Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Savage model 23 X, 218 Bee

Hi all, I would like to run an idea past some professional experienced people. My goal is a Savage model 23 in 218 Bee. I have a Savage model 23B in 25-20 to use as a platform. What I was thinking of doing is to take a Savage model 23A (22 long rifle) cutting off the action section then having a 218 Bee chamber reamed in to it. Then have the whole thing turned down to the smallest practical diameter so it could be used as a liner for the 23B. My question is can in be done? Should it be done, that's another question. Thanks to anyone that gives this a moment of their valuable time, this is a project that I have a real passion for.
CDS

Wouldn't it be easier to start with a Savage 19-H or 23-D in .22 Hornet and rechamber it to 218 Bee?

The bolt face is not a match with the 22 Hornet. It is with the 23C's and 23'Bs. But I like the way you think. Thanks for your reply.

You might PM Rick99.

IIRC, the Savage 23A and 23AA barrels were cut with a really slow ROT, something 1-18" or 1-19".

If so, I think that ROT would be too slow to work well as a 218 Bee.

Therein lies the fallacy of Savage's idea for a one piece receiver/barrel.

Why not drill out the barrel for a liner and install a .22 centerfire liner. TJ Liners makes a 1/2" diameter 1/14 twist liner for $4+change/foot. Plenty of meat in it to chamber a .218 Bee.

On the other hand, wouldn't it be simpler to open up the bolt face of a Hornet bolt and then rechamber for a .218 Bee? (Given that a Bee reamer would clean up a Hornet chamber?)

The Hornet modification would be the smart move, but I really like my 23D. I have a rather less then collectable 23B that would make a good donor platform. So the .22 centre fire liner will most likely be my path forward. The 23A barrel reuse idea was just that, another of my "to much time on my hands" ideas. The point about the twist is spot on and put that to rest. So time to look at barrel liners. Thank you to those that read this and those that replied especially. I know this is a somewhat impractical project, but everyone has their hobbies. I just like the older stuff and the engineering mentality of the day.
Chris

Good luck with your project.

My 218 Bee is a Marlin 62 parts gun.

Me, I'd be inclined to convert it to a typical threaded receiver and then screw in a new barrel after chambering it.

My .218 Bee is a Marlin 1894. I'd really love to have a small bolt action. I may look for a cz527 to convert.

Didnt Savage make a few 23s in 44-40?

Don't know, but one would make a nice companion to my S&W N frame.

Not as a cataloged item, but Savage made at least one of them that was probably sold as part of the reference collection dispersal in the late 1980s.

I saw a 23 in 44-40 at a gun show in Concord, NH, sometime in the late 1990s. Larry Root once claimed that he owned it at one time, but coming from Larry, who knows.

Wow, that seems like a lot of work to get a 218 Bee. Being a fan the the Savage 23 I have some difficulty with chopping one up, unless its already a waste case. Instead of having a Savage 23 in 218 Bee how about a Savage 23D in 22 Hornet? That's a cool little cartridge in its own right.

So was this mythical 23 in 44-40 built on a standard or beefed up 23 action?

Lots more bolt thrust too with that much larger .44/40 case head. Is a 23 bolt up to snuff for that? I always considered .25/.32-20 to be about the extent of its capability.

Yeah, but the .44-40 operates at about half the pressure that the .25-20 does. So, it's conceivable.
FWIW, the .218 operates at around 40K CUP whereas the .25-20 is rated at 28K CUP but in practice is loaded much lower.

.218 Bee is a fun little cartridge. Don't have anything to add about your ideas but I like your thinking just the same. An improved 218 is quite a cartridge in the right gun too.

I love my Hornets but, truth be told, I like the Bee better, brass is sturdier.

It isn't mythical, as I have seen it.

The gun show in Concord, NH, was 17 or 18 years ago and I wasn't particularly interested in the 23 in 44-40, so I didn't commit the details to memory. The only thing that I specifically remember about it was that the magazine release latch was on the side of the magazine, similar to the early Models 40 and 45.

I think that somebody posted that he had a copy of the page out of the reference collection inventory log book with this rifle listed.

So I guess this would rule out converting a 32-20 23 C to a 32 H&R Magnum or a .327 Federal? Just spit ballin' on this one.

Just so everyone knows, the 23B that I am considering using is not in anyway " collectable". The bore is not dark, it's pitted, as is the chamber. There are not one but two poor attempts to either mount a scope or peep sights. I just wouldn't want people to think that I or anyone should butcher an old rifle for the fun of it. I think this may be the only way to bring any lifetime back to the poor old guy with out making it a parts gun. Thank you all for your input and interest, if this works out that 32 H&H Mag on a 23C could be next, may be wield on some locking lugs?
Chris