Talk to me about a 218 Bee .

[Baja_Traveler]

Forming 32-20 to 25-20, then to 218 Bee is super easy with a small investment in dies. I have two Bee's to feed - a Martini and a Marlin and I like them both.

[edward hogan]

Always thought the .218 Bee was a great choice for handloader looking for .22 win mag (rimfire) results on economical terms. 2200 loads per lb and a cast boolit under 40gr... Cheaper than shooting .22lr back in the shortage days.

But... There's the Ackley Improved Hornet... More versatile; if you're deciding. Bee brass is rarified stuff; Hornet more available.
As I have .223rem and a nice 74gr mold, I can spend another cent or two and go with what I got.
But who says loading and casting isn't just about the fun and satisfaction of the exercise?
Always thought the .22 Jet was a cool number too...

[TCFAN]

I was all set to buy a rifle barrel for my TC Encore in 22 Hornet.I happened to be in a flea market where I found about 600 or 700 hundred new unfired 218 Bee winchester unprimed brass for a very good price.I bought them all and ordered a 22 inch stainless barrel from MGM chambered in 218 Bee.
I have tried several jacketed bullets in several different loads and they all shot pretty good.But I wanted to use the 218 for cast boolits. My favorite load is the NOE 45 grain wide flat nose GC boolit with 11.5 grs. of IMR4198.This is a very good shooting load and I have killed about 40 different yard varmints in the last 3 years or so.
I also use the NOE copy of the 225107 37 gr. boolit with 2.6 grs. of bullseye for small game and general plinking.

I like the 218 very much and have not had any problems at all loading or shooting.I also load and shoot a 10 inch 22 Hornet barrel for my Contender and had a lot of head separations until I learned that I needed to neck size the brass.

[Rodfac]

I've loaded for a Browning M65 .218 Bee for twenty years or so, and can readily agree that brass can be a problem but Mid-South has it now, this evening: Hornady make; $36 for 50 cases.

Loading for that handy lever gun, I've had good luck using Sierra, Nosler and Hornady 45 gr Sp and HP jacketed bullets. I also cast using 20 year old Lyman's 225438 gc & 225415 gc. My alloy is ACWW's with 2% tin added then sized to 0.225". Currently I'm using 50-50 lube with no leading problems.

Accuracy with jacketed and/or cast runs about the same: +- an inch at 50 yds. I mounted a Tang peep sight, with windage adjustment capability, on it, which helps with precision, and precludes having to drill and tap to mount a scope.

The biggest drawback I see for the Bee is brass availability. Buy it when you see it, and get at least a cpl hundered cases stashed away. While I've formed .25-20 cases from .32-20, with minimal case loss, I'd think that you'd have to add an anneal step somewhere in the process to re-form all the way down to .218 Bee. Baha Traveller's post and pic shows that it can be done, and I, for one, would appreciate a description of his methods. I see that he's got a pair of forming and trimming dies in the pic...how 'bout it Baha? BTW, I do anneal both my .25-20 & .218 Bee brass every 4-5 firings and haven't lost a case to a neck or shoulder crack in years.

Casting the little .22 cal. bullets can be a challenge, though, but when the pot's up to temp and the mold & sprue plate is just right, they pile up quickly. I have a cpl thousand of the two mentioned above laid aside for future use. Of the two, the 225438 is just a hair more accurate in the loads that I've assembled with Win 231, 4227, 2400, & 296. 2400 being the standout at this point, accuracy wise. And I'll also add that annealed Hornady GC's are used with all loads. I don't cull my bullets by weight nor with magnified visual inspection, but do return obvious defects to the sprue cutoff pile. I've found that with .22's, the base must be perfect even when covered with a gc. Any deformity, throws that round out of the group. I'm especially careful about sprue cutoff tear out. It's fatal to good bullets with a bullet of this light weight, and shows up even on 25 yard squirrel loads.

Overall, the .218 is a good cartridge, especially in the lever gun Winchesters and Brownings of my experience, and very interesting to work with...and hey...a pound of WW alloy goes a LONG way when the slugs only weigh 45-50 grains. Good loads can be assembled without a great deal of bother, but ya gotta have the brass to start with...buy it when it's available!!

MY Browning BTW, went to son #2 this Christmas, along with a supply of loaded cast and jacketed ammunition for use on the woodchucks that infest his 4-board horse fenced paddocks. And that leaves me still looking for one of my "grail" guns; a Sako on the tiny 46 action in .218. IIRC, Ken Waters did one of his Pet Load write-ups on that very same gun.

Good luck with your Bee, Rod in Kentucky

[labradigger1]

I’m not going to talk you out of a bee. I am currently making one on a martini henry action.
I’ve always liked bees. Like rodfac said above, buy the brass when you see it.

[dale2242]

Form dies can get expensive.
Powder Valley has Hornady 218 Bee brass in stock.
If you need/want some , I would grab it.
https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/prod...nge-sort-by=or

[shtur]

I have some once fired 218 Bee brass and some bullets in the S&S section right now.

[Gaseous Maximus]

I have a Bee, single shot, built on a pattern 1914 British Enfield, which I shortened I I/2 inch. It seems to shoot pretty good, but truthfully, I really haven't shot it that much.

[Rick B]

Care to explain your forming process
Rick

[skeettx]

I have two 17 Ack Bees and one 218 Bee, all on small Martini actions.
So, long ago I bought a BUNCH of virgin brass

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Brass for the Bee will give you many more loadings than Hornet cases. One of my guns sold regrets was a Martini Cadet in 218 Bee. I never loaded for the Hornet but friends who did said that case life was very short.