Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .218 Bee experience

I am not a gunwriter, but I had a 218 bee in a T/C Contender with a Foxridge (custom shop) barrel. It was wonderfully accurate and fun to shoot. I eventually sold because I didn't care for the way it carried and it was a pain in my opinion to clean the barrel.

My cousin inherited his uncle's Winchester M43 in 22 hornet and I have shot it some. It shot ok with factory loads and the trigger was heavy and hasd a bit of creep. It looks like a rimfire rifle. I wasn't impressed with it.

The best Bee I saw was a gunsmith friend of mine built a 218 Mashburn Bee on a Sako action which was originally for a 222 Remington. He opened the bolt face and found a 218 Bee magazine for a different Sako and it worked great.

OK.... I did it.....I put a bid on this one.....218 bee

Kimber of Oregon made a bolt action in .218 Bee. I forget the model number (82? 84?). They were very nice little repeaters. Not cheap, but well worth the money.

I bought a Model 43 quite a few years ago that someone had re-barreled to .218 Mashburn and refinished. From the variety and quantity of reloads I got with it he had spent considerable time and money trying to get it to shoot. After a little experimenting, I added some shims to the barrel hold down lug to take the pressure off the barrel and it helped a lot. Not really comparable to a good bolt action rifle, but that is understandable since it is built more like a rimfire. The comments about brass stretch and separation result from the lack of lugs on the bolt. The bolt handle is all that holds it closed. That probably works better on a Hornet.

Not sure why the prices have gone up so much in the last few years. I guess it is just because they are not very common.


Jerry

I'm not a caveman, so that explains it.

I grew up with a M-94 and a M-92.....(30-30 and a 25-20).....further I had a M-39A Marlin.....all hammer guns.....

They were all carried on "half*cock"...never in those years did anything I was hunting become bothered by the sound of the hammer clicking to full cock.....but the art of holding the hammer with the thumb while pulling the trigger to allow the hammer to return to half cock could be bothersome in very cold weather when one wore gloves....or worse when one's thumb was so cold that he couldn't tell if he has a good "grip" on the hammer in that maneuver. While the hammer was intended to be the safety, many lever guns with exposed hammers later also had another safety button.....

Having said that, I find it hard to believe the "click" of the hammer reaching full cock j is a problem.....it's an incredible little click and many times I didn't notice it at all.

I saw a Sako in 218 Bee at a gun show several years back, never knew they existed in that caliber.

Coyotes hear everything. Including a hammer clicking.

Don’t you wish you bought it?

The ones I hunt don't!

My only Bee was a 16" Contender barrel. I bought it thinking I could get Hornet rifle speeds from a pistol barrel. It did just that, and was fun on prairie dogs at any reasonable Hornet range. Never used it on anything larger. Also had a .17 Bee also in a 16" Contender. They both went down the road when I sold off most of my guns.

Will never sell my Browning Micro Medallion Hornet.

I'd enjoy having a Browning 65 in 218 Bee, sounds like it could be a challenging reloading project. Always enjoyed shooting pistol gripped lever guns & small center fire cartridges.


41

If you buy the Marlin 1894CL in .218 Bee, you’ll end up wanting the same rifle in 25-20 and 32-20.

....not a chance.....
1. I've read too mush negative about it's feeding
2. I had a marvelous M-92 Winchester in .25-20....It now has been passed down to a grandchild.....loved it but enough....The .218 Bee is the only lever gun that trips my trigger.....and I already have 50 new brass for it....and dies too.....it's a far more practical rifle than the .25-20 or the .32-20

Boy I've got a live one for you guys. Went to a gunshow in Eugene Oregon today and lo and behold, a Winchester 43 in 22 Hornet for $595. Pretty nice too. And right next to it, it's mate in 218 Bee, for $450! Nice original bluing, BUT, drilled for a sidemount with wood cutout, and top drilled and base installed. Otherwise, really nice 218 Model 43. I left it there.

A guy on the Hunting Washington classifieds just put up 600 bullets for .218 Bee for $50. FYI. Don't know if that's a good price or not, just happened to see it.

I checked that website....
here it is

I'm almost a Bee owner.....will know in about 25 minutes.....thanks for the heads up

It is now mine.....now to find some bullets for the darn thing....something 50 grains or less with cannelures.....

I wish I hadn't read this thread, because I have a Browning High Grade 65 in .218 Bee sitting in the safe. Bought it new when they first went on the market, and never fired it. At the time it seemed too cute and pretty to fire, and I was into other shooting games. I also bought both Browning 1886 models, a Model 71 Carbine, and an 1895. Now I have the urge to pick up some brass, bullets and suitable powder, and go shoot the .218 Bee. So I'll log off here and hit the vendors for what I need. Thanks guys.

ttt