.218 Bee

[Glen]

Do any of you folks have any experience loading cast in a .218 Bee? I just picked up a delightful little Marlin carbine, and I want to get it ready for summer varmint season. I am going to start with the NOE 45 grain GC-FP over 10.0 grains of 4227 for about 2000 fps, but I would love to hear any of your proven recipes for the .218 Bee.

 

[richhodg66]

Not the Bee (yet) but in the Hornet, I use that same bullet except I ordered mine with plain bases. I also shoot it slow, two grains of Bullseye, but in my Savage 219, it's a fox squirrel killing machine.

I got one of the Bator molds Midsouth used to sell and even though it should have been too heavy for the old slow twist, it was short enough due to the design to shoot well. I shoot it with six grains of 2400, also good small game bullet.

Dang, I need to get after this with my .218 Bee, been meaning to for quite a while.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Yup

In that same Marlin rifle, contender and a Winchester 43.

I like the Ranch Dog 46g fp and next is the Lyman 225450.

1680 & 4198 have been good to me.

 

[Jeff H]

@Glen , I have a bunch of Ranch Dog's 50 grain RFNs cast up, checked, lubed if you would like to take a "test drive" with them. This bullet was designed FOR the 218 Bee, as I recall and I'd love to see how it does in that case. I may even be able to dig up Michael's data for it.

If I were afforded the opportunity to donate a bunch to someone with a 'Bee, it would be neat to see how they do in it, and I've got more of them than I'll ever shoot up in my 222. I even have some PC'd too, I think.

They shot extremely well (literal clover-leafs, 5 at 50y) in the 222 Remington 722 and have done well enough (5 in about a half inch at 50 yards) in the CZ 527 222, but I haven't had time to really wring that one out. I had to send a sick 'coon on its way with the 722 one day and I was impressed at what that bullet did at 1800+fps.

 

[RBHarter]

I had the 225-37 NOE with the idea of coming out with a direct replacement for 22 LR ........ I couldn't throw a small enough charge to get there and it didn't hold.enough Darrs to get to the muzzle of anything over 16" plain based ...... 3.5 Unique was still 18-1900 fps and I wanted 1200 ......

 

[richhodg66]

I had the 225-37 NOE with the idea of coming out with a direct replacement for 22 LR ........ I couldn't throw a small enough charge to get there and it didn't hold.enough Darrs to get to the muzzle of anything over 16" plain based ...... 3.5 Unique was still 18-1900 fps and I wanted 1200 ......

The reason I bought a .22 Hornet in the first place. I used the Lyman 225438, a little heavier than 37 grains, but worked well for ,e with that same two grains of Bullseye. I like the NOE better because f the bigger meplat and not having to mess with gas checks.

Never tried it much beyond 30 yards or so, I wanted a squirrel load and that is realistic distance for me.

As to small charges, two grains of Bullseye is a no brainer for a Lyman 55 and I have thrown charges as small as 1.1 for the .32 S&W. In the Hornet, I have gone as low as 1.5 grains. I have never chronographed any of these, but I'm happy with the results.

I have to get some cast for the Bee. I have that mentioned Ranchdog mold around here someplace and have never used it.

 

[smokeywolf]

Think I've only shot cast in the BEE a time or two; can't remember which mould, but can tell you I use almost exclusively 4227 for a propellant.

 

[Mainiac]

Do any of you folks have any experience loading cast in a .218 Bee? I just picked up a delightful little Marlin carbine, and I want to get it ready for summer varmint season. I am going to start with the NOE 45 grain GC-FP over 10.0 grains of 4227 for about 2000 fps, but I would love to hear any of your proven recipes for the .218 Bee.

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Lucky you!!!!congrats.ive been looking for one of these,for years...

 

[JWFilips]

I like the Bee...whish I had one

 

[RicinYakima]

Just a heads up, after the first shot check length from rim to shoulder. My Bee CL was so long that the sizing die was backed out two turns. Had to headspace on the shoulder or case separation with even light loads on second reload. FWIW

 

[Glen]

Thanks for the heads up Ric. I had a 7-30 Waters TC barrel like that once....

 

[Michael]

Ditto on what Ric says. But then everything in my world gets head spaced off the shoulder if it has one, period.
Also the 55gr RCBS FN is too long to stabilize IME.

 

[CZ93X62]

Just a heads up, after the first shot check length from rim to shoulder. My Bee CL was so long that the sizing die was backed out two turns. Had to headspace on the shoulder or case separation with even light loads on second reload. FWIW

Yup, my 1894CL in 25/20 suffers from the same "long-chambered" malady. I handle its brass in 1 of 2 ways--

1) Neck-size with a 25 ACP sizing die. Three such treatments, then it is time to.......

2) Back the 25/20 sizer out 7/8 of a full turn. That just kisses the shoulder on fired brass.

Most of my 25/20 brass has 5-6 loadings on it now.

 

[fiver]

probably heresy but i make my 25-20 brass from 218 brass just so i can skoosh the shoulder back to just barely chamber.
this keeps me from stretching it out in the first place.

 

[Rick]

Never had a 218 Bee but I did have a 218 Mashburn Bee in a 14-inch Contender. All the taper blown out and the shoulder moved well forward giving it a short neck. My first experience with the red mist shooting varmints.

 

[Intel6]

I never heard much about the .218 Bee until I acquired a Cooper Varmint 38 in .218 Mashburn Bee. It was paired (only sold as a pair) with a Varmint 38 in .17 Ackley Hornet that I really wanted so I got both (great deal so I wasn't complaining). I had to do a bunch of research about it but since I got dies I wasn't worried. The hardest part was getting brass, I had to wait for over a year to get some new production Winchester to make brass for it. Great shooter, loves 50 gr. Vmax. They are both the small 38 action single shots that are fun to shoot.

 

[dale2242]

I have had some of the best accuracy in my Marlin 218 Bee with IMR 4198 and 2400.
Lyman 225438 with 12 gr 4198 @2400 fps and 8.5 gr of 2400.
Lyman 225415 with 12gr 4198 at 2315.
The heavier 225415 had to be pushed fairly fast to stabilize in the slow twist barrel.
Bullets cast of 50/50 lino/WW, SIZED .225 AND LUBED WITH NRA 50/50