BC of the heavier bullets, longer range shots would be easier in the wind for things that might be taken at long range, like klipspringer.

22 Hornet has plenty of power for the job. You can use any normal old-school lead-tipped 45-55 gr bullet and it won't come apart. The recoil is so low you can spot impacts even at max zoom thru the scope. 55 gr flat base spire point is the heaviest that will typically stabilize in the slowest twist (1:16") hornet barrel. Beyond 200 yards you need to be even more aware of trajectory and wind deflection values. The hornet is typically available in drillings and combination guns, and the 223 is not.

222 rem is also available in some combo guns and could arguably be the best choice, especially for shots beyond 200 yards.

Why use a .308 for deer hunting instead of 300 win mag? Both will work in most circumstances. The 300WM offers an advantage at longer range. Many hunters will never need the extras provided by the win mag though.

I think the main points for me are that the 22 hornet is in the optimal "power zone" and also a typical chambering for mult-barrel platforms

 

[Hunt anything]

My concerns with the .22 Hornet would be if out looking for TT, you look up and a 30+” nyala walks out at 150yds. You’re screwed, that is if you want a big nyala like I do.
I still want to take a .22 Hornet to Africa though.

 

[ftrovato]

I've taken 3 in Mozambique in 2024 and found it to be (unexpected) great fun to hunt them!

I plan to hunt 4 more of them in Moz & SA next month & I can't wait!

Thus far I've taken all with the 416 Rigby & Barnes solids making no mess at all to the hides.

 

[farmer_john]

223 could work but you need to be much more careful with bullet selection. Also I think the high impact velocity could cause trouble if you hit shoulder/bone. A heavier for caliber bonded or mono would be the place to go, both keeping velocity down in the 2700-2800 fps range and keeping the bullet together to make a small exit. With the higher BC of the heavier bullets, longer range shots would be easier in the wind for things that might be taken at long range, like klipspringer.

22 Hornet has plenty of power for the job. You can use any normal old-school lead-tipped 45-55 gr bullet and it won't come apart. The recoil is so low you can spot impacts even at max zoom thru the scope. 55 gr flat base spire point is the heaviest that will typically stabilize in the slowest twist (1:16") hornet barrel. Beyond 200 yards you need to be even more aware of trajectory and wind deflection values. The hornet is typically available in drillings and combination guns, and the 223 is not.

222 rem is also available in some combo guns and could arguably be the best choice, especially for shots beyond 200 yards.

Why use a .308 for deer hunting instead of 300 win mag? Both will work in most circumstances. The 300WM offers an advantage at longer range. Many hunters will never need the extras provided by the win mag though.

I think the main points for me are that the 22 hornet is in the optimal "power zone" and also a typical chambering for mult-barrel platforms

Thanks for explaination was very good.

 

[dchum]

I have only shot a Damara Dik Dik and a steenbok.

I look forward to future trips and new places and will certainly be on the look out for other tiny antelope species.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

My concerns with the .22 Hornet would be if out looking for TT, you look up and a 30+” nyala walks out at 150yds. You’re screwed, that is if you want a big nyala like I do.
I still want to take a .22 Hornet to Africa though.

You should see the Nyala Bull I passed on in Coutada 11. He dwarfs the 30” mark. We watched him from the truck at offhand double rifle distance for 15ish minutes. Everyone from @375Fox and @Green Chile to Mark Haldane himself told me I was insane for passing on him.

My logic; I already have a really good Nyala that makes Rowland Ward and is knocking on the 30” door. He’s also mounted as a full body mount and I don’t have the space for two. Due to that, I’d be forced do a Shoulder mount, thus losing their beautiful coloration on their lower legs, or even a euro due to space. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted to shoot it (she’s never hunted anything while we were together) thinking I could maybe get away with a 1/2 body for her because I felt it’s be wrong to hunt him and not memorialize a trophy like that. When she passed, easy decision to let someone else have a chance at him and maybe they will honor and preserve him more than I would, and in the meantime maybe he’ll pass more of his genetics on. OR he’ll still be around on my next trip with ZDS and he’ll be even bigger breaking the self imposed number I created.

FYI, ZDS keeps a 22 Hornet in camp for the Tiny 10.

 

[375Fox]

I have a question to those much more experienced than me. why is there a trend towards 22 hornet vs say a 223? for tiny ten?

Something to keep in mind with cartridge/bullet selection for tiny 10, their skin is much more similar to a cottontail rabbit than other antelope. Most hunters are going to want to get a mount done. Pretty easy to damage the hide especially with a fast bullet.

 

[Rimshot]

Something to keep in mind with cartridge/bullet selection for tiny 10, their skin is much more similar to a cottontail rabbit than other antelope. Most hunters are going to want to get a mount done. Pretty easy to damage the hide especially with a fast bullet.

I think this is the big advantage to the little 22 hornet in particular. In my experience you can aim for the shoulder and hit major bones with the 50gr spirepoint and still have a small neat hole in and out. These are small targets and not needing to worry about needing to put it behind the shoulder or in the guts just to preserve the fragile skin/hair adds confidence when the angle is bad or you're trying to shoot something with fist-sized vitals at 250 yards from a field position. Even using solids in the DG calibers could be risky since there's just so much more frontal area to knock a larger chunk of bone to thru the offside skin. Most of them aren't setup or capable of making precise shots at longer ranges either.