Building the ultimate night critter and small game forest gun

[IvW]

I have a 12ga 3"/7×65R Belgium O/U of which it seems the 7x65R barrel chamber has given up. Shells have a downut when fired. This is a very good action with double Kerstin locks.

Now I am in need of the ultimate night critter and small game forest duiker etc. Rifle.

I am considering re barreling it to a 22 Hornet with a fast twist rate barrel.

Any other suggestions?
Has to be rimmed cartridge and modest velocity......

 

[DieJager]

Just some ideas, 5,6x52R, 6x70R, 6,5x57R (minimum for hunting wild boar), 7x57R.

No field experience with these cartridges myself.

 

[Challer]

My Blaser BBF with 20G/22 hornet is my go to critter gitter. No doubt Hornet has it's limits but for general rodent control and light game, the gun is easy to use and fun.

 

[375er]

I only have experience with the .22 hornet and the 6.5x52R. Both are fun to shoot.

 

[Philip Glass]

I have a 12ga 3"/7×65R Belgium O/U of which it seems the 7x65R barrel chamber has given up. Shells have a downut when fired. This is a very good action with double Kerstin locks.

Now I am in need of the ultimate night critter and small game forest duiker etc. Rifle.

I am considering re barreling it to a 22 Hornet with a fast twist rate barrel.

Any other suggestions?
Has to be rimmed cartridge and modest velocity......

I was in this same situation searching for just such a rifle/caliber a while back. I tried many different ideas and tested them on fox and coyote st home . I found the Ruger in 5.56/.233 with 70g Barnes TSX to be the ticket. The TSX is a hard bullet capable of taking down the smaller PG while not doing damage to a duiker. I took small animals all the way down to bat eared fox without any noticeable damage. The exit wounds were never bigger than a quarter.
The .22 Hornet and similar does not have the power for small PG and will likely rip up the smaller animals.
Please take it from me, my system works!

 

[IvW]

Just some ideas, 5,6x52R, 6x70R, 6,5x57R (minimum for hunting wild boar), 7x57R.

No field experience with these cartridges myself.

5.6x52R no ammo avilible, 6x70R too fast, 6.5x57R and 7x57R these are going to be built into Bergstutsen with 2 barrel sets I am in process of commissioning.

 

[IvW]

I was in this same situation searching for just such a rifle/caliber a while back. I tried many different ideas and tested them on fox and coyote st home . I found the Ruger in 5.56/.233 with 70g Barnes TSX to be the ticket. The TSX is a hard bullet capable of taking down the smaller PG while not doing damage to a duiker. I took small animals all the way down to bat eared fox without any noticeable damage. The exit wounds were never bigger than a quarter.
The .22 Hornet and similar does not have the power for small PG and will likely rip up the smaller animals.
Please take it from me, my system works!

Not a rimmed cartridge.
The bullets I intend using are controlled expansion and will be 50 or 55gr thats why the faster twist barrel.
In essence it will be the same as yours at lower velocity.
Largest animal will be common duiker and having the 12ga barrel on the same platform it will be good to go for the small stuff at night and blue duiker for example...

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Currently in the same boat. Looking for a .22 Hornet that will be used on Blue Duiker, Grysbuck up to Common Duiker.
Used a 17 HMR with Hornady V-Max on Dik Dik about two years ago upon advice from the local Namibian. Worked rather well. Their theory was that you won't have an exit with the V-Max, so no damage on the Cape. Looking at implementing that here.

 

[VertigoBE]

I'll be following this thread as well. I have no experience with the .22 Hornet, but I've heard many good things. Very precise, not too fast.

 

[Hunting Sailor]

6mm Musgrave, if you would handload you could get the velocity you desire. Only one factory option available, PMP Brown box.

 

[mark-hunter]

Any other suggestions?

Temporary suggestion, and not perfect.But good thing, its not expensive to try.

I had the same situation with combination gun 7x65R/12 GA of friend.
we tried to zero the rifle, and we gave up. impossible.

barrel worn out, bullets keyholling, cannot zero at 25 meters target, grouping all over the paper (repeat: at 25 meters!!! in one word, disaster.)

I told him, forget about gun and zeroing: rebarrel, sell, or deactivate gun and put it on the wall.

He called gunsmith.
Gunny told him to take cartridge 7x65R Sellior Bellot SPCE.
The reason, bullet is shaped cylindrical, and have good surface area to engrave on rifling.
So with SPCE, we managed to zero the rifle (reasonable accuracy).
I dont now for how long it will hold.

Spce is soft bullet, likely to disintegrate on impact on larger game, creates shok, is meant for thin skinned game. Such as roe deer, or smaller. It is not for large tough animals

if you will use it on small night critters, it may work. if holding zero. if not, rebarrel

 

[Red Leg]

Big fan of the .22 Hornet. I use it on coyotes out to 200 yards with no difficulty. Like @Philip Glass notes, due to its relatively low velocity, it is typically loaded with a fairly soft SP in this country. I would be a little concerned about pelt damage on a blue duiker or suni. That said, you do not get the explosive effect at its velocity that a light bullet causes with a .223.

The little Hornet would not be my first choice for a bush pig.

In Germany - waaay back in the day - I used a drilling 16x16 / 6.5x57 as my "winter" gun (pigs and foxes primarily). In those days both Dynamit Nobel and Hirtenberger loaded softs and solids, and the solid was great on a fox. Have no idea of either loads commercial availability today.

 

[IvW]

Big fan of the .22 Hornet. I use it on coyotes out to 200 yards with no difficulty. Like @Philip Glass notes, due to its relatively low velocity, it is typically loaded with a fairly soft SP in this country. I would be a little concerned about pelt damage on a blue duiker or suni. That said, you do not get the explosive effect at its velocity that a light bullet causes with a .223.

The little Hornet would not be my first choice for a bush pig.

In Germany - waaay back in the day - I used a drilling 16x16 / 6.5x57 as my "winter" gun (pigs and foxes primarily). In those days both Dynamit Nobel and Hirtenberger loaded softs and solids, and the solid was great on a fox. Have no idea of either loads commercial availability today.

The 22 Hornet with a fast twist rate barrel and heavier controlled expansion bullet should be fine?
I cannot imagine shots beyond 100m.
Walther barrels are availible for this project in the following twist rates:
9.8
10.6
12
12.6
The target would be bullets of 50, 55 or even 60gr

 

[Red Leg]

I would think so. I do not reload, so use the standard Remington 45gr SP. Obviously, I am also not shooting duiker and rarely get an exit wound with a Coyote. They are never explosive.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Temporary suggestion, and not perfect.But good thing, its not expensive to try.

I had the same situation with combination gun 7x65R/12 GA of friend.
we tried to zero the rifle, and we gave up. impossible.

barrel worn out, bullets keyholling, cannot zero at 25 meters target, grouping all over the paper (repeat: at 25 meters!!! in one word, disaster.)

I told him, forget about gun and zeroing: rebarrel, sell, or deactivate gun and put it on the wall.

He called gunsmith.
Gunny told him to take cartridge 7x65R Sellior Bellot SPCE.
The reason, bullet is shaped cylindrical, and have good surface area to engrave on rifling.
So with SPCE, we managed to zero the rifle (reasonable accuracy).
I dont now for how long it will hold.

Spce is soft bullet, likely to disintegrate on impact on larger game, creates shok, is meant for thin skinned game. Such as roe deer, or smaller. It is not for large tough animals

if you will use it on small night critters, it may work. if holding zero. if not, rebarrel

I have used the S&B 173gr SPCE 7x57R ammo in my dreiling for pigs and coyotes. Nothing has taken a step after being hit with that bullet. I am guessing it performs better with the lower velocity of the 7x57R. Never had one exit on a pig but on coyotes it exits with little damage to the hide.

Safe hunting

 

[IvW]

I have used the S&B 173gr SPCE 7x57R ammo in my dreiling for pigs and coyotes. Nothing has taken a step after being hit with that bullet. I am guessing it performs better with the lower velocity of the 7x57R. Never had one exit on a pig but on coyotes it exits with little damage to the hide.

Safe hunting

I will be ordering a Bergstutzen in calibers 9.3x74R/7×57R 22" (brush gun short range from duiker to eland) and a second set of barrels in 7x65R/6.5×57R 24" (more open areas and mountain terrain duiker to zebra but mostly springbuck, blesbuck, black wildebeest), so there I am covered.

This combo will be for small night critters and forest duikers eg. Genet, African wild cat, Serval, Civet, Caracal, Porcupine, jackal, Honey badger, Guinea fowl, green pigeons, blue duiker, red duiker, Suni, common duiker, monkeys etc. Etc.

 

[IvW]

I also own a 12ga/9.3×74R (going to my son) combination ad well as a 308/12ga combo(for my daughter).
So I am busy with my own complete pg rifle package(that will be the Bergstutzen's) but the 12ga/22 Hornet will be exclusively for the small stuff.....

 

[mark-hunter]

I have used the S&B 173gr SPCE 7x57R ammo in my dreiling for pigs and coyotes. Nothing has taken a step after being hit with that bullet. I am guessing it performs better with the lower velocity of the 7x57R. Never had one exit on a pig but on coyotes it exits with little damage to the hide.

Safe hunting

I will agree to above with general description of spce
No exit wound and can be effective.

There are two types of approach. Both individual preference. Both valid. Do we want exit wound or do we want full energy transfer without exit wound? Individual preference

But on European old heavy boar, can happen with spce not to reach the vitals. It happened. I have also seen, on downed game like medium sized boar a bullet jacket stripped away from core, no exit wound, and no lead, but the animal was down indeed.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

You are going to have some awesome combos with that mix of great cartridges. I have used 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, 25-20 and 32-20 on the small critters and was happy with the performance of all of them. I really enjoyed using a Browning M53 in 32-20 to take game in Bolivia up to brocket deer and peccary. I used Hornady's XTP bullet with 2400 and it thumped the brocket deer hard.

Safe hunting

 

[Monsai52]

218 Bee.

Best regards,